At last, I have sorted out the photos for the second leg of the trip! South Island. The bigger and more beautiful of the two main islands of New Zealand. Where
North Island is more commercialised, industrialised and densely populated despite being smaller in size, South Island is more natural and sparsely populated. We started from the North (Picton,) down to the mid North (Hanmer Springs and Waimate), to the South-east (Dunedin), to the West Coast (Te Anua, Milford Sound, Queenstown, Wanaka, Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers, Hokitika) and back to the East Coast (Christchurch).
The natural parks and mountains are steeped in beauty, especially the glacier areas and waterfalls. Even the towns reek of English villages of yesteryears. No wonder Peter Jackson chose his “Middle Earth” here! As well as the producers of “Narnia”! No where in the world can beat this place (but then again, I have not been to many other places as well, so I guess it is not a fair comment.)
Our South Island adventure began on Thursday 30th October, our seventh day in New Zealand. We boarded the cross island ferry at eight in the morning from Wellington Ferry Terminal, the Monte Stello by the Blue Bridge Company. The ferry ride took about three hours to cross the Cook Strait from Wellington (the south of North Island) to Picton (the north of South Island). There was a cold breeze blowing throughout.
The wind was so strong that for a while, I started feeling a bit sick. The ferry was rather unsteady and I almost threw up. I had to go back to my seat instead of walking around. After resting for a bit, I went up the deck to enjoy the breeze. Soon, mountains and islands came into view, and that was when I sighted the tip of South Island. I was so excited that I wanted to do a Jack Dawson, but there were warning signs telling passengers not to step onto the railings! :-P
Sights of the South Island in the Cook Strait
Scenes of the Marlborough Sounds
We docked at Picton Ferry Terminal around eleven, took a shuttle bus to collect our luggage, collected our rental car and set off on our way. Our first stop was Hanmer Springs, a natural hot spring area. It was a long drive – about five hours in all, passing by the
Marlborough region of New Zealand (with lots of vineyards).
An inn at Picton
First cute car I saw in South Island
Second cute car I saw
The driver was very obliging, he even gave me a smile after I took the picture!
We passed by the town of
Blenheim. We were along the East Coast of New Zealand, so the Pacific Ocean was in sight, as we were driving by the coastal area. We stopped at this little cafe called
The Store at Kekerengu midway between Blenheim and the town of
Kaikoura) for lunch. It was a cosy wooden house overlooking the ocean and gardens, with a very strong breeze. Lunch for me was fish and chips and a cup of tea.
View of the Pacific Ocean
The Store at Kekerengu
Entrance to The Store
Behind The Store
Inside The Store
My lunch of Fish and Chips
We set off for
Hanmer Springs after that. Since it is a thermal resort region, it is situated somewhere in the mountains, so we had to drive up a long winding mountainous road before finally reaching the town of Hanmer Springs. It was spectacular scenery all along the way, with vineyards, sheep and cows, pine trees, as well as snow-capped mountains! Upon entering Hanmer Springs, I saw streams of sulphur leading into the resorts.
We stayed at a hostel called
Kakapo Lodge, just two minutes away from the thermal resort and spa area. The thermal resort consists of a few pools – natural sulphur pools with a temperature of forty-one degree Celsius, and mixed pools of sulphur and chlorine with temperatures ranging from twenty-eight to thirty-six degree Celsius.
After checking into the resort, we spent the rest of the afternoon (or whatever that was left of it) indulging in the hot spring pools. Luckily we were allowed to take photos, so I managed to take a few shots of the sulphur pool. The temperature outside was about fifteen degree Celsius, so we were almost freezing when we changed into our swim suits, but the moment we stepped into the pool, we were immediately warmed up!
Kakapo Lodge, Hanmer Springs
Hanmer Springs Thermal Resort
The big thermal bath
It was so therapeutic and rejuvenating that I felt like staying in the water the whole day! No wonder it is good to take natural hot spring baths – the water really relaxes one’s entire being, it washes away all problems and stress! What a pity my country does not have anything like that, otherwise it will be a much more relaxed society already!
Dinner was another home-cooked meal of steak, carrots, and mushroom soup (again!). Then we rested since it had been a tiring day. If one thinks being in the car the whole day is good, think again! It is more tiring to be sitting in the car for hours than to move about! Summer was coming indeed since that day, the sun set about half past eight in the evening.
I could see the sun setting from the small window of the washroom. Alas, I misjudged the time again in the morning and could not catch the sun rise! I woke up a bit too late to walk around the town area as well, as we had to set off at eight in the morning to go to Waimate for our farm stay.
It was a long drive from Hanmer Springs to Waimate. South Island seems to be a more mountainous place as compared to North Island. I saw a few more snow-capped mountains and had to go by more mountainous roads. It was about a five hour drive to the farm at Waimate. We passed by lots of towns along the way, like Hurunui, Waikari, Waipuru, Amberley, Kantara, Rakaia, Ashburton, Hinds, Rangitata, Orari, Winchester, Temuku, the big city of Timaru, St Andrews and Makikihi before finally reaching Waimate in the south Canterbury region.
The car we drove in South Island We went to a farm called
Kelceys Bush Farmyard Holiday Park. The farm consists of twenty-two acres (around eight and a half hectares, equivalent to eight thousand five hundred square metres), so one can only imagine the vast expanse of it. It consists of a few caravan houses as well as little cottage houses. The farm is owned by a couple of senior citizens.
We got a cottage at the edge of the farm. The cottage is a little cosy wooden hut consisting of a living and dining room, small kitchen, shower and toilet facilities and a spare bedroom leading out onto a backdoor. There are even utilities for cooking and boiling water, all for ourselves! Finally, decent accommodation at last! Now, why can we not stay in something like this throughout instead of the kind of lodgings we had?
Our cottage at the farm
My room at the cottage
The dining room
The kitchen
After a slight lunch, we took a rest and then the owner took us for a tour around the farm, introducing the animals and letting us have a chance to feed and stroke them. The animals are so cute! I got to feed, stroke and pat them! There are possums (even the rare golden possums which are really beautiful!), peacocks, turkeys, ducks, hens, horses, a goat, sheep and lambs (with black sheep), donkeys (or are they asses?), birds, emus, wallabies, turtles, doves and pigeons, a rabbit and guinea pig, deer, even a couple of llamas!
The owner holding up an antelope horn
Look, I'm an antelope!
A wallaby
The first (female) possum
A hen pecking away A donkey The ducks
A wild pig having lunch
Deer deer!
A turkey
Wallaby waiting for food
A rabbit A guinea pig A special kind of deer
The llamas
The lambs
Billy Goat
Doves
Cock-a-doodle-doo! Emu father and kids Emu mother
A little chick
Grandaddy of all turkeys!
The peacock
The peahen
The ordinary possum
The second (male) possum
A goose
Hey horsie!
Another donkey
The sheep shearing area
Does this tree looks like a bird?
Feeding time of the baby wallaby
There was even a baby lamb (eight months old) that we got to feed milk out of a milk bottle! The lamb was hungry so it literally grabbed at the milk bottle, and even after finishing off all the milk, it still continued grabbing at the milk bottle! What a cute sight! Besides that, we also witnessed how the owner fed a six week old wallaby baby, in a pouch. Apparently, wallaby babies are lactose intolerant, so they had to be fed with a special kind of milk. It was a really fun tour around an animal farm! A pity there are no kiwis though, as kiwis are now highly protected as endangered species. I have no chance to see a kiwi for the whole of this trip!
Feeding the baby lamb! A herd of deer Turtles
An original volcanic rock
There was a continuation of the farm tour at night. This time, we went on to a bush walk, looking through more plants than animals. In any case, most of the animals were already asleep save for the nocturnal marsupials – the possums. We even got a free possum skin for keeps, and that really kept us warm when wrapped around the neck! The sky that night was rather starry, and I could actually see half of the
Southern Cross star!
The Southern Cross star can only be seen in the southern hemisphere, with the exception of the island of Hateruma in Japan, the southernmost island of Japan, in the Okinawa islands. The Polaris and Aurora Borealis can only be seen in the northern hemisphere, Aurora Australis in the Southern Hemisphere, but the Orion’s Belt can be seen in both hemispheres. Interesting indeed!
We bade farewell to the farm the next day (our ninth day in New Zealand, and third day in South Island). Our destination was Dunedin. Along the way, we passed by the Coastal Sanctuary of Moeraki and saw the Moeraki Ancient Boulders. The stones are not that big, but they are round and somehow just grew out of the water. Some of the stones have markings on them, which is rather amazing because the markings just happened to be there by themselves!
Part of the Coastal Sanctuary
Moeraki Ancient Boulders
We had to pass by lots of towns and cities, like Waitaki Bridge Village, Oamaru City and Hampden before reaching Moeraki, and then passing by the town of Palmerston (not to be confused with the city of Palmerston North in North Island) before reaching Dunedin. Dunedin is large indeed! It is the fourth largest city in terms of area size, but the population is not that many.
Dunedin was initially settled by the Scottish. When New Zealand was founded by the New Zealand Company, the British were doing mass marketing and advertising. They took the city of Christchurch, so when the Scottish came, they went south and took a city and called it Dunedin (Dun Edin – the Scottish name for “Edinburgh”). Thus, there is still some Scottish influence in the city itself, as can be seen in the buildings.
Our first stop in Dunedin was
Cadbury World. Yes! Finally I got to see a chocolate factory! I saw the history of the Cadbury factory, went in to see some of the works of the factory as well as sampled some chocolate not found in my country. We also saw a video demonstration of how some of Cadbury’s favourite chocolates were made, packed and sent out. There is even a room exclusively for tasters - where the people will taste the chocolate, ensuring quality control before sending them out. Now, how I wish I can have a job like that! This is one job I can do for free! :-p
Cadbury Chocolate Factory
Drooling at the chocolates!
The Law Courts of Dunedin After the chocolate factory tour, we checked into our hostel at Dunedin called
Stafford Gables. It looks like a nice little cottage house. It was originally used as a hospice for the old folks. The stairs and rooms are quaint. The basement is used as a cosy lounge and laundry room, and my room used to be the attic. Amazing what people can do to convert houses and utilise the space entirely!
Stafford Gables Youth Hostel
My room in Stafford Gables Youth Hostel
Dunedin Casino
National Bank of New Zealand Building
We had a quick lunch of fried rice at a Chinese Takeaway and then proceeded on with a guided city and wildlife tour of Dunedin and the
Otago Peninsula. Firstly, we went to the top of
Signal Hill, so called because during one of the wars, it was the place where soldiers signalled to their counterparts. It was a breathtaking sight on top of the hill, but the weather that day was so cold and windy that we were almost blown away! It was the first time I experienced a wind so strong that I could almost be blown off my feet! There was a structure with two statues – one represents the past and the other the future.
View of Otago Peninsula on top of Signal Hill
Apparently this was taken from a real stone in Edinburgh
Next, we went on to
Baldwin Street, the steepest street in the world according to the Guiness Book of Records, at a thirty-five percent grade. I can only imagine the amount of trouble going up there, but it will be rather fun going down! There are people who actually live along the street, with the house being sloped upwards. I seriously wonder how people go up and down everyday, especially those staying at the top of the street!
Baldwin Street
A house in the middle of Baldwin Street We passed by the modern campus of the
University of Otago (the first university in New Zealand), then went on to
Dunedin Railway Station, so-called the Gingerbread House due to its structure. Apparently, it is the second most photographed building in the southern hemisphere, just after the Sydney Opera House. The building is really cute and quaint!
Entrance to the University of Otago
Dunedin Railway Station The Otago Peninsula
We went on to
Larnach Castle after that to explore the flora of the grounds. Larnach Castle is New Zealand’s only castle, built by a rich merchant about a couple of hundred years back. The gardens are full of a variety of plants that botanists will love the place! We did not manage to go into the castle, but the tea room next to the castle is pretty Gothic looking as well!
Larnach Castle
Entrance to the castle
Grounds of Larnach Castle
The teahouse next to the Castle
These look like bananas!
Princess L(e)ia :-p
These look like chilli (or peppers)
Statue of Alice behind the Castle
Interior of the Tea House
An old lime kiln
What a crab!
An old Maori Meeting House along the way
We then went to the
Royal Albatross Centre at the Taiaroa Head Reserve on the Otago Peninsula. Unfortunately, we did not manage to see any albatross, but I saw many sea gulls! Our last stop for the day was at Sandfly Bay to see the blue penguins - the smallest of all penguins. It was an experience indeed!
Royal Albatross Centre
Hey Johnathan!
The van was parked on the top of the cliff, so we had to make our way down. There were no steps, so we had to step onto the fine slippery sand to make our way down to the beach. The sand and sea is very nice, but the journey was torturous! We had to pass by many sand dunes, with the strong wind blowing, before we reached the beach. Even then, we did not mange to see any penguins.
We walked along the beach, enjoying the strong breeze and saw a few sea lions and seals resting in the sand. Then we went up another cliff (again stepping on the sand) to a wooden hideout where we could see the penguins in their hideout in the cliffs, and managed to see one coming out and climbing on the hill.
Sandfly Bay
Very fine sand!
A baby sea lion on the sand
The mother sea lion
A sea lion resting
Then the wind started blowing even more strongly and rain was coming, so we had to make our way back quickly. Only thing was it was not rain but hail! Imagine those icicles falling onto you! My fingers hurt from the icicles and they were frostbitten. My coat was wet from the hail and the strong wind. We were walking against the wind and sand was blowing everywhere!
Walking was extremely difficult, let alone climbing back up the hill stepping on sand, as I was walking against gravity and against the direction of the wind! Many a times I felt like falling and my legs were about to give way! Now I can truly fathom how those trapped in sandstorms or snow storms must feel! It was after this that I see how weak I really am, because those who grew up in temperate countries are used to things like that and they have no problems being out in weather like this.
I was practically shivering from head to toe when we arrived back at our lodgings. Not to mention so much sand in my shoes! We had a quick dinner of Subway sandwiches then I had a hot shower. What bliss to shower in hot water after being caught in a hail! Plus to pour out all the sand in my shoes! The tour guide is so nice, he drove us to buy Subway sandwiches, waited for us then drove us all the way back to our hostel!
The next morning (our tenth day in New Zealand and fourth day in South Island), we visited the famous
Speight’s Brewery, famous for its
Speight’s Gold Medal Ale. We had an informative tour of the brewery, sampled some ales and had a lunch at the
Ale House restaurant within the grounds of the brewery.
Speight's Brewery
This is natural water
With Captain James Cook With James Speight - one of the founders
The chimney of the brewery (notice the barrel right on top?)
Different types of Speight's Ale Speight's Gold Label Ale
The story goes that the Ale House restaurant was just a lunching place and pub for the employees. Then when the brewery was opened to the public, they were allowed to lunch there. But the food was so good and business was booming that the restaurant branched out on its own as a subsidiary and started sprouting out in quite a number of other cities.
And I must say, the food is really good! The menu even came with markings on which ale to go with which meal! So I ate the Blue and Gold (codfish) with Speight’s Pale Ale, (as recommended) with strawberry and white chocolate cheesecake for dessert. I surprised myself that day because I drank about four percent alcohol (Gold Medal Ale) and almost five percent alcohol (Pale Ale) yet I did not feel drunk at all!
The Ale House Restaurant
Inside the Ale House Restaurant
My lunch (The Blue and Gold) - Codfish
With Speight's Pale Ale
My strawberry white chocolate cheesecake Entrance of Dunedin's Chinese Garden
After lunch, we proceeded to Te Anau. It was a long drive so by the time we reached Te Anau and checked into the hostel, it was already the late afternoon. Our hostel was right by
Lake Te Anau, one of the most photographed sights in New Zealand, and I could see a snow-capped mountain from the window of our room!
After dinner, we took a stroll by the lake, seeing the sunset and the snow-capped mountain. No wonder it is one of the most photographed scenes, the sight is truly breathtaking, especially the water with the mountains as the backdrop, and the lakeside with the trees and flowing clear water. I can just imagine strolling there with a loved one, except I do not have any loved one for now! That is the perfect place for an evening stroll and sunset picnic with a special someone!
Lake Te Anau
Sun setting on Lake Te Anau
Te Anau Youth Hostel The next day (our eleventh day in New Zealand and fifth day in South Island), we took a drive up to Milford Sound. We had a scare on the way there as the car just about ran out of petrol and we had to get someone down to siphon some petrol for us enough to get to Te Anau and fill up the petrol tank after our tour. Imagine if we were to break down on the way up the mountains! That would be quite an experience!
The tour was fantastic! Milford Sound is a fiord made entirely of glaciers. There are waterfalls falling like mists. And snow-capped mountains covered in clouds. It is a stream of water running through mountains and cliffs, mostly steep. The cruise ship took us all the way to the North Entrance where the stream opens up into the Tasman Sea. We even got to see sea lions and penguins at close range!
Entrance of Milford Sound
Under the waterfall!
Leading out to the Tasman sea Penguin Parade!
After the breathtaking and mesmerising tour, we returned to Te Anau for petrol and lunch and proceeded on to
Queenstown after that. Queenstown is another relatively big city. We passed by Lake Wakatipu along the way, with more snow-capped mountains. I have never seen that many snow-capped mountains in my life before! Queenstown is an old city settled during the time of the late nineteenth century Gold Rush, so there are still remnants of colonial type cottages around the town. From where we are staying, I could see the snow-capped mountains in the background (again!).
Queenstown Youth Hostel
We set off for
Gibbston Valley for a winery tour the next day (our twelfth and sixth day). Along the way, we passed by the historical Shotover Bridge flanked by the Shotover River. Then we went on to
Kawarau Bridge, the place of birth of the Bungy jump. The bridge is forty three metres in height, and it is another scenic place for people to hang upside down on a rope.
Vesta - oldest Cottage in Queenstown Shotover Bridge and River
Apparently, the founders of the Bungy jump were inspired by an exercise by one of the tribes in one of the Pacific Islands, and found it fun so adapted from there. Why the name “Bungy”? Because the rope used is a bungy rope! Since then, the founders have jumped off places in Apaculpo, Mexico, the Effel Tower and even the Auckland Stock Exchange Building!
Mount Rushmore? Kawarau Bungy Centre
The bungy rope
Kawarau Bridge
And away he goes!
We proceeded to Gibbston Valley next. There is a cheesery next to it, so we had some varieties of cheese (goat cheese, blue cheese, Brie). We were shown the vineyard, where the grapes were still in harvest, then went on to the Wine Cave where barrels and barrels of wine were kept. We got to sample three types of fine wine as well – the 2008 Pinot Gris (a type of white wine), the 2006 Blanc de Pinot Noir and 2006 Pinot Noir (both red wines). There is even a cafe for lunch, so I ordered a Sauteed Roasted Hare Loin! Finally got to partake rabbit meat again, but it was not as nice as the one I ate in Malta!
Gibbston Valley Winery
The Wine Cave With a glass of 2008 Pinot Gris
With 2008 Blanc de Pinot Noir
With 2006 Pinot Noir
The winery restaurant Sauteed Roasted Hare Loin
After lunch, we went on to
Arrowtown – a historical town settled by the time of the Gold Rush. It was essentially a mining town of old, and the old Victorian-style houses were still retained and converted into a museum, shops, restaurants and cafes, although the old post office is still there. The roads are still cobblestoned as well.
Arrowtown Lake District Museum
The Arrow River - where prospectors panned for gold
What made Arrowtown famous is not because of the gold panning, but because of the early Chinese migrants. When the Europeans left for other towns, Chinese workers were asked to come over from Australia (where they were panning for gold) and on to Arrowtown to help pan for gold. There is a Chinese settlement at the end of the European settlement, but the huts were mostly in ruins and rather dark inside. According to records, the Chinese settlers were not well-treated, be they as people or workers, as colonialism of those times discriminated anyone who is not of the same skin colour as “inferior”.
Arrowtown Chinese Settlement
We wanted to go on to Wanaka to visit the
Puzzling World after that, but the road was so mountainous and winding that we gave up and turned back. That was when the car got stuck in the gravel and all of us had to get out and push the car. The exhaust pipe was blowing in my direction so all I got when the car finally moved was smoke and gravel in my face!
We then went back to the hostel and rested for the day. We proceeded to Wanaka the next day (our thirteenth and seventh day), this time via the more scenic route of Cromwell town. Beautiful and astounding scenery indeed! More mountains and valleys, but it had snowed the night before, so the mountains and lake around the youth hostel in Queenstown were covered in snow! One could be rendered speechless upon gazing at such mesmerising sight!
It was still snowing when we were on our way. Late Spring, and there was still snow! Even after reaching Wanaka, the snow was still abundant. The Puzzling World is another amazing place! The illusion rooms are filled with three-dimensional holograms, where they look different from one direction as compared to another.
Then we went into another room, filled with the popular optical illusions. Plus the Hall of Many Faces - where the faces of famous people would follow you according to which direction you go! The faces look convex, but they are actually concave! There is also a room where the entire room is tilted, so one gets quite dizzy walking around there! Then, we went into the Ames Illusion Room, where one side of the room looks big and the other looks small! That is the same illusion used in Lord of the Rings to create the Hobbits!
Oh, the washrooms are amazing! Outside the washrooms are the famed Roman-style toilets, where half the room is real and the other half is just a mural! Even the toilet bowls are interesting, with different designs on each cover!
Stuart Landsborough's Puzzling World, Wanaka
The Roman-style toilets (half is real, half is a mural)
The Hologram Room
How many legs are there? How many animals are there?
The Hall of Many Faces
They look convex, but are actually concave!
The Ames Illusion Room - where Peter Jackson used this to create the Hobbit effect
We went outside to walk around the maze after that. The trick of the maze is to reach all four corners (blue, red, green yellow) in whichever order and then go up them and prove you have reached all four before finding your way our again. I managed to find all four corners, but it was a big trouble finding my way out again. I was going round and round in circles, before finally getting out. How I got out, I am not telling so as not to spoil the fun! :-P There is also the "Leaning Tower of Wanaka" on the grounds, with a clock that goes backwards instead of forwards!
The Leaning Tower of Wanaka
We went by Lake Wanaka for lunch at a takeaway restaurant. It was still snowing and the scenery looks whiter than usual. Little icicles were falling down on me, touching my nose and clothes and hands and face. I was looking up and having fun in the snow, but it was cold! We went on to Lake Matheson after that, on the grounds of the Fox Glacier, passing by Knight's Point Lookout (very windy place, with a good view of the sea and rocks), via
Haast Pass (another forested area with a winding mountainous road). We were officially in the
West Coast of New Zealand!
Knight's Point Lookout
Lake Matheson is the most photographed place in New Zealand, with lots of pictures on postcards. It is famed for having the reflection of Mount Cook in its sparkling waters, at this part called Reflection Island. It took about more than an hour and a half to walk around the Lake Circuit Track, passing by the Fox River, Jetty Viewpoint (to see a part of the Lake), on to Reflection Island (really nice view, but I did not manage to glimpse any reflection of Mount Cook), then back to the starting point. Around the end of the Walk, we had to go by a trail passing some farmland. The forested area of Lake Matheson is dark and gloomy, but the farmland was shrouded in sunlight, full of greenery. It was as if I had stepped out into another world, as if I had gone into "Narnia"!
Part of the Fox River Lake Matheson
Reflection Island, Lake Matheson
The open ground next to Lake Matheson One side - dark and gloomy, the other side - bright and cheery We went on to the youth hostel at
Franz Josef Glacier after that. After dinner, we wanted to go uphill to see the glowworms, but it was too dark that we gave up the idea. The next morning (our fourteenth and eighth day), we took a walk up to the glacier. It is actually quite small, or maybe from the angle we saw, it is small. This glacier was formed during the last Ice Age. It used to be much larger, covering the whole area, but through the years, it had become smaller and smaller. Still, it is pretty amazing that it still manages to remain unmelted so long after the Ice Age.
Franz Josef Glacier Youth Hostel
Franz Josef Glacier
Close-up of the glacier
There are actually guided walks up the glacier itself, but because we were not in the appropriate attire, we were not allowed to go up, so we could only see the glacier from the lookout points. :-( After the glacier viewing, we went on to the town of
Hokitika, famous for its sunsets and glass-blowing products, passing by a town called Ross.
Hokitika
Our Accommodation - Stumper's Accommodation, Bar & Cafe We had a lunch of pizza, then went to walk around the town, visiting a Gold Shop where we saw some real gold nuggets. Hokitika used to be one of those towns that thrived during the Gold Rush, and remnants of the old town can still be seen in the buildings and structure. We also went to a Glass-Blowing Studio and Shop, where my youngest brother bought a pair of glass kiwis, as well as a Jade Shop, where we got to see the difference between an unpolished and a polished jade.
Gold Shop with real gold nuggets
A man made of wood Penguin Chess Set
Glass-Blowing Studio
Jade Store
Then, we had dinner at the
Stumper's Cafe next to our accommodation and proceeded on to Sunset Bay to view the sunset. Alas, the sun was covered by the clouds, so even though we could see the rays setting, we could not see the whole sun going into the water! We drove up to the Plane Table Lookout Point, where we could see the whole town and the sea and the sun, but still no full sunset as the clouds did not disperse!
Sunset Bay
We had an early night as we needed to get up early to go on to
Christchurch the next day (the fifteenth and ninth day). We woke up at six in the morning to drive down to Christchurch, the garden city and considered the biggest in the South Island. We had to go by Arthur's Pass, another forested area, from the West Coast to the East Coast of South Island. It was snowing the night before, so the mountains and grounds were still filled with snow.
Christchurch is in the region of Canterbury, the East Coast of New Zealand. It was settled by the English, so the road names and structures are reminiscent of Victorian eras, like Cambridge Terrace, Worcester Boulevard, Oxford Street. Christchurch itself is named after Christ Church College of Oxford University. There is even a bridge, appropriately named Cam Bridge, with a river flowing under it, called the Avon River, complete with punters! There are also tram services and gondolas, which I did not have the good fortune to experience!
Our first stop at Christchurch was the
International Antarctic Centre, simulated on the temperature, lifestyles and animals living the in Antarctic, as well as a stopover centre for those wishing to go to the Antarctic. We saw the little blue penguins feeding, as well as going into a room to experience an Antarctic storm at a temperature of minus seventeen degree Celsiues! My fingers were so frostbitten that I could hardly move and the cheeks and lips were so numb after that!
International Antarctic Centre
Penguin feeding!
A Hagglund
We checked in at Rolleston House Youth Hostel after that, then had to return the car as the rental was due. We then walked around the area, stopping at
Christchurch Casino for lunch and a looksee, before going to Cathedral Square, and taking a yellow bus (free of charge) to go to the nearest supermarket (Pak N Pay) for grocery shopping. We took the bus back for dinner after that.
Canterbury Museum, Christchurch Entrance to Christchurch Casino
Dylslexic Association
Avon River
Cathedral Square
The next day (our sixteenth day and tenth day) was our second last day in New Zealand. It was a free and easy day for all, so we went on to the
Canterbury Museum in the morning to view the displays of the first settlers as well as the
moas - the biggest birds ever on Earth, hunted to extinction about five hundred years ago, native only to New Zealand. There were also displays on mummies, fossils, old town of Christchurch, more Antarctic displays and dinosaur bones and skeletons. A rather informative trip!
We visited
Christchurch Cathedral after that, just made it for the guided tour. It is an Anglican Cathedral founded by the early English settlers. Luckily the place we are staying is within walking distance to Cathedral Square, with the Arts Centre, Museum and
Botanic Gardens just across it, so we could walk everywhere even without the car!
Christchurch Cathedral
We went back for lunch, then went out to visit the weekend market, which is just a row of stores, something like the Salamanca Weekend Market I went to in Tasmania, except that one is much bigger than the one in Christchurch. It is just a normal flea market, nothing out of the ordinary. We also went to the Botanic Gardens to see the flowers in full bloom. The Botanic Gardens are big, so big that we only managed to go to one section of it!
We had dinner after that at
Santorini - a Greek restaurant with live music. We were very lucky to get reservations, as half the restaurant was booked for a wedding reception. So we got to see the bride and groom and their guests mingling around. There was also live music. The restaurant is owned by a husband and wife team. The husband and his assistant will provide live music by strumming guitars (or are they banjos?) and singing along to the music, while the wife will start the ball rolling by dancing and get the guests to dance together.
The food is great! I ordered moussaka with baklava for dessert, and sampled a small glass of Ouzo - a traditional Greek aperitif, the most popular drink in Greece! My, that is strong! It is a kind of shooter and tastes like vodka, but it makes you hot inside once you drank it! I am surprised I could still remain sober after that!
Appetizer - Pita Bread Appetizer - Kalamari
Moussaka
Ouzo - traditional Greek aperitif Baklava
Live music
There was folk dancing all round. When my dad called for the bill, the proprietress said we had to dance first before going. Then when my parents paid and tried to sneak out, the proprietress grabbed hold of me and made me join in the dancing, although I was rather intrigued at their folk dance in the first place.
The dance is a kind of folk dance where everyone stands in a circle holding hands, then they kick their legs up and down, and move in a clockwise direction according to the music, then when the music reaches another phrase, they move in an anti-clockwise direction. Easiest dance I have ever done, but I had so much fun! After all the ups and downs of the trip, it would be a good thing to close the trip with some light-heartedness! Only pity was that I had my camera with me, so I was not able to ask someone to take a photo of me dancing and merry-making!
We went back to the hostel and rested after that. The next morning, we left for Christchurch International Airport, and then home after that! Hence, this concludes my entire trip in Lord of the Rings land!
Christchurch Airport
Bye Bye New Zealand!