Blogs from Canterbury, South Island, New Zealand, Oceania

Our short stay in Gore Bay comes to an end this morning and we head away on the short drive to Hanmer Springs to continue The 50thAnniversary Top of The South Tour.Sunrise wasn’t quite as dramatic this morning with more cloud on the horizon but there was still a bit of magic that you get with the light seemingly rising in the distance from the ocean. Our hosts had gone out together in their car so we didn’t get the opportunity to personally thank them for allowing us to stay in their lovely Air BnB apartment. Before we leave Gore Bay this morning I had a desire to check out the now closed cemetery across the Jed Stream where my G G GUncle is supposedly buried and long suffering Gretchen, who thinks I spend too much ... read more

Gore Bay…..?? where in the South Island, may you say is Gore Bay ! Well, Gore Bay is a small seaside settlement some 120km northeast of Christchurch with Cheviot the nearest town you turn off SH 1 and head towards the coast. Like many coastal locations around New Zealand it was named by Capt James Cook on his map of New Zealand as he sailed the coastline. It is believed that Gore Bay was in fact Gore’s Bay on Cook’s map and that should in reality be the name it is called by. As we collapsed into bed last night there was already a warming of the air temperature and this morning we awoke to a clear blue sky and a promise of 28C high for the day. Picking up our Apex rental Corolla was a ... read more

Arriving just before the weekend gave us some time to spend with family and friends before we fly off to the other side of the world and our Swedish family. Time too, to catch up with the rebuild of Christchurch city central. Whilst to me, it is still ‘cone’ city it is also ‘crane’ city. The tram is back on its tracks, the buildings are being built and the parking wardens are busy. Waiting for a ticket to beprinted, I felt a bit outdated and frustrated when no ticket appeared. Apparently no tickets are printed these days just punch in your car number plate and you can check how much time you have left or even top up from another location. It sure beats that last minute panic to get back before the ticket runs out ... read more

Leaving our Christchurch base on Friday (7/10) and hopefully leaving our colds behind we head out to Godley Head. Godley head is at the entrance of the Lyttelton Harbour. DOC opened a new campsite here only 2 weeks ago and we had we thought why not. So glad we did make the effort as this place is a bit of a gem. Godley head is the most complete World War II coastal defence site in New Zealand. There are plenty of remnants (concrete bunkers, old chimneys, planning room, engine room …..) to be found on this windy headland. The walking tracks around here are excellent (even with runny noses) with views up and down Lyttelton Harbour, Taylors Mistake, Sumner, Christchurch and right up the coast towards Kaikoura. Some very brave campers tenting here in the cold ... read more

Arrived in Hamner Springs this morning (Sun 25/9) to light drizzle and the little village surrounded in cloud. I was looking forward to sitting in the hot pools looking out at the white capped mountains. I suppose 1 out of 2 you can’t complain. We managed a quick wander around the small touristy village in the rain before spending the afternoon at the pools. Hamner Springs Hot Pools is expensive but a must if you are there. We opted for a 2 day pass (initial entry & 1 return entry the following day) $38.00 pp. 1 Adult single entry is $22. The place was pretty packed and it was school holidays, we spent most of our time in the 3 sulphur pools (40°c - 42°c) which wasn’t as busy. Monday (26/9) and the rain has stopped. ... read more