New Zealand: Mt. Cook & Twizel - The Mountain & Salmon Farm

The New Zealand trip post has come to the end, almost i mean.

Lake Tekapo was my final destination, i fall in love with this town when i first saw the postcard of the lake in somewhere out of NZ. And i would say, Lake Tekapo is the most beautiful places in my whole NZ trip.

As beautiful as i cant find a word to describe this place, the close one was Heaven.

If there is Heaven, i wish its look like Lake Tekapo.

Alright, as what i remember (and i hope its right), i left Wanaka and drove to Lake Tekapo, it took me 4 hours and passes by desert that i never thought existing in the land of NZ, well i should have some photos of the desert but i could find it, my files in my laptop is a big mess and i have no time to tidy up it yet. I will find it out soon and perhaps upload it in the next post.

Although in the opening of my post were talk bout Lake Tekapo, but sorry ar, this is not about Lake Tekapo yet :D. This is about salmon!

Before Lake Tekapo, i passed by Twizel and Mt. Cook, which are very small town (but still bigger than Lake Tekapo la), and their famous dish is highland salmon! That is darn cheap and yummy!

Frankly i don't really like raw food, and i don't like fish, so i guess i wouldn't like the combination of raw food and fish, such as salmon sashimi.

But seriously, you MUST try, the freshness of the salmon make you don't taste like raw fish, it is soooooooooooo yummy till i couldn't find a word to describe!

Take a look on the photos below, and if you're happen to pass by there, you can either go to Twizel or Mt Cook salmon fish farm. I went for both, ones i had smoked salmon and ones to had fresh sashimi, Twizel is slightly cheaper for both smoked and fresh salmon, but its far from Lake Tekapo, like 80km away.

You can see Mt. Cook with covered of snow from far

This is the roadside after turn from main highway to Mt. Cook farm

Insanely clear water!

Ok, vain one

Summer time, Lupin time.

If here is not heaven, where then?

The farm

I lazy to take photo in the front, i just want to have my salmon

The tiny stall beside the farm

Fresh catch

Not smell fishy at all

Hot smoked salmon

They are crazy! They were competing who can take more washibi.

Prepare your own washabi and soy source, if you want to have it there, better to bring a knife too, they have prepared sashimi but not smoked fish.

If not mistaken, the pack of smoked fish only cost us like $15 +-, very sure below $20. And its definitely worth the money.

After Mt. Cook, we continue the makan trip to Twizel, for the fresh sashimi. If you're amazed by the photos above, you will amazed by the photo below too. The lake of the photo below call Lake Pukaki, its unbelievable blue.

You will saw some milky blue lake further, don't think that i do some editing, i never. Lake Pukaki and Lake Tekapo famous with the fantastic milky blue lake. I don't know what make the lake with this color but just admit it la, this is heaven.

ok ignore the "Rach @ Mt. Cook Salmon Farm", should be in Lake Pukaki

On the way to Twizel

So nice

From top

Still see the Mt.

Milky blue, true!

How could that be!

More Lupin

Not blossom fully that time though

Best photo to show how milky blue of the lake is.

I still amazed by the lake

long one

I was like "damn how could that be.. damn how can this is sooooooooo heaven" all the way from Mt. Cook to Twizel, the lake is huge, as huge as you will thought it is a sea but not lake, but in fact Lake Pukaki is the largest lake in NZ (I think so la, if not the largest that will be top 3 too).

Twizel is a slightly developed town, you can find a bigger supermarket, post office, a couple more backpacker's hostel, housing area and town facilities in Twizel, so if you ready to stay in Mt. Cook or Lake Tekapo for few days, and you don't own a transport for your convenience, you should get some food and stuff restall for your own. Everything is expensive in Mt. Cook and Lake Tekapo.

Alright here we there, Twizel High Country Salmon! (Hey by the way, i like the name of Twizel la, if i have a children in the future i will call his/her pet name as Twizel, hehe)

High Country Salmon, Twizel

Bigger farm

Still milky blue!

Hell lot of salmon!

My best shoot :D

No lo, i don't have money to buy a whole fish lo. Someone else one, i just take photo

There are few portions to be choose, this is the middle one i think

Gosh i want to have some now!

You can choose to sit under roof la, just i'm siao i wanna sit under sun (Copyright of Julien)

I confirm lo this time, the lunch box of sashimi with small packs of soy source and washabi is $15! Because i was the boss, i paid one :D.

I just stop describing how nice is the salmon la, you can see by your own. 3 minute before the salmon is serve, he/she was swimming in the pool le!

Oh yea, you can try to feed salmon in both farm of Mt. Cook and Twizel, which i thought is something stupid, but if you wanna experience it, don't pay 3 bucks to feed the salmon in Mt. Cook, because Twizel had it free.

The owner is way more friendly and tend to talk to you much. Let you feed salmon for free and service is better too. Personally i like Twizel farm more, i couldn't compare which farm has better salmon because i tasted 2 different salmon in 2 farm.

But in term of price, Twizel cheaper. Location, Mt. Cook nearer from Lake Tekapo (way nearer actually). View, Mt. Cook nicer. Environment, Twizel better (you had your salmon beside the pond). Service, Twizel better too.

So i love Twizel more la.

Alright next post will be Lake Tekapo, and if i could find out the desert photos that will be combine post again.

I wish i can dig out the photo la, because i never come across that is a desert in NZ till i been there. Just want to share more info with you guys.

Below is my favorite photos of this trip, heaven!

And below's below is a video taken by Aston while i was speeding on the way to / from Twizel (hey for the first time in my life i speed up to 159-160/km le! NZ you can do this, once in a while, totally no car, totally straight road.)

Love this, make my heart warm =）

Video. Copyright by Aston

P/S: don't ask me bout the direction, ah beng also can't miss it, both farms with big billboard in the main highway, and direction board keep you all the way to the farms, just keep an eyes on the billboard of the highway will do.

Secondly, to go to both farms you have 3 ways. 1st, go by your own transport, you control the time and this is most convenience.

2nd, if you have your own transport, hitchhike, which i would suggest do it in weekend, more tourist to go to the farm, FYI this farm wasn't by the highway roadside, you have take a turn for few 10+km to reach the farm in the dead end road, and that is turn to go to farm ONLY, unless those cars are going to the farm too, if not no car will pass by the farm.

3rd, if you have no car, and you don't want to hitchhike. No, i don't think have cab too. You can perhaps try ask info in I-site, probably they could do something for you, but well, no guarantee.

Ok i gonna ciao. Stay tuned for the next.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

20110306, 1105am

Rach in hungry mood