Southern Extravaganza

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 30^th 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!