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Published: February 11th 2011
TransAlpine Train
Cross-mountain railway that takes you through beautiful scenery from Greymouth to Christchurch.Saturday 5th February– Fox Glacier to Christchurch
Early start to catch the train through the Southern Alps and into that small part of England in New Zealand:
Mount Cook – Watched Mount Cook appear and disappear into the clouds several times as we eat breakfast in Fox Glacier – never did get a photo though.
TranzAlpine – Travelled through the mountains from west to east coast (4 hours), watching the mountain scenery unfold.
Christchurch – Reminders everywhere (street names, buildings, gardens) of the early English settlers in Christchurch – a pretty little city with relaxed vibe.
Sunday 6th February – Christchurch in the Heat
A day exploring Christchurch slowly as we deal with the extreme heat:
More Weather – The tail end of the cyclone that hit Cairns earlier caused record high temperatures in NZ, including a sticky 37C in Christchurch, not that an excuse was really needed for ice creams.
Botanic Gardens – A guided tour around the lovely gardens in Hagley Park by a lovely lady who kept us all well informed and positively in line.
Trams – The first of a few tram rides in lovely old style wooden trams around central Christchurch,
Christchurch Cathedral
English style architecture in Cathedral Square in the centre of Christchurch. complete with chatty, informative and slightly irreverent drivers and conductors.
Monday 7th February – Christchurch in the Cold
A day of avoiding the chill and rain, with a more than 20C drop in temperature from the previous day – would you believe it:
Run in Hagley Park – Took the opportunity of light rain to stretch the legs, although both got a little lost and the rain started pouring – just like home…
Arts Centre – Wandered through the thriving arts scene, housed in beautiful old buildings, seeing the many beautiful objects being made and sold.
Maoris and Moas – Avoided the rain in the very informative Christchurch Museum, learning about Maoris and Moas (large flightless birds), the former having hunted the latter to extinction. Interesting to learn that Maoris only inhabited NZ for last 6-700 years.
Tuesday 8th February – Rails and Whales
Early kick-off for the scenic coastal rail trip from Christchurch to Kaikoura and straight into the marine life watching antics:
TranzScenic – Three hours of stunning coastal scenery as headed north to the lovely town of Kaikoura and our welcoming accommodation owners – Ted collected our luggage from
Arts Centre
More traditional architecture in the Christchurch arts centre, where fabulous traditional NZ arts are available. the station and we were free to head offshore.
Whale Watch – Plenty of water and sea-sickness and then the stunning sight of two huge sperm whales surfacing, breathing (through blowpipes) and eventually diving, with huge tail fins arcing and dropping into the deep.
Crayfish in a Shack – Best crayfish in town required a 45 minute walk to a remote coastal layby for an al-fresco roadside culinary experience – luvverly!
Wednesday 9th February – Swimming with the Dolphins
A wonderful day started in true Kaikoura style with more exceptional water-bound experiences:
Awesome Dolphins
(dolphin lovers see below) – Seeing dolphins in the wild is a delight but swimming with them is nothing less than awesome!!!
Peninsular Trek – Two and a half hours of fabulous remote coastal scenery as we made our way around the Kaikoura peninsulars with 360 views of the water and mountains.
White Morph – The best seafood chowder and lemon cheesecake this side of the equator for a final hurrah in South Island NZ before heading north.
Dusky Dolphins - They swim in pods of 60-200 off the coast of Kaikoura. The encounters are strictly limited (by participant numbers, times and River Avon
Stratford-esque river views along which Cambridge-esque punts ply their trade - very English... frequency) to ensure they do not impact on the natural habitat of the dolphins, which are in all respects wild animals. The dolphins seem to be very well entertained by the rather ungainly animals in black suits and luminous fins, with those on the boat saying the dolphins were having a great time. Being pretty inquisitive, they seem to really enjoy checking out the strange new sea creatures. Once a pod is located, the dolphins follow the boat, then hang around with the swimmers until bored and head off.
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Philippa
non-member comment
River view
Ha ha - could be Oxford! x