I was getting ready for bed last night, thinking thru what my plans might be for later in the week. I had scrapped my original strategy of spending a few nights at Lake Tekapo because weather reports did not seem to favor clear skies conducive to stargazing.
I had shifted gears in order to go down to the coast for a couple of days and then, if the weather cleared, thought perhaps I'd make my way back to Tekapo enroute to the west coast rainforest.
Tekapo is a bit out of the way, however, if one is planning to go thru the mountain pass north of Wanaka.
I thought, "Maybe if I came back to Mt. Cook or Twizel, the sky might be starry enough to meet my needs. Maybe... Maybe... Maybe it's starry...RIGHT NOW!"
This is what's known as an "Aha" (or "Duh") moment.
I pulled back the curtains and looked skyward. Yep. Lots o' stars.
It was now 11:30 PM. I got back into my clothes, grabbed some warm outerwear, hopped in the car and floored it out to the canal area where I'd been earlier in the day. I was pleased to find there was NO ambient light whatsoever. And the night was awash in stars. Sure, about a third of the sky, on the periphery, was obscured by storm clouds passing to the east. But directly overhead was a brilliant masterpiece painted in stardust.
I climbed onto the roof of the car, laid back and proceeded to perceive the heavens. Every now and then, flashes of lightning would erupt from the storms as they climbed over the mountain peaks. I was even visited by a lone shooting star. All in all, it was quite a show.
Lying out there in the cold, I recalled my days as a boy enthralled with astronomy. I had a telescope and would lie on my back in the snow behind our house for hours trying to pick out planets, stars and constellations. I would just marvel at the vastness and complexity of the universe and our utter insignificance amidst the immensity of it all. Deep and dire thoughts for a youngster, I'll admit, but so it was. Despite this realization, I've always carried a fondness for stargazing ever since those days.
While it would have been grand to achieve satori last night, I wasn't really expecting any flashes of insight or to stumble upon the meaning of life. Consequently, I was not disappointed. What I enjoyed was some peace and tranquility while peering out into the Milky Way. That was enough, in an of itself.
Today I awoke to sunshine mixed with high, fluffy clouds and determined I should visit Lake Tekapo on my way to the coast. There is a mountaintop cafe there which, I was told, serves a mean espresso. With that as my goal, I had a beautiful drive through some mountains and across a high desert plain which concluded with some steep hairpin curves up the side of Mt. John to said cafe (and observatory).
I know I'm wearing it out but I just gotta use the word "spectacular" again. Whew!
The view from on high was... Spectacular! It was... It was... Transplendent!
From there, I made my way down from the high country thru the farms and ranches along the Hunters Hills to the port town of Timaru. There I stumbled upon a small carnival in Caroline Bay Park, dipped a figurative toe in the ocean with a visit to the beach and then got my my horse again enroute to my next base of operations, Oamaru.
Once I loaded into my motel, which looks to be to be a converted hospital (or asylum???) I wandered about Oamaru as the light faded. Treated myself to a fine birthday repast at the Portside Restaurant in the harbor (oops... HARBOUR) and then strolled the historic district. Was captivated by the architecture and spent way too much time doing nighttime exposures. That wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have to get up at 6:30 AM in order to catch sunrise at the HARBOUR, which should prove photographically bountiful, if the dawn is clear.
So, with that in mind, I will bid you good night. Was gonna expound on the learning curve re: driving on the left, but will have to save that for another entry.
All for now.
Here are some photos from today:
1 comment:
Transplendent!
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