South Island New Zealand

Kaikoura was our first South Is destination.  We had been here in 1994, the day after a terrible storm had sent seas up into the town.

Long white cloud over Kaikoura

  Seals were observable but not close-up as on this visit.  Many seals were visible at low tide on the rock shelves.  Some people ignored signs and actually touched one large seal. 

Birds seen there included (in order) , NZ Dotterel, Grey Heron and Variable Oystercatcher.

 Travelling south we crossed Waiau River, a rare bird breeding area for Wrybills, Black-billed Gulls and other birds.

We saw Black-billed Gulls in Christchurch Botanic Gardens the next day.

 

Finally we arrived in Christchurch and enjoyed much time with the main object of our visit, Veronica.  She will be 5 years old in May this year.  Lisa started work with the Earthquake Authority the day we arrived, but we were happy to look after Veronica on Wednesdays and pick her up from a nearby kindy at 2:30 several days.

 

They live in Riccarton, a pleasant cosmopolitan suburb close to the city.  One of the few remnants of  native flora, Riccarton Bush, is nearby, a favourite haunt for Veronica, though she would prefer to play in Deans House rather than walk the fenced-off bush track.

We made many visits to Canterbury Museum and the Botanic Gardens next door in our 2 weeks here.  The Museum seems very popular and offers excellent exhibits, including much original Antarctic exploration items, from modified tractors and big snowcats to clothing.  The Bird Hall was great - check the ceilings. 

Quake City in ReStart Mall is run by the Museum and we found it a powerful evocation of the devastating experience.  Their Rebuild Tour added much to our understanding and was conducted very professionally.

The Botanic Gardens were extensive, featuring many huge trees, great floral displays and a small lake.

 Christchurch has succeeded in putting a bright face amid the ruins of the central city.  Interesting to  tourists but locals are not flocking to new or restored commercial ventures, partly because they are tied to leases in other areas and traffic problems as roads are closed for reconstruction.  A Festival of Flowers included a viewing point for the ruined Cathedral.

Viewing point for Cathedral

Bodies couchant inside

Old shops repaired after quake - customers??

Re:Start Mall makes innovative use of shipping containers but at 5pm few people are around.

Cathedral Junction

Resting on our Cathedral Square walk

We drove east to Lyttleton which surprised us with its very steep streets above the harbour and the earthquake damage not apparent from a distance.  Many older homes on stumps fared better than others - easier to repair.
The water views make this area attractive.

Governors Bay

We spent a very pleasant long weekend at Lewis Pass with Matthew, Lisa and Veronica.  Our accommodation at the motel was very comfortable and the scenery superb.  Lewis Pass is about 2.5 hours west of Christchurch and has an elevation around 890m.  There are several good walking trails in the area.

Alfred River

Leave no stone unturned

Tarn on Alpine Walk

Veronica is Little Red Riding Hood

But, Mummy, Daniels River isn't too cold

Back in Christchurch we explored the suburbs, looking for scenery and birds.  A booklet on bird-watching suggested an area at Bexley, where we navigated around road blocks as roads were under repair.  Spent 30 minutes at a swamp before wondering at the absence of life in adjoining homes, most of which looked new.  Drove around and realised that this suburb was affected badly by the earthquake (800 homes here were condemned - see an example below).
We also went to Sumner, knowing nothing except that it had a beach.  Again, we were shocked by the damage and saw another way in which shipping containers were used - to stop undermined cliffs from falling on roads.

One of several houses near the church

At Sumner Esplanade, high school students were not enjoying a surf lesson on land in the bleak weather.

A drive to Banks Peninsula takes about 1.5 hours but was well worth the time. We headed for Akaroa, choosing the longer Summit Road to enjoy the views.

Looking down to Okains Bay

NZ Pigeons are BIG

Akaroa Bay

Jetty seen from Montgomery Park

 On our last day we took Veronica to the caravan park where we had stayed in a much too Kosy Kiwi cabin.  She enjoyed the playground.

 

We had a wonderful holiday in NewZealand and know there's much more to explore, especially with our lovely Christchurch family.

North Island New Zealand

On 1 Feb we arrived in Auckland for the first time.  It is an impressive city with some beautiful places and great views.  The waterways are extensive and lovely, nearly cutting the city in two.  Great weather while we were there enhanced our experience.
The view from Mt Eden, 196m altitude with a volcanic crater 50m deep, was stunning.

We drove a long way to sample a west coast beach, Bethels, and now realise how fortunate we are with our Aussie beaches.

A walk along the clifftop was more pleasant than the beach.

Later that day we walked in the extensive grounds of the Domain, housing the Museum and War Memorial ($25 entry, so we didn't go but Matthew said it is excellent). We were happy to see the beautiful old trees and glasshouses.

Auckland Botanic Gardens provided another pleasurable day, mainly because of the 20+ sculptures to be rated by visitors and available for sale.  Our favourite was Oh Crabby, I do believe we're lost.

David liked Flotilla:

 and we were both rather amused by Alien Invaders:

 

and Farm Gate ( which exemplifies the way Aussie birds have taken over NZ):

Miranda Shorebird Centre on the Firth of Thames is an hour's drive east ofAuckland and there we saw thousands of wrybills, endemic to NZ and migratory. Wikipedia: the only bird in the world with a laterally-curved bill (always curved to the right), which it uses to reach insect larvae under rounded riverbed stones.

 

That night we stayed at an overpriced motel in Tairau on the Coromandel Peninsula.

We chose to sample the most touted tourist destination, Cathedral Cove.  Setting out to walk for an hour or so from Hahei Beach, we followed a misleading sign which took us way up countless steps over a headland.

Metrosideros near Hahei Beach

On reaching the top, we found another uphill walk to the steps leading down to a path.  Near the path was a sign showing the return route to Hahei involving no uphill or steps!  We struggled on towards the Cove and after a further half hour, gave up and took the easy path back to Hahei.  Disappointed, we walked along the beach where we found a sign and a few tourists waiting for a boat to Cathedral Cove. After all this, we paid $15 for a pleasant fast return trip, well worth the money as you can see from the photos.  NZ east coast beaches can look damn good!

 

At high tide you have to swim through the arch to reach another beach.

 

At Mt Karangahake a heritage site features tunnels made in the 1890s by a gold mining company working 35m above the river.  Windows onto the gorge allowed spoil to be tipped down into the gorge.  A tramway for horse-drawn carts was made 2.5m wide.

 

 

The roof of the 100m tunnel featured some handsome black and brown spiders.

Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari is a mainland ecological island... Surrounded by the world’s longest pest-proof fence, Sanctuary Mountain’s ancient forest offers a sanctuary for populations of many of our most endangered species – from birds to bats, frogs to reptiles, tuatara to giant weta. We were keen to see this special place and saw only a small part of it.  It is not easy walking despite the well-formed trails and we spent much time listening to a ranger at a feeding station, who gave great information on the birds there.

 

This kaka stayed in the tree

The NZ robin is similar to our yellow robin - very friendly.

We packed a lot into our last full day in the North Island, staying in Taihape so we could travel 487km to Wellington the next morning for our car ferry booked on 8 Feb.  Starting with a drive from Te Awamutu, we skirted Lake Taupo, having stayed there on our 1994 trip. 
Drove toward Tongariro National Park, stopping at Waihi for the steaming hills and wishing we could visit the nearby Waihi Marae (by invitation only).

 Tongariro National Park comprises 79000 hectares and includes one of NZ's Great Walks, the Alpine Crossing.  We started a lonely walk at Waihohonu but gave up as visibility decreased.

Drove south, aiming for Ohakune but had lunch at this lovely spot.  The Tangiwai Memorial is here.  On Christmas Eve 1953 Mt Ruapehu erupted, taking out the railway bridge and killing 151 train passengers. 
 Ruapehu is one of the world's most active volcanoes and the largest active volcano in NZ. It is the highest point in the North Island, including 3 major peaks each over 2750 m.  We drove to the second largest ski area in NZ, at Turoa, which looked very bleak with no snow and overcast conditions.

Next morning we walked the Ohakune Old Coach Road to Hapuawhenua Viaduct, built in 1908. In total the viaduct is 284 metres long and at its maximum it stands 45 metres high. It is unique in that it is built on a 10-chain radius curve, reflecting the difficult landscape through which it passes.

Workers lived on site during the two years it took to construct the viaduct, enduring harsh winters, primitive conditions and isolation to complete construction in time for the opening of the railway. 

I did not enjoy the walk - scared of height

Nearby 1987 replacement viaduct

Our last North Island walks were short, close to Ohakune and including the Rimu Walk - see photo below.

On 8 Feb we drove to Wellington to catch the pre-booked car ferry to the South Island.