Lake Swimming

Lake Tekapo

Lakes dominate New Zealand’s South Island and during our campervan adventures they proved good places to take in the scenery and freshen up with a swim.

Lake Mapourika

Our first lake swim was at a secluded picnic area just outside Franz Josef. Parked up early for a relaxing evening before our Fox Glacier ice walk we pulled into the doc campsite at McDonald’s Creek. Just a two minute walk from the site was Ottos Corner with a beach leading to Lake Mapourika.

Lake Mapourika

The water was cold but wonderfully refreshing in the early evening sun. Even with a nearly-full campsite only one other person ventured to the swimming area – maybe because he had heard the shrieks as we plunged into the icy water.

Lake Tekapo

Swimming spot on Lake Tekapo

The bright turquoise blue of Lake Tekapo contrasting with the white peaks of the Southern Alps was so beautiful it was almost unreal. 

The scorching December sun glistened on the water twinkling like the incredible night sky (Tekapo is one of the best places in the world for star gazing.)

Walking past the tiny church and small alpine forest we came to a sandy beach – the perfect place for a swim. 

Being much shallower here the water wasn’t as bitterly cold as the other lakes, although it was still pretty chilly! Our feet sinking quickly into the soft sand it wasn’t quite deep enough for a proper swim but a fantastic place to cool down and chill out before another long drive.

View of Lake Wanaka from Mount Iron

Lake Wanaka

I think Wanaka is my favourite of the lakes we visited with the clear blue water surrounded by lush green fields, vineyards and snow-capped mountains. 

Hiking to the top of Mount Iron in the mid-day sunshine was hot but the lake views were well worth it.

Time to cool down with a swim… A group of teenagers were playing in the crystal water; diving off the floating platform, showing off and having lots of fun. It looked great so we ran into the lake, naively unprepared for how cold it would be. A very quick dip and back to sunbathing on the beach. 

Even though they were icy cold I loved having a dip in the lakes as we travelled through the South Island, and all for free.

A day on Milford Sounds

Milford Sounds

Waking up early on a crisp morning in New Zealand we set out in our little campervan for Milford Sounds.

Mirror Lake

The drive was beautiful, firstly stopping at Mirror Lakes which, as the guide book had promised, has a perfect reflection of the magnificent mountains behind. The quirky sign made me smile with the reflection spelling out the name of the lake.

Further south we passed fields of lupins with their purple and pinks creating an oil painting effect against the landscape and their  sweet smell filling the car with the scent of spring.

We’d rearranged our plans to reach Milford sooner because we were warned of heavy rainfall which may close the road leading in and out of the tiny town.  As we drove past the incredible glacial mountains and through the avalanche zone we quickly realised why it would be unsafe to drive in bad weather.

Luckily we were graced with sunshine and as we drove through the Homer Tunnel, carved through the mountain, the chill in the air dispersed like the wispy clouds.

Driving to Milford through the clouds

Pre-booked onto the 11:10 Mitre Peak cruise we eagerly strode to the front of the queue to get a good seat on top-deck.

Tour boat on Milford Sounds

Milford Sounds is sighted at the most impressive in Fiordland. The deep blue water contrasting with the looming cliffs above was an awesome sight. We passed incredible fresh waterfalls; one at 162 meters is much higher than Niagara Falls (but not as wide of course!) 

There was an icy chill in the air as the boat meandered through the Sounds, passing the fishing areas where crayfish is caught and within 48 hours on sale in China.

Sailing further towards the Tasman Sea we turned at St Annes Point. Heading back through the sheer cliffs, the 75 birth boat felt like a tiny speck.

Seal colony

We passed a seal colony, watching the young male seals basking in the sunshine was a perfect end to the journey.  

With some energy left as we drove back we put on our walking boots and hiked to Key Summit. A beautiful three hour walk through a mixture of vegetation including the native New Zealand forest, alpine tracks and a nature walk at the top explaining the history of the land.

The breath-taking views of the Hollyford, Greenstone and Eglington Valleys in the late afternoon sun was my favourite part of the day.

Key summit trek

It is a long way to go for a two hour cruise but the views and stops en-route made it worthwhile. If I were to go again I think I’d do one of the overnight cruises and if my budget allowed I’d take a helicopter flight too... 

Life on Inle Lake

Floating gardens, fishermen, jumping cats, stilt villages, handmade silver; Inle Lake has it all.

Perched on our wooden canoe with umbrellas for shade we spent the day meandering though villages and communities living on the lake.

The floating gardens cultivated by the Intha tribe utilise the lake’s richness. We careful sailed past row upon row of tomatoes. The ripened produce is sailed to shore on small dugout canoes appearing to almost sink with the weight.

Villages on stilts rose above us – although in the rainy season they would be much closer to the water.

Fishermen use the unique leg rowing technique; wrapping their foot around the paddle leaving both hands free for fishing.

Daily life on the lake looks simple; washing in the water, buying essentials from the stilted shops, farming and fishing. 

Tourism is also a source of income. Workshops with demonstrations of weaving, silver making, cigar rolling, etc make for an interesting stop. Although the tours include a few too many, especially with the inflated prices in the shops at the end of each workshop. I still couldn’t resist buying a few trinkets for gifts though.

One of the much talked about tourist attractions is Nga Phe Kyaung – otherwise known as the ‘Jumping Cat Monastery.’ Monks have trained their cats to jump through hoops and invite tourists to watch the show. As we sailed closer to the monastery we noticed the Buddhist chanting getting louder and louder. It wasn’t until we entered the monastery we realised we were actually attending a monks funeral! There were no jumping cats but the image of the embalmed monk in his coffin is one I’ll not forget.

Before sailing back to Nyaungshwe for sunset we cooled down with a quick dip in the lake. A refreshing end to my favourite day in Myanmar.