We woke up rested and ready for more! Our first stop was back to Riverside Market. We snagged a matcha and took our time with a little people watching, then it was back to the exploring! By this time, we had noted very cool street art on many of the buildings. These massive paintings were done by local artists to improve the morale of the city after the earthquake in 2011. Despite seeing some demolished buildings/lots, the city was very clean and rebuilding quickly. One of the newer areas had health food spot called Gre3n Superfood & Juice bar. The fruity porridge bowl plus the açaí bowl were phenomenal – great fuel for the day.

With our morning coming to a close, it was time to pick up the rental car and see what driving on the other side of the road and the other side of the car was really about. After 3 plus hours of driving from Christchuch to Lake Tekapō, Brian only hit the windshield wiper instead of the blinker twice.

The drive was mostly farmland with a plethora of cattle and sheep. The aqua blue waters of Lake Tekapo were a welcome changeup. We checked into the hostel (Haka House Lake Tepakō) and did a short run along the water. Yes, another cool plunge followed the warm jog. There were chalk signs on the ground referencing a Wednesday night outdoor food market. If you read our Banff blog, we described an incredible burger with blackberry jam. The burger we had out of a local food truck rivaled the blackberry. I don’t know what it is about burgers and hiking – maybe we were just starving. There was some local music and we watched the sun set while finishing this journal. We headed back to our 8 person hostel room, at least we had our own bunk.