Day 45 - Campspot of choice to Takepo Village

It was cold last night. Very cold. And because it was so cold Wietse and I hid in our tents until 9am. Not only did we not want leave our cozy sleeping bags, but neither of us were looking forward to the 35km road walk to Tekapo village. Ideally we wanted to get in before 6pm, but that would mean walking 5km per hour all day with not much of a break.

The sun was blazing today. My hands have become so tanned that they are now closer to the color of carrots. Golden carrots. I'd like to say today was exciting but it wasn't. We took one small 10 minute break and marched 35km into Tekapo Village. Over the past 5 days - which should have been 7 - we hiked 150km. We hiked over the highest saddles, and crossed the Rangitata River. And to finish it all off we had a 35km day of mostly road walking. By the time we made it into Tekapo we were spent. We managed to get two of the last available beds at the holiday park, which lifted our spirits, but they were soon brought back down again as we went to every restaurant in town to find out they were all full. Tekapo is a tourist packed playground, and It was all very overwhelming after spending so much time in the bush.

After eating at a hole in the wall Thai restaurant - that left me far from satisfied - we made our 2km walk back to the  holiday park and went our own ways back to our rooms. It was around 9pm at this point and every part of my body wanted to curl up into a cozy bed and fall into a deep sleep, but the sky way clear tonight, and it also happened to be a new moon. When I planned this walk I made a promise to myself to stay in Tekapo for as long as it takes to get a clear sky so I can photograph the Church of the Good Shepherd under the stars, and tonight was the perfect night. I put on almost 100% of the clothes I have with me and made the 2.5km walk to the church for 10pm. I knew there would be people there when I arrived, but I wasn't expecting hordes and bus loads of them. Tripods were set up speradically in front of the church, and people were flashing lights all over the place. It was a photographers nightmare. I waited patiently for people to move along to grab a more desirable spot, but the crowds started getting bigger as the night grew darker. I did not feel in any way rushed but I was starting to feel anxious that I wasn't going to be able to get the shot that I wanted. Yet again my 12mm lens (18mm on crop sensor) made it very difficult because I needed to be within 10 feet of the church to get the composition I wanted, and that meant I would be ruining everyone else's shot, surely resulting in an onslaught of yelling that I had already witnessed happen to a few other people. Also, my tripod was a Gorilla pod that only extends about one foot off the ground limiting my composition options. I struggled for a good hour before I started to consider giving up and going back to the holiday park. I felt as though all my efforts had been exhausted when I spotted a small bush right in front of the steps. I quickly ran in front of everyone's frame and dropped to my stomach, hiding my body behind the bush. I tried to act fast, expecting people to start telling me off, but since It was so dark at this point, and I was so low to the ground, the bush kept me hidden. I shot for 2 more hours on the steps of the church, laying on my stomach behind this bush. It took an immense amount of patience to get the shot that made me smile, and by 130am I started making my walk back to the holiday park. I listened to Claire De Lune as I walked along the lake shore, and felt all sorts of joy and happiness. All feeling of tiredness had now faded. I felt alive.