Lake Tekapo // hiking Mount John

the journey to the summit of Mount John was not one we had planned to take.

the rain was pouring as we pulled into our campground along the shores of Lake Tekapo. I quickly rushed inside to check us in, and the man at the desk made mention of a hike we might like to attempt, if the weather cleared. we already planned to visit the famous Church of the Good Shepherd, but a hike above the crowds of bus-riding tourists sounded like a worthwhile addition to our itinerary.

and it was.

we climbed up, and up, and up through the forest. the moment we stopped for a break and I could see the blinding blue of Lake Tekapo below, I knew it was going to be worth it. we broke through the treeline and I could see across the golden hills to the mountains in the distance - I almost wanted to cry. this was the New Zealand we had come to see.

from the top of Mt John, in the blazing afternoon sunlight, the blue of Lake Tekapo looks unreal. in my research on this lake, I had seen photos and not quite believed them. [Pinterest has fooled me one too many times.] but it's really this lovely shade of aqua, I swear to you.

we followed the trail along the back side of the summit, rounding to the front and finding a crop of rocks just made for lounging. Husband says this was one of his favorite moments from our entire trip, and I can't really disagree.

when in New Zealand, from time to time you must accept your Husband will pull off his wedding band and do a Gollum impression. and as payment for interrupting his mountaintop reverie to take pictures, you must promise to post his precious his photo on your blog.

this day - and our visit to Lake Tekapo in general - was one of my favorite parts of our entire three week NZ trip. I would highly recommend taking a hike up to the summit of Mount John [and I hear it's even more gorgeous to visit the observatory to watch the sky by night.] thank you for the suggestion, Mr Random Guy who works at the Lake Tekapo holiday park. I'm so glad we decided to be adventurous and take your advice, because it led us to this amazing place.

travel by iPhone: Zhishan + Huiji Temple

while dragons and mountains are some of my favorite Taiwan sightings... I'm also a sucker for red lanterns. so imagine my joy when I discovered that the "hike" to the Huiji Temple in Zhishan Park involved a winding staircase up a mountain, guarded by dragon carvings, and lined with bright red beacons guiding the way.

I actually came into the park the wrong way - or at least the less scenic one. the park is shaped like a squished half-circle, and I entered from the north side along the curve [near the hospital.] I climbed some plain stone steps before reaching the top and spotting the temple roof through the trees. as I wandered closer, I found the lantern-lined stairway and followed it down.

for a more impressive first look, I would suggest entering the park by the gateway on the southwest. that's where you'll spot the giant archway. the steps heading up were numbered, but by the time I had gone all the way down and then made it to the top again, I forgot to look and see how far I'd climbed.

related: there are no pictures of me in this post because I was way too sweaty. trust me, you don't need to see that.

along the stairs you will pass under the old stone Chi-Shan-Yen Gate. fun fact about the romanization of traditional characters into Pinyin words in Taiwan: the spellings are not standardized under a single system. [let me oversimplify by telling you it's for political reasons.] the result is a bit confusing. Chi-Shan and Zhishan are actually the same word, though you will see it spelled both ways depending on what map or road sign you look at.

regardless, it's a cool looking gate. according to the sign nearby, it dates back to 1825 and was one of four used to defend the area during a conflict among Chinese immigrants in the area. going up past the gate an many more lanterns, the stairway emerges at the entrance to the Huiji Temple. guarded by, of course, dragons and a scrolling digital marquee.

there were a few things that kept me from exploring the temple in more detail. one, I was only armed with my iPhone and the battery was at 12%. two, there was either construction or typhoon damage repair going on and it was tough to navigate the barricades and piles of materials. three, some kind of event was happening [involving chanting and a processional around the area] and I didn't want to be that annoying intrusive tourist. also, I was distracted by a cat for a few minutes.

needless to say - I will be returning on a sunnier day, armed with a zoom lens and more battery power.

on the way out I made a detour down another trail, in hopes of an epic mountain-and-city view. the visibility was not great, and there were branches blocking most of the mountains. [maybe next time I should also bring tree trimmers?] it was definitely not the most photogenic day.

regardless, it was fun to explore this colorful little mountain park and get to see a new view of my neighborhood. for those coming from the MRT, the park is only a 15 minute walk west of Zhishan Station.