It may be the best ski season ever for the Wasatch, but for me it was lifesaving to get the hell out of Utah. Even if for just two and half weeks, it was a much needed reprieve from the crazy-shit that has consumed the USA. Unfortunately, Utah has embraced the crazy. Everyone has a secret, and my coffee drinking certainly raises eyebrows in the community, but my secret is quite benign compared to the hard-lines adopted by so many around me.
New Zealand was a great escape. After the long flights, we spent one night in Christchurch then drove to Lake Tekapo (3hrs, 224kms/139mi).
OTAUTAHI, Maori for Out-of-Utah? Maori for Christchurch. |
Lake Tekapo, Mt John, February 10, 2023I got sick on the flight over, bad Bronchitis and Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye). The second day in NZ, the first morning at Lake Tekapo, it hit with a vengeance. My eyes were glued shut and my lungs were full of liquid. I felt OK when I was outside walking or hiking, but as soon as I stopped moving I couldn’t breath, so I just kept moving until dark. Days were heavenly, nights were hell. Driving on the wrong side of the road with pink eye was an adventure.
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| Lake Tekapo from the top of Mt. John, an easy 2 mile hike, or an even easier 5 minute drive. |
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| Lake Tekapo, elevation 2,330ft, 17mi long, 2mi wide, 390ft deep. View from our room. |
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| Front door view. |
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| Observatory and Cafe (pronounced ‘Caf’ in Kiwi) on the summit of Mt. John |
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| Church of the Good Shepherd, interdenominational, built in 1935, Tekapo New Zealand. |
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