Alpine wonderland

Take a roadie through Mackenzie Country and catch the start of spring with fluffy snow and warm sunshine.

WORDS JENNY RUDD

We wanted to cruise round Mackenzie Country and take in the jagged scenery of bright white mountain tops and icy blue lakes, but we didn’t have time to drive to the South Island, so we rented a car on the booking. com app, flew down to Christchurch, and started our roadie at the business end of beautiful scenery.

LAKE TEKAPO/ TAKAPŌ

One of the most picturesque lakes in the country was originally named Lake Takapō by Māori, meaning to leave in haste in the night. The spelling later morphed into Tekapo. The town surrounding the lake swells in population during the winter season, as everyone flocks in for top skiing at Mt Dobson, Ōhau and Roundhill. Watch your step at night, as street lights are at a bare minimum in this designated night sky area. Nothing beats a soak in Tekapo Springs as the light falls and the snow glows pink on the surrounding mountain ranges.

MT DOBSON

No queues, snow for days and sun-drenched slopes. This unbelievable gem delivered top-notch skiing with the friendliest snow sports team, who took our four teens snowboarding all morning. The entire snow field was built by Peter Foote over 40 years ago. Buy his book to read the story of how he climbed the mountain as a young man and decided ‘this is where I’m building a ski field.’ While many other fields were closed round the country, Dobson enjoyed spring-like conditions on their groomed slopes.

AORAKI/ MT COOK VILLAGE

Quite simply the best visitor’s centre in the country. We popped in for five minutes and ended up staying for two hours. Hundreds of pictures telling the history of mountaineering on Aoraki/ Aorangi/Mount Cook, and all under the shining white spikes and proud glaciers of the Southern Alps. If the weather’s clement, walk the Hooker Valley Track, a 10km out-and-back track right next to the village.

FAIRLIE

The constant queue

out the door of the Fairlie bakehouse tells you all you need to know about what goes on inside. The pork belly pie with a crispy curl of crackling on top is the region’s go-to. We ate them on top of Mt Dobson, too. Also visit the Ski Shack and get kitted out to enjoy the region’s ski fields.

TOP TIPS

Rent a car on the booking.com app. We got an eight-seater 4WD with snow chains in the back from Christchurch Airport. Get a selfie with Michael Foote, who built the ski field at Mt Dobson himself, and has run it with his whānau for over 40 years. Eat as many cheese rolls as you can. Nothing compares.

BURKE’S PASS

As if built for a film set; a raggle-taggle bunch of mechanical machinery folds limbs of metal around an enormous collection of vintage American gas signs on a bend in the road between Mt Dobson and Lake Takapō. Stop and have a look around, you’ll end up with an old metal sign that you think will look really cool at home, until you get home.

TWIZEL

A pretty standard town, until you walk into Jake’s Hardware. Fishing rods, dog toys, puzzles (maybe a few hundred!), garden rakes, paint, backpacks, camping gear, wireless temperature gauges, vegetable seeds, 3D bicycle pictures (who knew there was such a thing?), I can’t even make a dent in their range. My husband had been looking for a repair kit for a waterproof jacket for weeks at home in Tauranga. He found one here within a few minutes. The annual stocktake must take six months. Car courtesy of BOOKING.COM