New Zealand, Christchurch and Hanmer Springs, Days 15 and 16

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Thursday November 10, 2011 - Day 15

We woke up in Hanmer Springs around 9:00 AM after about six hours of sleep. We could finally see our surroundings and it was amazing. Hammer Springs is a small town located in an alpine area with mountains covered with snow and lots of green. The town is known for hot spring pools to soak in. Our plan for the day was to drive back into Christchurch for some site seeing. We met Shane the owner of the property and he gave some ideas on what to see. There is only one road up and own the east coast so after leaving the mountain area, (where we saw hundreds if not thousands of sheep, bunnies, and other wildlife), we headed south on highway 1. It was getting close to lunch time so we stopped at a small brewery/cafe on the side of the road called Brew Moon Brewery. We ordered a couple of beers and a bite to eat. The beers were spectacular and made by a woman brewer who was in the brewhouse when we showed up. She was very busy so we decided not to try to talk to her. Our favorite was a hoppy IPA which reminded us of home. The food was also amazing, though expensive, and the portions were huge. After lunch we hit the road for Christchurch and finally got to see the scenery we missed earlier the same morning.

We followed the signs to city center which we knew was under repair from the earthquake in February but we were not prepared for what we saw. In some areas whole city blocks were demolished and cleared away. About a 10 square block area is cordoned off to the public but we were able to look through the fencing to see a lot of destruction. We could even see how much the earth moved by looking at the base of some buildings and the sidewalks to see large cracks and holes. Each building had codes spay painted on them similar to what we saw in New Orleans. While we could not determine what each of the codes meant, we could see that they included the date and time of the inspection that occurred. To our surprise there has been an effort to get the area up and running by building a small shopping area from shipping containers to look like a modern mall, hard to explain so take a look at the picture.

We called the rental car agency because they forgot to give us the GPS we requested to make arrangements to pick it up. Again they were very helpful and set us up with the GPS and we were back on the road. From what we can tell so far New Zealand is mostly rural as the distance between larger cities is quite far. On our way back to Hanmer Springs we stopped at a small grocery store to pick up some supplies. Getting to the store was a challenge as it was located parallel to the highway with no easy access. When Jim made a right turn on a side street Lisa said “just park here” and Jim attempted to park on the right hand side of the street, which is the wrong side. After getting a perplexed look from another driver coming right at us we parked on the left side of the street and walked a block to the store. Once we had supplies in hand we were back on the road - on the correct side too. We stopped at the Brew Moon Brewery to pick up a 2 liter bottle of the IPA we had earlier for when we got back to our apartment. A two liter plastic bottle is called a "rigger" and cost about $20 NZ.

It was amazing how green everything was but then again it is spring time in New Zealand. There must be more sheep than people in New Zealand because they are everywhere! The rivers in the area are a cloudy light green color and we wonder if it is because of the hot springs or just a lot of minerals in the water. Once we got back to our apartment we settled in and had wine a cheese for dinner and just relaxed. A good day without any flying.

Friday November 11, 2011 Day 16

We checked out of our apartment and Shane the owner gave us some ideas on where to go and what to see on our journey to Blenheim which is on the north end of the south island. He suggested we take the back road to the coastal town of Kaikoura and along the way we saw more sheep and green country side. Kaikoura is located on the ocean and known for dolphins, whales, albatross, and fur seals. When we arrived the weather was clear but chilly and quite windy. We found a spot for lunch and afterwards visited a couple of the shops in town. Time to fill up the rental car but we noticed the filling stations do not post their price like they did in Australia. We pulled in and noticed the price per liter was $2.15 NZ which is approximately $1.72 US. A gallon equals 3.785 liters so the price per gallon was $6.51. The car took 49 liters and cost $106 NZ (about $85 US). We are now starting to understand why most people fly between the big cities in New Zealand.

As we traveled north of Kaikoura we kept an eye out for a spot that Shane told us about where the baby fur seals leave the coast and swim upstream for protection while their mothers are out feeding. We found a pull out on the side of the highway and proceeded to a walking path along side a small river. After walking about 10 minutes we came across the falls where the baby seals frolic in the water. In total there were about 40 baby seals and it was possible to get within about 10 feet from them to snap a picture. There were also about 30 people there to see the seals but we were able to get a good view. On the walk back we talked about how in the US a location like this would be off limits to the public to protect the baby seals. We got back on the road and it was not long before a driver coming at us flashed his lights at us. Jim remembered reading that if there is a police car monitoring speeders, drivers will flash their headlights to warn them. Sure enough, about a mile up the road there was a police car on the side of the road and an officer outside his car with a radar gun. There were three cars approaching us and they must of been speeding as he jumped out in the middle of the road and motioned the cars to pull over. Hard to believe as the speed limit is 100 KPH (62 mph) and the officer jumped in front of the cars! About 5 miles up the road we came across another police car so Jim flashed his lights at the oncoming cars and big trucks and they acknowledged by a wave or a flash of their lights.

We made our way further up the coast and for a good stretch the road hugged the coastline and the scenery was beautiful. Along the way there were a few small trailers on the side of the road advertising New Zealand Crays for sale, which are small rock lobsters. We already had lunch so decided not to stop. As we approached the Marlborough province we came across vineyards as this area is known for its wine. We have reservations in the town of Blenheim which in the middle of many excellent wineries. We arrive at our hotel around 3 PM and check in. The manager was a nice fellow and provided a lot of information on where to eat, good wineries, breweries, and local attractions. With three different maps in hand he takes us to our room and we settled in. After a short walk through town we decide to check out a spot Jim read about called the Secret Garden, known for having a good local beer selection. We ordered a couple of beers at the bar and walked out into the garden area which had picnic tables and a nice covered terrace with dining tables. To our surprise London Pride was on tap so Lisa ordered one and Jim has a local beer called Moa Pale Ale. The pale ale was well hopped and tasty and similar to an American pale ale. We also tried Three Guys IPA which was more of an English style meaning low on the hops and high on malt flavor.

Sitting next to us was a group of ladies chatting up after work enjoying a few glasses of wine. One of them came over and introduced herself and asked if we were on “holiday” and when we said yes she said “good on ya!”. After a short chat she joined her friends and had another glass of wine and commented on the lovely young couple she just met. Once happy hour started the place started to fill up and we enjoyed some people watching and a bite to eat. Then a big truck pulled up behind the back fence of the garden and dumped what looked like two cords of firewood. Then all of a sudden we heard and saw chunks of firewood being thrown over the back fence which we assumed will be used by the restaurant. For about an hour and a half these two young men kept throwing firewood over the fence.

After enjoying a couple more beers we decided to head back to the hotel and do some laundry and relax. Our plans for tomorrow is to drive 1.5 hours to Nelson.

New Zealand Notes
There are 2 basic traffic speeds in NZ - 100 kph on the motorways and rural roads and 50 kph while going through the small towns unless otherwise posted.
Many, many motorhomes, also known as caravans. This would be a good way to travel through NZ.
The complete opposite of the variety of Australia’s deadly creatures (Lisa likes this very much).
The sheep outnumber the people

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Photos

River View
This was the view about 2 miles from our apartment on the road back to the coast

Christchurch
This was as close as we could get to Cathedral Square

Christchurch
Sidewalk movement

Temporary Shopping Mall
Shipping containers were used to build a temporary mall in downtown Christchurch.

Coffee in the morning
After a long day of flying around Australia we enjoyed a cup of coffee on our patio

Baby fur seal
We were about 10 feet away from this little guy when he posed for a picture

Ending the day in the Secret Garden
Good beer, live music, and friendly people