So to continue our adventures...

We got back to Te Anau Friday and enjoyed the lake views before going to the bird sanctuary. Don't know if I've exlplained this before, but NZ had no mammals except bats (they are mammals right?) before settlers came. dogs and rats introduced by the settlers and explorers killed many species of birds and plants off, but there are still a number of each that can be found only in NZ. The kea (I have pics of it from Arthur's Pass) is one of the alpine parrots, but there are loads more. So we went to a little park like thing run by the Dept of Conservation to see some of them. Almost all native NZ birds are endangered!

A night out on Friday with Ada, her sister Sinead and her bf Hamish, and another friend of Ada's. Was a funny night, hanging at the Moose and the Range, the local yocals....... Anyway, the next morning we were on to Lake Tekapo. It was an incredible drive inland where a number of times we were completely enveloped by mountians! We couldn't even see where the road was headed as it wound through!

The highlight of the day though was stopping at Lake Pukaiki(?), a tourquoise coloured lake surrouned by mountains and offering a perfect view of Mount Cook, NZ's highest mountain. (Is that Mt Cook? Yes, yes it is!!) Lake Tekapo (Te actually means lake in Maori) was lovely and we walked out to this quaint little church right on the shore and sat on teh rocks to see the sunset over the mountains... it was so peaceful.

Sunday I was back to Chch to start work that afternoon and worked until Thurs am. My friend Ada arrived then and we had Thursday to hang out before she flew off to Fiji on her way home. Friday I was back in at Doorways, having picked up a bit of work there for the next week or so. It was another Irish friend's last day then as well as one of the French guys' birthday, so there was nothing I could do but join in the celebrations that night! Saturday I wasn't quite so celebratory....

Happy Thanksgiving fellow Canucks and Happy 84th Grampy! Enjoy....