A Star-Studded Outing

On the weekend of October 3rd I went to Mackenzie Basin with some friends from church.  Katherine lived in the area, so she drove us down and showed us around.  Thomas, Dan, and Becca came, too.  We got a late start but had a pleasant ride down, with lots of singing, story-telling, and muffin-munching.  When it got dark I was glued to the window to catch the first glimpse of the stars--the Mackenzie Basin is an International Dark Sky Reserve, home to some impressive stargazing.

We arrived late at night and set up our tents quickly in the dark before making pizza in the kitchen.  We ended up staying awake quite late enjoying waffles, nutella, German coffee, and good company.  At last we each took our hot water bottles to our tents and braved the first chilly night.

The following day was filled with amazing views from start to finish.  First thing in the morning we walked down by Lake Tekapo and took in the sights.  Then we drove up to Lake Pukaki, a brilliant turquoise lake with fantastic views of the mountains, especially Aoraki, or Mt. Cook, the tallest mountain in New Zealand.  There was hardly a cloud in the sky.  Even Aoraki, which is usually shrouded, had cast off his cloak for us on that fine day.

We drove up to the Hermitage at Mt. Cook village, glimpsing some snowflakes on the way.  The weather was nice when we arrived, but we put on a few layers too keep warm and partook of some Cadbury chocolate to keep our strength up, just in case.  We needn't have worried.  The trail was sunny and warm, not to mention gorgeous!  Snowy mountain peaks surrounded us as we crossed soaring bridges over seafoam-green glacial rivers.  The vegetation was bright and festive, and Aoraki stood tall in front of us almost the entire way.  We had a lot of fun on the way up.  We sang Frozen, scaled rocks, and visited a little cabin with a great view.  We finally reached the end of the trail and were greeted by a lake adorned with icebergs and stopped up on the far end by a glacier.  We tossed rocks onto some of the closer ice bergs, then just relaxed in the sun.  Eventually we headed back, tired but joyful.

We struggled to stay awake during evening Mass in the cozy, warm church, but somehow we managed.  We headed back to Lake Tekapo for some stargazing: there was a free event and a clear night waiting for us.  We took our sleeping bags and wandered out into a field, arranging ourselves in the shape of a star and looking up.  The moon was huge and bright and round like a silver sun.  Its light dimmed the stars, but we could still see a decent number.  We talked about God and creation, about the cosmos and life.  We glimpsed some shooting stars.  It was lovely.  On the way out we said goodbye to the Jedi and snagged some cake.

The next day, Sunday, we started with a trip to the monument to the working dogs of New Zealand and the Church of the Good Shepherd, taking in some lovely views of Lake Tekapo while we did.  Afterward, we climbed Mt. John.  We were still exhausted, but we eventually made it up in one piece.  There was a cafe at the observatory on top, which was a welcome stop!  The views around us were amazing.  We half expected the armies of Mordor to come spilling out onto the plains.

By the end we were utterly exhausted, but we had such a good time.  It was really a great time with friends, just doing something amazing together.  What a great trip!