Lake Brunner, March 21

What a delightful spot! Our hosts, William and Johann, have made us feel extremely welcome in their lovely lakeside home in an extraordinarily beautiful location. The movie "The world that time forgot" adapted from the novel of the same name written by Edgar Rice Burrough was filmed right here on the lakefront, the setting being the producers choice as to what the world must have looked like in prehistoric times when the dinosaurs walked the earth. The pictures attached will offer a glimpse of what we see from the living room and the front porch of their home.

View of Cashmere Bay on Lake Brunner from the deck of the Bed and Breakfast we so much enjoyed 

Sunset from the shore.  No Photoshop needed for these pictures!

We kayaked on the bay and the lake this afternoon. The bay was placid and the lake virtually deserted. We would stop rowing every once in a while to listen and hear absolutely nothing but the wildlife, the silence was complete and restive, a wonderful spot to quiet ones thoughts. The full-time population of the community is only thirteen people. There is a small village nearby, simply a cluster of a few homes and a small friendly restaurant bar, also facing onto the lake. This is a place we would recommend to anyone and one that we hope to return to some day. It is truly an idyllic location and one of the most beautiful places we have ever seen anywhere in the world.

The night skies here are filled with countless stars and a view of the Milky Way and the Southern Cross. There are almost no lights in the surrounding area to dim the view so the night skies are utterly black and filled with stars, a treat to us because it is almost unachievable in the USA where lights seem to be almost everywhere unless you are able to trek many miles back into a remote wilderness area. 

The Milky Way.  Yes, Brian took these pictures. this is what the sky truly looked like, they have not been re-touched. The Southern Cross is in the top middle left of the picture.

Unfortunately we need to leave this "small slice of Paradise" in the morning to reach Christchurch tomorrow evening where we have reservations at another B & B owned by friends of our current hosts. If it’s as nice an experience as where we currently are located, it will be another treat to enjoy. En route we have a scheduled stop to enjoy horseback riding for a few hours as we traverse "Arthurs Pass" the lowest point through the Southern Alps.  The horseback riding is an experience we’re both looking forward to. Christchurch is about two and a half hours southeast of here, an easy drive through scenic country and it will be our final destination here in New Zealand; we’ll be there for two days and then catch our flight north to Melbourne, Australia and begin the second half of our vacation.