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After the adrenalin filled madness that was Queenstown we headed northbound, east coast this time, to Lake Tekapo. The numbers on the bus were significantly reduced and the feeling noticeably subdued in comparison to the vibe experienced entering Queenstown. I had said goodbye to Christian my Danish friend at Milford and Tom and Ally a few days previous so I too was feeling a bit less psyched entering a bus full of unknowns with little enthusiasm. Nevertheless I was looking forward to chilling beside the beautiful lake for the afternoon. I knew very little about Tekapo mostly due to not reading up on it but also because the driver wasn't really selling it much, but what a little gem I found this place to be. I didn't realise that along with Namibia in SA and our very own Kerry in Ireland,Tekapo is a gold star dark sky reserve renowned for its stargazing and astronomy. I booked myself onto a earth and sky tour starting at 11.25 and ending at 2am. It was an amazing experience, the sky was filled with stars and I got to look through some of the most hi tech telescopes in the world at Jupiter, Gemini and Orion. I also spotted 4 shooting stars, the trail of one which stayed in the sky a good few seconds which is apparently very unusual! Needless to say I made a few wishes that night! It was an early morning departure (like they all are really...) to Christchurch the next day. I had heard the usual spiel about Christchurch, mostly negative or at least much less enthusiastic than other stops on the trip. As our bus driver said on the way in, boring people get bored and those that cannot understand the enormity of what has happened to the city and its people aren't worth listening to. It's true, I don't get how you can arrive into a city with a past like it has and have an attitude like that. Yes it doesn't have a bustling centre with innumerable activities like Queenstown, but you come to a country to experience the beauty, the culture and also the reality of life here. The city is still very much under construction more than three years later and as an outsider it's hard to not be moved and upset by what they've had to go through. Despite this what I found remarkable was the Kiwi attitude. The affirmation of hope and life alongside the quiet acknowledgement of loss and destruction. They are all positively looking forward to creating a fantastic city once again in 30 years time for their children and grandchildren to call home. And how proud would you be to know that your father and grandfather had passed on this gift to you and generations to come.
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