As we had no food it was breakfast at Burger King - now I can say been there, done that, don't need to visit them again ever. My muffin, hash brown and cup tea wasn't the most salubrious I've had. Then it was off to The Warehouse to buy a phone - hopefully we can convert it to oz system when we return home. Also bought sheets, blanket and towels as at $8 they were better than going to op shop, and 2 mugs and 2 glasses. After $110 at grocery store, $30 at butcher's and refuelling at $2.08 litre it was home for lunch before we head to coast and grey sand around Brighton Pier. The estuary was all mud flats so it must have been low tide - there would have been swarms of midges at dusk so we wandered north through new housing estates to Coutts Island - no island but huge square pine windbreaks around red current orchards. Then it was home to our venison and wild plum sausages & pasta.
Up at 6.30 for a wee walk - how we will survive when it gets colder, and it was off to find 34 Heaton street where Dr Basil was living when the mob left for Australia. Very nice home well kept in leafy suburb. Then we brave the rain and head south to Lincoln where Jack was a professor for many years. There is a college named after him nowadays. All farming country to Leeston where J was born; the house he thought they lived in was in dire need of repair and a coat of paint, but after talking to his mother we doubt if that was the house. All the others on that corner had been bulldozed and had new houses. Christines' gate was in good working order (even after 62 years). After a pie at the cafe we braved the drizzle and walked up to Methodist church where a lay minister told us that the Presbyterian one had been bulldozed to make way for retirement village.
2nd Feb We dropped off car for a new distributor cap and hopped on a tram to do a circuit of Christchurch. We were saddened by state of Cathedral it is very forlorn so wandered up to Museum with some very interesting maori artifacts.
It is still drizzling when we board the caterpillar for a tour of Botanic Gardens with some lovely plants and trees. The different coloured Hydrangers were amazing - such deep colours. The hot house had some lovely hanging baskets, but the cactus gardens seemed a bit out of place.
The Restart mall has been recreated with shipping containers and was rather fun, especially when I bought a merino and possum short sleeved jumper for $260.
The tallest building was 20 storey Price Waterhouse Coopers which has been reduced to rubble. All around centre of town were new buildings or buildings in process of being built, and other old government buildings in process of restoration for amounts between $80 and $100 million dollars. The Cathedral is in need of $200 million to be restored which Govt wants, however the church says they can't afford that and want to bulldoze it but the Heritage people say no it has to be restored but they won't fund it so it is in a stalemate. We check out the Regency buildings in New Regent street before Thai lunch and we head back to pick up Heidi and go home in sunshine to rest feet.
With weather reports of temperatures of 11 - 17* in Dunedin and 9 - 11 in Invercargill we hope for a heat wave but go back to Warehouse to buy 2 hoodies and a flannel shirt for him who doesn't feel cold! There wasn't any heat in Antarctic centre where J goes into blizzard at -8* with wind speed of 50kph making wind chill -18*.
Next door was the Haglund ride in Swedish snow mobile on steel tracks where you go up 45* slopes, across log bridges and 'glacier' crevasses 1 metre wide, a tyre road and up a 55* hill - very bumpy but yuppies loved it.
Back inside in the 4d movie theatre we had water sprayed over us at the appropriate times in film Ice Voyage, and when boat on screen hit a wave our seats jolted. The scenery was spectacular and cliffs 50m high where ice shelf ends. There are lots of steep mountains and rock covered valleys and not as much snow and ice as I expected. Someone from Waikato university set up a camera to take a photo every 2 hours for 1 year and the change from winter to summer light was amazing. Even in winter the snow would melt and leave brown rocks behind. After all walking we went for an afternoon drive to Oxford - a little tourist town with arts and crafts and no sign of any crime to lure Morse or Lewis out onto the streets. Wanting a cup of tea we stop in Darfield and have to settle for a humungous icecream instead - 4 scoops for $4.00.
Our saturday drive took us through Kaipoi to Waimakuriri lagoon where loads of fishermen were trying to catch salmon. Grey sand again and lots of pine trees down to ocean edge.
Continuing north through Amberley - more shops than Qld's, to Cheviot where we meet Judy at Knox Presbyterian church. A gorgeous building made from local pebbles and lovely windows. They have 4 regular parishioners so have to sell up and go 66 klms to Amberley.
After checking out Art Gallery we find a flat tyre and wait an hour for mechanic to turn up - he doesn't so J replaces the valve stem and we can head off to Kaikoura. The drive in shows the devastation of Novembers' earthquake as landslides have blocked or washed roads away. The view from Lookout shows blue water on both sides of penninsular.
Several old buildings are so damaged they can't be used as is the road north to Blenheim so we go over the mtns to Waiau where the road is nearly all one lane because of damage and repairs that are underway. At one spot with a 30kph limit we come across a ute on its roof so he took the bend too quickly. Back on highway 7 we head back south to Amberley and turn off to go through farmland to Rangiora where we stop at Plough Hotel for dinner. It is packed so we take a seat in garden and wait for food. J tries several beers before he finds one he likes - Speights - yuk! We make it home at 9.30pm 12 hours after leaving.
Sunday 5th After a leisurely breakfast we trip into city centre to Cardboard Cathedral for church.It is an amazing building with Alsynite sheeting roof and cardboard pillars and plastic stained 'glass' windows.
The acoustics were great and Cathedral boys choir sang ancient hymns very well. The Nicene Creed was the same and they had same format but different service to Aust. We spoke to Lay Canon afterwards about the problems they also have attracting younger people to church. The Bishop is female and a control freak so has gone through 4 deans in 4 years. As it will cost $200 million to repair old cathedral it will be demolished and land sold off as in 40 years there will be so few worshippers they won't need many buildings.
We made out way through town to Lyttleton Harbour for expensive ordinary lunch on wharf, before a walk through the streets of cafes and bars and not much else. We have a tour through Willowbank Wildlife park and their assortment of animals and birds - huge pigs, miniature horses, heritage cattle and goats, chooks and ducks and injured swans. Our guided tour of NZ area was great. The Alpine parrot Keas are very cheeky and not afraid of humans. They took honey off a spoon held by guide and walked all over her head and shoulders and didn't try to nip with their huge beaks.
In the Kiwi house they are incubating kiwi eggs so that they can release young back into wild, as the parents are hopeless parents and the hatching rate is very small. In the nocturnal house we saw 2 north island brown kiwis and they were much larger than I remembered. It was fascinating to stand there for 20 minutes watching them wander about looking for food.
The weka is a very similar bird with a shorter beak, that comes out in daylight.
Our Ko Tama Maori welcome was very interesting and informative - can't say the same for girls poi dancing or boys haka however it was all good fun. The maori performers were very professional and obviously very proud of their heritage. We have a traditional welcome and a talk from one of elders then some songs and dance before they got all the girls up to do a poi lesson, and then the boys had to do a haka.
Our Hangi meal had a very tasty smoky chowder and 3 tasty dips - seafood, tomato and green watercress. The meat was too fatty for my taste but it was a huge meal finished off with pavlova and cream and kiwifruit and hokey pokey icecream which several people left behind, we won't need to eat for a week either. We sat next to a chinese couple and their daughter who is studying at griffith in Brisbane. He didn't talk much but the mother was friendly. They live in a samll town in northern china with 6000 people, couldn't believe Wyreema has 600 people.
Monday 6th February is Waitangi day and news is full of pollies not invited to ceremony at Waitangi - bit like Australia Day overrun with protesters, so we opt to leave Christchurch and head west through Darfield (too early and cold for icecream) and then turn south through Windwhistle to Stoveley where we stretch the legs and have tea - mine was a ginger, honey and lemon syrup in hot water and quite tasty.
A stop at Rakiara Gorge has us contemplating what it would look like in wet season.
On through farming country of Mayfield and Geraldine a nice little town to the highway and all traffic accompanied us to Temuka and Timaru. After a drive to Blacketts Lighthouse on Caroline Bay with its grey wet sand and greyish beige dry sand and lots of bathers, we take a scenic? drive around town (all new housing estates).
June recalled happy times visiting Bransgrove grandparents in Davis street but the only one we could find was 12klm south in Pareora so we check it out. There was 1 wooden one close to water that could have been there in 1930's. Nearby were some 6 feet high concrete walls of historic grain store. Continuing south we find St Andrew's does have a golf course and some hay has been cut long and stacked in sheaths to dry. It seemed to have small seed pods but there was some lucerne flowering around edges of field so don't know what it was.
At Makikihi we turn back and manage to get washing dry before wind brings the cold drizzle.
Tuesday bought freezing cold winds and rain so we stay in and only venture out to splash 50 metres to toilets until after lunch when we brave elements and check out the information centre. The maori rock art display was overrun with school kids so we asked about Davis street - no go and not very helpful, so we find Timaru Boys school where John senior spent 12 years as a boarder. The scenic drive around town just showed new housing estates - what is it with kiwis- so we venture a bit further into countryside - all green and lush - before calling it quits and returning to our 2 rooms. We have a double bed and 6 singles in 1 room and a lounge, table and chairs, tv fridge and kitchenette in other room for $76 night.
Wednesday has us going inland to Pleasant Flat a lovely green town with lots gardens, and then on to Fairlie - some gardens but no shops open at 9.30am so we have a long steep climb to Lake Tekapo where we have a photo stop on lake before tackling asians in hundreds at Collie Memorial and Church of Good Shepherd. This area prospered on sheep's back too. It was very spiritual sitting inside looking at lake through big glass window behind altar. The sermon would have had to be good or you would become sidetracked easily.
We walk the length of shops but find nothing interesting. Down by the lake we boil the billy before heading over more mountains to Twizel.
The Holiday Park was very untidy and disappointing for $80 night - 6' x 10' long with 3 beds and fridge. As the bird hide had collapsed and C/P owner didn't know where we could see any birds, we opt to go to Mt Cook and the clouds partially lift so we get to see the mountain with a cloudy collar and J is pleased.
The lake is a beautiful blue when sun came out, but the Alpine centre in Heritage Hotel is a rip off at $40 person. 2 or 3 old pieces some photos with information boards and a 20 minute movie about the mountain. On the way home we detour in to see Tasman Glacier and blue lake but my ankle was not going to let me climb all the steps so we give it a miss The camp kitchen has no utensils or pots so we have sausages and vegs on BBQ.
Fortunately we leave early because we have lots of photo stops. The first is at Aviemore dam at Waitaki power station. Then we stop at a farm to buy a 2 kg bag of the best plums and apricots for $7.00.
A maori rock art site has notices to show you what you are looking at and what used to be there before the poms removed the rocks to display them in museums around the world.
Next stop was at a berry farm with the biggest sweetest strawberries ever ($15/2kg) and a little punnet raspberries for $3. We ate 3 strawbs on way into Omaru and 3 more for our picnic lunch down on waterfront. A poor seagull has a fish hook in its jaw with the sinker hanging down below so it must be annoying if not painful - hope someone can catch it and operate before too long but it was pretty flighty. Initially Omaru town was down on wharf so they have lots of lovely old buildings that are being used by artisans of all trades. The limestone sculptor had some brilliant pieces that I could have easily have had sent home. There was a dress shop selling Victorian era dresses and underwear that were so thick and heavy you wouldn't be able to wear them in summer in Qld. Several of souvenir shops were selling kiwi memorabilia made in china, india and nepal!!! Some people have novel ways of displaying their farm name.
Heading south I spy a little lighthouse at Hampden so we have a photo stop followed by tea at Vanessa's cafe with a huge date scone - it would have been plenty made into 2. They also had steak and oyster and steak and mussel pies so I hope that is a sign of what is to come.Winding our way up and down mountains we come around a bend and there is Dunedin nestled between many bays and surrounding hills - very picturesque. Our holiday park is lovely with all cabins painted - ours has simpsons on it; and wooden statues everywhere. At $63 p/n it is a vast improvement on yesterday.
It is cold and drizzly so we have a lazy morning before winding our way to Taiaroa Head at the end of Otago penninsular where the Royal Albatross breeds from Sept to Dec each year. So we didn't see them but there were a few Mollymawk albatross flying around. Yellow eyed albatross come ashore at night and Hookers' sea lions and NZ fur seals were also supposed to be there but all we saw were 100's of seagulls and tons of kelp being washed ashore.
Still the drizzle had eased so it was a bracing but ok view to South America. Inside the Albatross centre was lots of info boards and 2 movie documentaries running. After a cheese platter for lunch we head along the coast where they have painted scenes on bus shelters and some enterprising locals have made use of the driftwood washed ashore.
Across the harbour a cruise ship had docked and when the sun came out the view was spectacular.
Up another mountainous road we reach Larnach Castle with its grey stone buildings and lovely green floral gardens. Built 1871-1875 it had fallen into disrepair before the current owners bought it in 1967 and started the restoration and it is amazing. Carved wooden ceilings and walls and painted plaster ones in next room and some wonderful furniture make you want to live there. With 1 main bedroom, 1 guest room, 1 small nursery, 1 other 2 bed room and nanny's room - don't know how many kids he had to 3 wives.
The barn, stables and gate house keepers lodge are all guest rooms and ballroom is now a cafe and function room with stunning views across water to city. There is a marble bath in room on 2nd floor that weighs 1 ton so can't imagine how they got it up 3 flights of spiral stairs. After shopping for groceries it was home to put feet up and have a cuppa.
Saturday started with a visit to museum which was very interesting - lots maori artifacts over 3 levels with sea life and moas. They are huge birds - just as well they have died out. We meet the chef in lift and he recommended the fish burger - fish and salmon pattie in sourdough bun and very tasty.
There is also an extensive collection of south pacific artifacts from lots of the nations and wonderfully carved works.
To fill in time before our train trip we decide to walk to Octogon (the town square) BIG mistake - all uphill and millions of people as it is a special market day, so all octogon and 4 streets leading in are full of stalls and bands and so many people you could hardly move. Eventually we found the info centre and booked tomorrow's bus tour and then had to walk back to railway station. Of course we decide to go down this street to see what shops they have and end up walking miles so I was staggering by the time we made the train which was 30 minutes late so froze on platform. There have been 3 cruise ships in this week so there are plenty of yanks charging around. The train to Taiere Gorge is twin diesel engines pulling 6 old carriages with buffet and viewing cars. It was an amazing trip through 10 tunnels and over many steel viaducts to Pukerangi where we stopped for 10 minutes for the engine to unhook and go around and and hook up to rear carriage for return trip. There were some isolated station houses and a long winding track through the gorge with awe inspiring views of cliffs, plants and river way below. It was all very lush and green but I wondered about some of the creepers growing over everything - could be a weed. The long hours of daylight - 5.30am - 9pm made finding our way home after 7pm easier.
As we didn't find out what time church was we had a leisurely start at Taitu Settlers Museum where it was nearly all about the early Presbyterian scotts who settled here. There was a special section on Baby Boomers chattels - talk about feeling old. The huge computers were a reality check compared to our small iphones. Inthe Gallery we found some old photos and computer listings of stacks of Calders. One in particular had familiar eyes so we inquired at desk and found a John Clark Calder had arrived in 1870's so that might explain how our JCC just appeared in Australia. We will have to do some more digging. Back up the hill we board our bus for 2 hour city tour with a Dunedin born and bred drive who was a fountain of information and passionate and enthusiastic ambassador. We toured the centre of town - 6th in NZ then older areas on hill tops with lovely big homes and gardens, university where June studied, the new enclosed football stadium, then out around the penninsular, St Kilda and St Claire beaches and back to town past the mouth of river with its' molar teeth on board walk.
Fortunately when it was fashionable to knock down old buildings everyone was moving to Auckland so most of old buildings remain and have been converted to flats, cafe etc. Of the 125,000 residents 25,000 are students, 50,000 wage earners and 50,000 retirees and kids. As it is so wet the gardens are lush and still full of our spring flowers. Our trip was spoiled by rain at lookouts but that's life here. By time we had walked back to car I was frozen so we went home to heater.
Monday 13th we wake up to rain so had another quiet morning trying to find accomodation in Invercargill, ringing Mehaka's dad, J's old boss from Jenell and Michael Calder so hope to catch up with all of them sometime. Rain cleared and sun came out at lunchtime so after fish and chips we head to Port Chalmers to huge pine log stockpile waiting to go to China. 2 tugs manouevre a container ship out into the channel while we watch - as the ship was sitting high in water it must have been empty but there were thousands more stacked up on wharf. The machine to lift them into place had a cab on top and 2 arms down the side that slid over container to pick it up. Some could only lift containers 3 high but 2 others looked like they would go 5 high. You couldn't be scared of heights in that job but what a view you would have. We followed a track around point with lovely views across bay and marina and back through town with lots old buildings and tourist shops (this is where cruise ship passengers come ashore) and up to lookout at Lady Thorn Dell. Lady Thorn was lady mayoress who was very involved with town so Lions club developed a Rhodendron garden in disused quarry and it would be spectacular in spring.
It is a steep climb up to Robert F Scott's memorial. He left from here for Antarctica.
