Captivating, panoramic, gushing waterfalls & vibrant clear sky's is how New Zealand's South Island had been described to us before our arrival & to be fair, that's exactly how we've found it. Brilliant!
Left: Cathedral square, Christchurch. Right: the trams.
Above: The 'view' from Mount Hutt.
At a cafe where you can literally buy everything (the plate you are eating on, the tea spoon or your seat!) we chilled out for a while in the late afternoon sunshine before hitting the highways again. Passing through numerous small roadside villages of only a few ramshackle dwellings we made Lake Tekapo before nightfall & plunged into our first geo-thermal pool to soothe away the roads aches & pains before our beetroot complexions confirmed it was time to leave!
Left: Miranda checks out the lake.
Above: What a view....
Dragging ourselves from Lake Tekapo we headed South past Mount Cook & the Tasman Glacier (for a few obligatory touristy photos) before charging Southwards towards Dunedin. Passing by the world highest salmon fishery (a very tasty snack!,) the Moeraki boulders (strange spherical rock formations in the sand) & the picturesque hamlet of Moeraki itself (beautiful, but shut up for winter!) We made Dunedin just after dark & literally fell into our bed.
Left: Mount Cook. Right: Peter's lookout to the Tasman glacier
Starting in Christchurch we briefly explored the area around Cathedral Square & SOL (South of Litchfield) before stopping off for a bite to eat in Oxford Terrace! Watching punts working their way down the Willow tree-lined banks of the Avon, listening to old tram carts clattering their way along cobbled streets & seeing school children dressed in brightly coloured blazers couldn't but confuse us simple onlookers, as it felt like we'd jumped into an alternative Oxfordshire/Dorset dimension. A quick look through the 'Rough Guide' explained our deja-vu by noting that the forefathers of the town were in fact academics at Christ College (Oxford) & blessed with Utopian idealist vision, they tried to recreate a little bit of back home here. Questions answered, box ticked, we collected the camper van & left for Banks Peninsular & Akaroa.
Left: Cathedral square, Christchurch. Right: the trams.
Set amongst the remains of long silent volcano's, Akaroa is a predominantly French influenced seaside fishing town to the East of Christchurch. It seems to install calmness in all that visit, although for Miranda and I the small task of another 4 hours mountain hike stood in the way of that & our first nights peaceful sleep in the camper!
Above: View of Akaroa from the camper.
Stupidly steep slopes conquered, we returned to our new home, pulled the curtains, relaxed on the 2" thick foam mattress & settled into an amazing sunset with a complimentary shooting star.
Leaving Akaroa we returned West (inland) & attempted to drive to the ski fields of Mount Hutt. However the lack of 4WD or a 'vehicle damage waiver' necessitated a very tricky U-turn at altitude in the fog and retreat to the near by town of Methaven.
Above: The 'view' from Mount Hutt.
At a cafe where you can literally buy everything (the plate you are eating on, the tea spoon or your seat!) we chilled out for a while in the late afternoon sunshine before hitting the highways again. Passing through numerous small roadside villages of only a few ramshackle dwellings we made Lake Tekapo before nightfall & plunged into our first geo-thermal pool to soothe away the roads aches & pains before our beetroot complexions confirmed it was time to leave!
Left: Miranda enjoys the warm waters. Left & Right: Toddie enjoys the view!!
Such an amazing place deserved a few days exploration & so we rented a kayak, climbed another nearby summit & even caught a trout or two (one buy hand) in the local stream!
Left: Wild trout by hand!! Right: beautiful view & the scenery isn't bad!
Left: Miranda checks out the lake.
After another spectacular sunset fell around us (highlighting the snow topped mountains in the mirror like waters & proving to all that HDTV has nothing on mother nature!) we accepted it would soon be time to move on, albeit hard to do so!
Above: What a view....Dragging ourselves from Lake Tekapo we headed South past Mount Cook & the Tasman Glacier (for a few obligatory touristy photos) before charging Southwards towards Dunedin. Passing by the world highest salmon fishery (a very tasty snack!,) the Moeraki boulders (strange spherical rock formations in the sand) & the picturesque hamlet of Moeraki itself (beautiful, but shut up for winter!) We made Dunedin just after dark & literally fell into our bed.
Left: Mount Cook. Right: Peter's lookout to the Tasman glacier
Above: the Moeraki boulders (ed. more proof that Miranda can take some good photos even if it did involve several star jump attempts ;)
Over breakfast the following day we couldn't help but question why 'Great Britain' has become known as plain old 'Britain' in its own & the worlds press! Why have we forgotton that we once ruled the waves & kick started the technological age & why are we so bad at being proud of our role in shaping modern history! I mean it's only when you see the likes of a little city like Dunedin shouting the odds about its extremely 'tenuous' links* to Edinburgh that you can't help but wonder why we don't 'big' ourselves up just a little!
(* The locals walk around in full Tartan kilts, listen to bagpipes & sell 'see you jimmy' hats - just because the first chap to settle in the area was from Edinburgh & the place reminded him of home! )
However ignoring 'Britains' poor self image and the very typically 'British' weather in Dunedin (grey, cold & rainy) we still managed to cram in a visit into the Speights Brewery (for a very nice pint or two!] & classic train ride (the Talieri Gorge Railway,) before heading out for our evening meal at the famous Scottish restaurant of Scotia (where Haggis and some excellent malt whiskey's are served amidst plush settings.)
Left & Centre: the brewery visit! Right: Train spotter!
Week one in New Zealand over & more to come!!!!!!!!!!
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