S. Island Synopsis......
Mar 19 Oamaru - Dam, Dam, Dam
Attracted by our venture into McKenzie country yesterday we decide to take the long way from Timaru to Oamaru. The country alternates between undulating hills and flat plains but the ever-present features are the mountains to the west and the streams which run down off them to the east coast. These braided streams are presumably very seasonal in their flow for the valleys seem considerably bigger than required at this time of the year - end of summer.
At Lake Tekapi we find water that is too blue to believe- it looks just like the post cards. On the shore of the lake are two structures attracting interest.




The charming little Church of the Good Shepherd









Ironically the other one is........guess who?














All this water rushing off the mountains in the spring has not gone unnoticed. It is dammed for hydro-electric power. Some rivers are dammed at several points along its course in order to get as many bites of the cherry as feasible.