It passed us and suddenly we were alone again, just the two of us in this incredible crisp white paradise with snow softly falling from the sky all around us, sparkling as it drifted to the ground and on top of our car...winding our way around the highest of roads amid the rocky mountains, ice ribbons lacing their way around the snow-covered road and the perfect light grey clouds that layered around us.
It was so much fun shredding around every emerging corner and shift in the fluffy snow. The higher we got up the mountain, the more the few clouds around us dissipated and suddenly there we were, snow mobiling through fresh white powder with deep emerald pine trees and a beautiful blue sky all around us.
By the time we edged out of the pine trees on the other side of the path, the Fairmont lay to one side and the first glimpses of Lake Louise lay to the other side. And in between, a little wooden cabin, straight out of a winter movie.
It was later in the afternoon and a few clouds were drifting in the afternoon sky, the right side of said clouds lined with a soft yellow, a reflection of the dipping sun. The snow was such a pure white that it was tinged with the palest of icy blue tones.
It took a few seconds before I realised what we were barrelling towards. We stopped halfway across the frozen lake and got out to spend some time bonding with our sled teams while they rolled around in the fluffy snow.
The water is the clearest and most tranquil turquoise colour that you can imagine. Lake Tekapo is picturesque, and it is also one of the places in NZ that is most famous for clear and bright sightings of the incredible Aurora Australis.
The drive into Queenstown is still one of the most beautiful things that I have ever seen in my life. Picture the kind of snow-capped mountains that you see all over tourism websites, and the kind of vibrantly clear water that seems impossible, and you have Queenstown.
