Dec. 23

Christchurch to Lake Tekapo, via Geraldine

Another Montana connection - one of the few towns I know of worldwide that share a name with my hometown.
I know of three Geraldines, anywhere - Montana, New Zealand and Alabama. I honestly can't remember if I've ever been to Geraldine, Alabama, but I'm guessing I haven't.
New Zealand's version is the biggest of the three, with its 2,300 people, and probably the nicest-looking, with green park space and flowers growing everywhere. Other than that, there isn't much to say about Geraldine, which I think is a characteristic all three share.

We head inland, toward the mountains. We get our first real view of the Southern Alps from a hill overlooking Lake Tekapo, where one of the universities has set up an observatory, and where we watch the sun set over the mountains. They may not be among the tallest in the world, but New Zealand's mountains can rival just about anybody's for sheer vertical rise out of a flat landscape.