The MacKenzie Country

 The McKenzie Country is named after an early shepherd who drove sheep into this area. It is an intermintane basin, carved out by the glaciers. Much of it is dry and lacking good pasture, and there is a debate at the moment as to whether the land should be opened up with irrigation to dairying or left as it is, in a barren but attractive pristine state.
The area is mainly used as storage for water for hydroelectricity, salmon fishing and is a great scenic route through to Central Otago.

Geraldine is a market town on the fringes of the MacKenzie country and about three hours south from Christchurch. It is a tourist/bus stop, with cafes and gift shops priced competitively. There is also a great cheese shop selling local cheeses (see right) and well worth an investigation. On a side street is the 'Great Jersey' shop which sells a great variety of woollen products made from the local sheep.
	Lake Tekapo has recently developed as a holiday destination for the local people, especially from Christchurch. It still retains its distinctiveness, however, and the Church of the Good Shepherd which has a great view over Lake Tekapo is visited by many tourists who have views like the one on the left of the page, out over the Lake.
Lake Pukaki, further south than Tekapo is a stunning lake with  turquoise water and an great backdrop of the Southern Alps. There is a larke car park pull off and an information centre which are well worth a stop and a photo.
	Mt Cook/Aoraki on the left, is the tallest mountain in New Zealand. standing at 12349 feet. There are over 100 peaks in the Southern Alps over 10000 feet. The road to Mt Cook parallels the lake Pukaki and finishes up at 'The Hermitage'. a large tourist hotel at the base of the mountain and the Tasman Glacier.
Omarama further south again is surrounded by rolling hills covered in native tussock. The large basin in which the town sits is great as an area generating convectional winds and this makes the place important for gliding. Steve Foster tried many times for a world altitude record here. The photo on the right is taken on the Lindis Pass, on t he main road to Omarama.
	In many riverbeds and on some farms, there is a proliferation of brightly coloured flowers called Russell Lupins. While attractive, they  spread quickly and block river flats  and choke out grass. Many Councils are trying to eradicate them, but for the passing motorist, they present a great technicolour of patterns in summer.