Lake Tekapo, Te Araroa

I have moved into tussock country, home to wide open plains within mountainous regions. The grassy landscape contrasted with the forested areas I experienced further north.

There are two perilous river crossings in this section. The first is over the Rakaia River, one of the largest braided rivers in the country. Rising in the Southern Alps, it travels 93mi (150km) through a wide shingle bed and flows into the Pacific Ocean. As a glacially fed river, its northwest rainfall causes regular floods in spring and summer. So even if the plains are dry, the river level can be high. There's no safe way to cross the river, although some trampers have found ways further upstream. The safer option is to organise a ride and travel via the nearest road.

The second crossing was the Rangitata River from the Potts River tributary. While tricky, it was possible as the water flow was low. Rangitata is another braided river that flows east for 75mi (120km) and empties into the Pacific Ocean. A bit further north of the river is Mount Sunday, the photography location for Edoras, the capital of Rohan in Lord of the Rings.

Continuing on, I climbed up to Crooked Spur, descended a bit, then up again past Royal Hut, named after King Charles's brief helicopter ride. A further 3mi (5km) and I reached Stag Saddle, the highest point on Te Araroa. A small black and yellow sign marked the location. I had the most remarkable sweeping views as far as Aoraki/Mount Cook, New Zealand's tallest mountain.

The remaining miles were a descent to Lake Tekapo and the town on its southern shores. The lake is on the northern edge of Mackenzie Basin, historically known for sheep farming.

A humorous story is told of James Mackenzie, a Scottish immigrant, after which the basin was named, who drove 1,000 head of sheep across this area. The trouble was that none of the sheep were his. He had stolen all of them. James managed to escape his accusers and walk for 100mi (160km) before he was caught by the police. Sentenced to five years of hard labour, James just couldn't handle being in jail. He escaped twice before being placed in irons. Nine months later, he was pardoned when serious flaws in the investigation were discovered. He sailed to Australia shortly after his release and was never heard from again.

Taking a leisurely stroll around town, I stopped by the Sheepdog Memorial, which paid tribute to working dogs. Then I walked to the lake's edge and joined a bunch of kids skimming stones.