Our Easter Picnic

From April 4, 2010

We decided to escape to Oamaru, Easter weekend. It is located about three hours south, on the east coast. There are some unusual rocks at Moeraki Beach which were amazing. For about 50 meters there are sphere shaped rocks, supposedly formed on the sea bed about 60 million years. As you look from above you wonder why these boulders are on this small section of beach. These circular rocks are nowhere else. There is also a blue penguin colony. But the most memorable experience for Jack and I will be the side trip we took up the McKenzie Valley. For those of you following on a map, we went west on Hwy 83 toward Omarama and around to Geraldine. New Zealand has taken the Waitaki River and dammed it in several places for electrical power and have created some beautiful lakes. It is also beautiful farming country. We had already stopped several times to take pictures before we had gone 30 kilometers. Omarama country is known for the Merino sheep. As we circled around Lake Pukaki and Lake Tekapo, we could see Mt. Cook, the tallest mountain in New Zealand. It was a windy two lane highway, but Jack and I didn’t have anything to do but watch the beautiful scenery. We stopped for afternoon tea at Geraldine and were home by 6:00 p.m. We enjoy the popular tourist sites, but we will always feel more at home in the country. We experience a peace among the solitude of the mountains and valleys. We both enjoy this.