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Published: February 5th 2007
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Christchurch Cathedral
The cathedral dominated the city center and was surrounded by shops, cafes, buskers and beautiful parks. Our next destination was another we had been looking forward to. Christchurch is the third largest city in the country and very possibly the prettiest. It is also the home (well sort of) of Tony and Sue Naughton who spent 2004 as an exchange teacher in Garden Creek School in Fredericton. They actually live in a beautiful new home in the lovely town of Rangiora with two of their children, Bryce and Courtney. We were welcomed with open arms and spent several days with the family and being shown not just wonderful hospitality, but some of their favourite sights.
The drive to and walk around Christchurch’s Port Hills was one of the nicest outings we have had. As we drove the winding, circuitous, narrow road that twists its way in a labyrinth of options through the hills, I tried to think how I would describe it. For a North American, it was jaw dropping…so narrow it seemed impossible for two cars to meet (but it happened often), so steep it seemed unwise to bike it (but many did), so dangerous it seemed as if a car could easily just go over the edge and careen the miles to the
Christchurch Challis Sculpture
This beautiful sculpture was somewhat controversial with locals. Some liked the ornate Challis; others said it looked like a giant ice cream cone without the ice cream! bottom (apparently some do, but thankfully not that day!). All the while, the views in every direction were also breath taking. The city of Christchurch soon spread below us, the buildings becoming mere dots. The bay upon which it sits was an enormous crescent that went as far as the eye could see.
We had a picnic lunch before our walk on the lee side of the hill at Godley Head, and here the view toward the port of Lyttleton was equally spectacular. Rocky cliffs, green sea, crashing surf and huge container ships from Malaysia and other foreign countries made for a great walk. The hill trail wound though old military sites, including a cool tunnel. We all enjoyed the outing.
As Sue returned to work, Tony (who has also just retired) and the kids (including their grandson, Jesse) shared other favourite places. We loved the beautiful Ashley Gorge, a freshwater river gorge and campsite where we could have spent hours. The small village of Oxford, home to celebrity chef Jo Seaberg’s cooking school and café, and the rolling surf at Woodbine beach were all great spots, and ones we would have missed without the local guides. Of
Naughton Family Picnic
Sue, Tony, Bryce and Courtney gave us so many happy memories. course, the kids all loved being with ‘hikta’ (Hector) and we all found time to play a little yahtzee as well. We are so thankful for this warm family time with the Naughtons, even though it made us miss our own families even more!
Christchurch itself was just ending the World Busker festival and it was a vibrant city. The cathedral, the Canterbury Museum, the Art center with its many small boutiques and galleries as well as a plethora of shops and cafes were worth two visits and we could have spent more time there (haven’t I said that before??)
Our very final ‘adventure’ in the South island was in the small French village of Akaroa, about 2 hours drive form Rangiora. The village isn’t really French any more, although there are many street and place names dating back to its original French colonization. As we drove over the final crest of the hill and and approached the valley in which it is nestled, we knew we were coming to a very special place. Surrounded by rolling hills, hundreds of shades of green and built around a pristine bay, Akaroa is the home to the world’s smallest dolphins,
Rugged coast line.
This was a great walk! the Hector dolphins! The average size is only 1.4 meters long and 48 km in weight. Although on the endangered list, conservation efforts are causing the numbers of these animals to increase slowly, although that is the only ‘slow’ thing about them. They are amazingly fast swimmers…and we were here to swim with them!
A group of 10 people (8 of whom were young!!) donned wetsuits and went with the guides out into the bay in search of Hector dolphins. Our boat cruised until a pod was spotted, then we were instructed to jump in and just float around until the dolphins decided to come to us. The water was freezing..even to a Canadian (!) but the wetsuits allowed us to adjust. It was really amazing. These little curious animals were soon cruising straight for us..around us, between us! At one point there were two that swooped right in front of me, so close I could see and hear their blow holes! We were far from shore and we tried several different spots to get good encounters with them.
We both loved it and agreed that it was a truly special way to bring our time in New
Tunnel in cliffside
This was originally used by the military. There were several old structures formerly used to protect NZ from Japanese invasion during WW2. Zealand to a close.
Tomorrow we return to Christchurch and on Feb 2, we will turn in our trusty Corolla (with several thousand new kilometers on it) and board the flight for Australia.
We know there is still much adventure ahead of us, but New Zealand has given us memories that will last a lifetime.
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Diana
non-member comment
Kia Ora
Well Nancy and Hector you have certainly done NZ proud in your blogger! I imagine we will now have hundreds of New Brunswickians (is that what you call yourselves) flocking to our shores. If they are all as agreeable and interesting as you two they will be welcome. We are glad you enjoyed your stay in our beautiful country and we look forward to meeting you again one day. Kite ano. Diana and Barry