TRAVEL TALES

Venturing Across Lindi’s Pass into the Mackenzie Basin

Where a glacier-fed, turquoise-blue lake is sitting at the base of the Southern Alps

The sun was shining but none of its strength could be felt on the skin as the wind was howling and blowing lots of chilled air across the mountains. But that didn’t do anything about the beauty I was looking at.

David, my significant other, partner in crime and travel and I have landed down under a few weeks ago. Our time in New Zealand is limited to a few months and while we are here to work, we are also here to explore.

And live.

After receiving an additional day off due to heavy winds which prevented us from jumping out of planes for a living, we discussed and debated a bit before packing the bags and driving North.

While we weren’t equipped yet to go camping and were dependent on the exorbitant accommodation prices of New Zealand’s tourism industry, we decided against staying at Mt. Cook Village and booked into a backpackers in the Mackenzie Basin instead.

Leaving our home in Cromwell behind, the road took us along the length of Lake Dunstan before winding its way through the hills of Central Otago.

Driving our little Toyota Vitz up Lindi’s Pass to an elevation of almost 1000 meters (~3100ft) was certainly a challenging task but if you’re not aiming to be always driving the maximum allowed speed and focus on enjoying the scenery instead it was a relaxing journey.

David even pulled over to the side at one point to leave the line of cars collected behind pass us before continuing the drive up to the top. The hills were still rather brown after a long winter but lots of tussock grass showed off the native ecosystem in the area.

“State Highway 8 transverses the pass on its route from the Waitaki Basin to Central Otago. The pass is the highest point on the South Island’s state highway network, and the second highest point on the New Zealand state highway network, after the Desert Road (SH 1) in the Central North Island. Despite this, it is not considered one of the alpine passes as it located in the dry interior of the South Island. Summers are typically hot and dry while heavy snow and frequent ice are common in winter.” — Wikipedia

And while you are reading ‘highway’, this road has nothing in common with any of the European or North American multiple-lane highways.

A highway in New Zealand simply means it's not a dirt track.

Soon, we were nearing the massive peaks of the Southern Alps identified by their snow-covered ridges. The meadows in the valley below were being watered by large irrigation systems and countless cattle and sheep herds grazing off the healthy grass.

Looking for a lunch spot with a nice view but not too exposed to the gale-force winds, we were nearing Twizel and turned off just before the city and past a high country salmon farm where I spotted a picnic site on Lake Ruataniwha.

Protected from the trees surrounding us, we parked the car in an angle to offer additional shelter and only seconds after stepping out of the car, I was walking in the freezing cold water of the lake.

So refreshing.

David thought I was crazy as he only dipped his toes and quickly regretted having done so. Regardless, my body enjoyed the spike in blood circulation thanks to the cooling dip.

Two ducks were swimming past staying with us for the duration of our lunch as David was feeding them peas off our salad. I was telling him off saying the ducks didn't go for the peas and our delicious lunch just dropped to the bottom of the lake just as one of the ducks swam back to the place of action, dipped her head low into the water and while wiggling her tail in the air, grabbed the pea off the bottom.

"You see?" was all David said while giving me an I-am-right-stare.

From Lake Ruataniwha we only had a five-minute drive into Twizel and dropped our bags into our room at High Country Lodge & Backpackers.

We then jumped back into the car as we were keen on doing a hike this afternoon but didn’t feel like walking around this town which holds the largest population in the Mackenzie Basin with just under 1000 inhabitants. All the other towns such as Lake Tekapo, Mount Cook Village and Omarama hold less than 500 inhabitants.

Driving just a few kilometers North, we reached Lake Pukaki and stopped in a parking lot mainly used by campervanning travelers of New Zealand. Much to my surprise as I glanced into the vehicles on my way down to the lake trail, they were all hiding inside not keen on outdoor activities.

I guess not everyone is up for a walk in gale-force winds…

We knew about this weather before even embarking on this trip and were dressed for the cold. We walked down to the lake where a lovely trail was leading along its shores for miles on end.

We didn’t intend on circling the lake which would have taken days to complete I assume but simply wanted to enjoy the fresh air and the views of course.

I was simply mesmerized by the shining turquoise-blue color of the lake as I have rarely seen it in such big bodies of water. The wind was crushing up the water creating waves like on an open ocean but that didn’t change anything on its color.

Walking along the trail we kept on wondering which of the peaks hidden in the clouds was the mighty Mt. Cook, New Zealand’s highest. I mean sure, we could have just looked it up on our phones but admiring the mountains while debating about it is more fun.

Occasionally some cyclists passed us on the trail but for most of the duration of our walk, we were on our own with not another soul in sight.

While fighting the wind the entire way, we either had to walk next to each other or stop to be able to have a conversation and understand each other. Or just walk behind each other listening to the wind in silence. Not hearing each other's voice for once can also be calming when living 24/7 together.

Sure, this certainly would have been nicer on a calm day but since I'm not able to change the weather, I make the best of every day.

We headed for another bay where we left the trail to sit down on the rocky beach and eat some snacks while staring at the distant mountains. The roaring sound of the crashing waves was mixing with the wind howling through the air and the cars on the road further in the back faded into far distance.

Since we only carry one backpack on such short day trips and walks, we split the work. I carry the pack the first half of the journey and David takes it on the return trail. Not that the load was heavy but this way we both had one way no baggage.

We even heard some birds chirping and singing in the trees and saw an interesting-looking species on the last few hundred meters. It was too far to get on camera but close enough to watch him getting attacked by a seagull. Yes, a seagull of all birds was diving down onto the poor bird who just opened its wings and gave a clear sign of backing off to the attacker.

After such a cold and windy hike along the shores of Lake Pukaki, we were looking forward to a hot shower and rewarded us with a delicious and pricy meal next door.

I ordered some venison steak on vegetables with slices of potato looking like a pineapple on my plate. Venison was the word I learned new that day and added to my vocabulary after hearing David using it repeatedly over the last few weeks down under.

"Venison, (from Latin venatus, “to hunt”), the meat from any kind of deer; originally, the term referred to any kind of edible game." — Britannica

Seeing more deer herds than in southern Germany where they are native, I learned that venison meat is certainly a delicacy next to the country's excellent lamb and beef. And they do lots of deer farming which you can see roaming on large paddocks next to sheep and cattle.

Closing in on this day I must admit it was once again a tough day out in nature but a beautiful one. Against nothing in the world, I would have swapped this experience for a day staying indoors.

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