Today was a quiet day for Team Hubbard. Julie and I had work to catch up on, so we spent the morning answering emails and doing other small tasks. We also looked around our place a bit. Since we’d arrived in the dark, we hadn’t seen any of the surrounding countryside. House number 8 for us was in a beautiful location!

After lunch we decided to drive back to Lake Tekapo to poke around the small town and see the lake. We thought about doing a hike, but the snow we’d seen on the mountains the night before cautioned against it. Lake Tekapo is a large, high altitude lake fed by snowmelt and glaciers, giving it an incredible turquoise color.

The dramatic clouds only added to the scene, but also made us glad that we’d done our stargazing the night before, when the sky had been far clearer. It was also very windy, as you can see from the waves on the lake. After parking in town, we walked to see the nearby stone Church of the Good Shepherd.

The setting is magnificent. Rather than have a large alter, the rear of the church is a large window looking out onto the lake and mountains.

After we finished poking around the town, we headed back towards our place. Along the way, we swung by the nearby Silverstream Hotel for a drink. This is a gem of a pub, clearly a local hangout. There were four old farmers at a table when we walked in around 4:15.

We played some cards, enjoyed the fire, and marveled at our good fortune.

-Will