Day 73 - Lake Tekapo

The landscapes of New Zealand are surreal - vast open spaces, beautiful mountains, and ice blue lakes separating little settlements each with their own uniqueness. The town of Lake Tekapo is a good example. We arrived on a blustery winter day a little before sunset with snow clouds building over the mountains.  It was eerily quiet.

 

People say in the summer there are (literally) busloads of people here, but on this late afternoon, it was just us and one or two other small groups, shivering and awestruck in the wind and wave blown silence.

To welcome us was the Church of the Good Shepherd and a nearby bronze New Zealand Collie sheepdog statue.  Officially, the statue was commissioned by Mackenzie Country residents in recognition of the indispensable role of the sheepdog in their livelihoods.

Later we also heard, (true or not, we do not know) the following story: a long time ago in the town, a man was accused of sheep theft. He was put in jail and the sheep taken back to their rightful owner.  The shepherd’s dog however, would not take commands from anyone else, would not eat and kept trying to herd the sheep back to the shepherd’s land.  Eventually, the dog had to be put down.  Shortly after, it was found that the man was innocent. The town built the Church and statue in their honor.