Week 11 - Dec 1

Picton
Tuesday Dec 1st, 2009 Alan is officially retired today!

Today is the first day of Summer!!! It is cold and rainy out but the sun does shine later on.
We don’t want to get out of bed this morning. We can hear the raining outside on the roof and it sounds like hail. We actually, we have to have breakfast before 10:00 as that’s when the kitchen crew comes in to clean the facilities (i.e. no people allowed).

Now that we are up, we head for the kitchen for breakfast. We talk with a young couple from Sweden who are traveling the world on a world plane ticket. They are here for a while then heading to Australia, Vietnam, Thailand, then home. That would be quite a trip. The girl was on an exchange a few years ago to Canada and stayed for a year in Port Elgin and spent time in Kincardine. We have a good yarn about her travels.

In Picton, we have our list of things to do today. We check our ticket for the ferry and sure enough it is good to go tomorrow at 13:10. Next we have the car checked at APEX and they top up the oil and fill up the windshield washer fluid for us. Then we stop in at the local sewing store as I need of buttons for a baby sweater and they have an amazing selection as well as great fabric. The post office is the next stop, to mail off a parcel to Joy, a woman I met here in Picton (maple syrup and a baby blanket for her grandchild).

Our last stop in the morning we pick up a few groceries for lunch then head back to the camp for toasted tomato sandwiches.

Tonight on the news they are celebrating the first day of summer in New Zealand by lighting the Christmas lights in Auckland. Interestingly enough they have set up ice cream stands and coffee trucks.

Tomorrow we head on the ferry to Wellington. We hope the weather is a bit better and not quite as windy as we have not so fond memories of the last crossing!

Week 11 - 30th Nov

Kaikoura, Blenheim, and off to Picton
Monday Nov 30th, 2009

Monday morning and I can hear the rain falling on the roof outside our cabin. We are up showered, the car is packed and we head over to the kitchen for breakfast.

Today we head north up the coast to Picton. Before we leave we take a quick detour out to the Kaikoura Peninsula. We have seen this on the map and are not sure just what is there. We find a seal colony and beautiful rock formations. From here we also hike up the peninsula for the views around each side of it.

It is quite beautiful at the top. There are eleven known Mauri fortresses found on the peninsula, which are marked by white poles. At the shore we meet another couple and their two children from Brockville, Canada. They are both teachers on the same leave as me and are travelling for an entire year.

The road becomes more beautiful and mountainous as we head north. There are signs on the road that tell of seal hazards for the next five kms. It is along here we stop to view the seals right at the side of the road. Apparently they come and sleep on the road! There are hundreds of them all over the rocks. Seals snoozing, talking with other seals, some are chasing others off their rocks.

In Blenheim, it’s off to the saddlery store, so I can look around. This shop specializes in making anything from leather require. This is a large horsey area with many racing and riding stables.

In Picton, we settle into our little cabin, then head to the RSA for supper. We both have roast beef and Alan has a beer. The food is alright, but they now have a new caterer, so it is not as good as the last time.

Week 10 - 27th - 29th Nov

Christchurch, Market, Kaikoura
Sunday Nov 29th, 2009

This morning we are having our usual toast, fruit and coffee for breakfast, pack, and then we are off to Kaikoura. We make a couple of stops before we leave Christchurch. We plug into the GPS, Rotary Race track, and head off to the market to see what it is all about. This market is just like Peterborough’s market only three times the size. What fun we had. There are over 300 stalls selling new goods, used goods, food, vegetables and just about everything you could think of. We purchase a couple of little presents and a large bag of onions for $2.

We continue on again and stop along the way for coffee then continue our drive to Kairkoura. In town we found chili and pepper gluten free sausages for dinner

Tomorrow we are heading to Picton.

Christchurch, Papanui Coffee, Shopping
Saturday Nov 28th, 2009

Saturday morning and there is water on the ground so it looks like it is raining today. We get up and have breakfast, toast without any butter, and find out that there are others in the park with missing food. It now seems from our conversations with others that the park has not cleaned out the fridge as someone went yesterday to talk to them about their missing food. It seems that there is someone stealing food and unfortunately we do not know who.

We decide to drive to Papanui to have a look around the suburb and we find this nice little bike shop. I stop in at the sewing shop next door and find out that there is a quilter’s café around the corner.
It is a cute little shop with beautiful quilting and appliqué.

In Christchurch most roads have bike lanes. At the intersections they have used red stone in the pavement to keep drivers aware that they must leave room for the bikers.

Tomorrow we are heading to Kaikoura.

Christchurch, Crater Drive, Akaroa, RSA Dinner
Friday Nov 27th, 2009

Today we take a drive up to Summit Road, the rim of the crater. The drive is beautiful and at the top we stop at the Centennial Memorial to the Pioneer woman of Canterbury. Woman arriving by boat in the Port of Lyttelton had to endure a long and painful climb to the top of the crater rim to get to the other side and begin their new lives. It is at this point on the mountain that the monument was raised to celebrate their perseverance. We talk briefly with a couple of Christchurch ladies who have walked up the hill path. They do this for a bit of exercise, and as the hill is quite steep a bit of exercise is what they get. They say the downhill part is the best.

Further down the road we stop and climb to the rim of the volcano. Across the opposite side of the road, and up the hill is a beacon. We decide to climb to the top and take our lunch with us. The beacon is a geodetic position marker and we are able sit on the concrete base and have a picnic lunch. We can see the surrounding countryside. The wind picks up and we feel like we are going to be blown off the top!

We are travelling to the small town of Akaroa. The road is again very twisty and windy as it follows the Pacific shore. The wind is picking up and we are nearly blown off the road as we travel along then climb the hill once again towards the volcano’s rim. Akaroa is located inside the remnants of an old volcano and we have to climb to the top of the rim and down the other side to get into the town. At the top, the view is once again beautiful and we drink in the scenery. In the town, we park and do a walk about. It has a French flair as the early settlers arrived from France and brought their creative flair to the area.

There are lots of little boat houses in this area.

Opposite the car, is a nice little house with a beautiful rose garden. We admired this garden on the way into town, but now a lady has now come out of her house and is feeding a small dog an ice cream cone. We chat with her for a while and find out that she has a daughter in Canada. She is married and has lived in Edmonton for many years now. We tell her what beautiful roses she has then we hop in the car and head back to Christchurch for dinner.

This lovely horse came when I called it...makes me think of Dancer with those ears up!

Tonight we are not cooking! Dinner will be at the Papanui RSA (Returned Services Association). Alan had a lovely roast pork dinner and I had lamb shanks…Wow…just like Mum’s roasts!

Some of the birds we see are this little brown and grey one...it likes the peanuts and raisins we were having as a snack. Also, this black and white bird reminds us of the magpie in Alberta. It is about the same size, but it isn't noisy!

Week 10 - 25th & 26th November

Christchurch Downtown, Botanic Gardens, New Brighton Pier
Thursday Nov 26th, 2009

This morning before we headed out for the day, we had a duck knocking at our door. It was a mother duck with ten very new little ducklings. I fed them a slice of bread but had to stop when the main flock arrived. The ducklings were so cute.

Christchurch is NZ’s garden city. Their Botanic Gardens are the country’s most prominent gardens. We spent over three hours wandering through them. The rose garden was at its very best and both Alan and I loved it. I loved all the little birds that came in hopes that I would feed them. They were quite pretty.

The downtown is quite pretty with streets blocked off to regular traffic only allowing the trams to pass through. We had a look around Ballantynes Department store. They are quite like the Bay and Sears at Christmas with an amazing food section containing treats from all over the world. Their Christmas displays are not quite what we are used to, but they do have a small Christmas section. I didn’t find anything to bring home there.

We drove to New Brighton and the pier. This pier is very long. We saw fishermen at the end of it, as well, there were men catching crabs. It was quite fun. I couldn’t believe how long the beach was…quite impressive. Many people were out trying to surf, but the waves weren’t co-operating!

Tomorrow maybe we will go on the crater drive.

Christchurch, Antarctic Display
Wednesday Nov 25th, 2009

We visited the Antarctic Display. It was quite an interesting stop. You first enter a room that takes you through the cycles of time when in the Antarctic. Though it didn’t snow and it wasn’t too cold. Next was the snow room. Here you put on proper Antarctic snow gear and go into a room that is very cold. You can see the snow and ice. They even have an ice slide to play on.

Next we went into an area that was multi-technical. Lots of great information on the expeditions and the technology from pas t to present. I particularly enjoyed the daily pictures that are posted to their computer – fascinating.

Also they have a simulated sun and earth that can be hand turned to show how the sun hits the earth. A school group went through at that time and loved this.

They have a blue penguin viewing, outdoor, indoor, underwater and inside the nests. We watched them feed the penguins. These penguins have all been rescued, many have wings or that no longer work, one is blind…they were still cute.

Finally, there is a movie of the Antarctic that had beautiful footage of the ice, the rock formations and the stations past and present. Alan and I thoroughly enjoyed this visit.

Oh, I forgot, we finished with a ride on a Hagglund. We rode in the back of the caboose. Well that certainly turned out to be the highlight of the trip. Seat belted in, we had hand straps to clutch from the ceiling. This is a water tight vehicle. We went through a course that would rival any rollercoaster in Wonderland. My stomach was left behind…everyone was shrieking. It even traversed a three foot gap between two hills. The last segment of the trip was through a three meter deep pool of water. This vehicle can float and its tracks can propel it forward in the water. That was quite exciting.

Week 10 - 23rd & 24th Nov.

Christchurch
Tuesday Nov 24th, 2009

This morning I work on laundry and manage to read. Alan is working on the pictures and his journal. This is going to be a lazy day for us.

After lunch we are off to see the country side. First stop is Lyttelton. The road to this place is all but a normal road, then, we travel through this very long tunnel, which is carved through the crater wall of an extinct volcanic. Lyttelton is a small village with a large, active, sea going port. It is number 3 on the list of all ports in New Zealand and the largest in the South island.

On of the historic place we see as we head out of town is the Timeball Station. It sits high on a hill overlooking the port; it was used by sailors to assist in resetting their ships chronometers. We do a quick drive around the harbour, then head toward Sumner.

As we move up the to the lip of the caldera, we stop to look back down the bay…it is a long way down. Kids at the top are waiting for the cars to clear as they are going to skateboard down the hillside. The sides of the road are extremely steep…

Once over the hill we find the town of Sumner and park at the beach. We walk the beach till the end and find the unusual features called Cave Rock and Shag Rock. These are volcanic rocks left after the formation of the volcano thousands of years ago.

The walk up the beach is quite nice, but it is very hot outside. I don’t want to put my feet in the water as there are signs that say use the beach at your own risk as they dump raw sewage into the sea. Not very environmentally friendly if you ask me.

We finish our walk and take a short drive to the top of the point overlooking the beach. There are hundreds of houses perched on stilts built into the side of the hill.

Tonight is movie night at the lodge; we join the crowd in the tv room to watch Wild Hogs after dinner. Tomorrow we are going to do the town.

Omarau, Christchurch
Monday Nov 23rd, 2009
We wanted to stay in Orarau but there was no accommodation available due to a conference. Alan and I headed to Christchurch early. In town there are many sculptures made from automotive and tractor parts...very interesting.

We had a walk about the old part of Omarau down by the harbour. This is a picturesque area. As we crossed the bridge on the way, near a small creek, Alan noticed this little blue thing under a bush. Low and behold it is a penguin sitting on an egg. We didn’t want to get to close for fear we disturb its space, but Alan does get a few pictures.

This historic part of town was the warehouses, which are all made of stone.

Here I met and talked with Graham and his Clydesdale horse, Winchester. He rides using an outback saddle, but when they have a town festival, he hitches Winchester to a wagon for tourists. Today there is a bakery, costume shop, stone carver and pottery shops in these locations.

In Timaru, we stop for coffee and an order of fries. We stop at the local saddlery shop. The fellow inside is very interesting. He does, however, do a beautiful job of leatherwork and shows us a few of his saddle bags in the fabrication stage. The main street of Timaru is all ready for Christmas!

We get to Christchurch and find a lovely modern cabin. Here we plan on staying for five nights. The cabin is very nice, modern, close to the kitchen and the bed comfortable!