New Zealand 6

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Day 30 - Saturday 13th

The weather forecast is for a warm and sunny day. We wake to an overcast sky and cool temperatures. We decide to have a drive-free day so it’s a late breakfast and a slow walk downtown. We pass Otago University. Crowds of undergraduates and their families attend the passing out ceremonies, mortar boards to the fore. The Otago Museum is nearby so we enter to check the displays. What a wonderful museum. We stay in for hours. There are so many informative exhibits covering people of the world, especially Polynesian peoples and their travels. There’s a significant exhibition about Charles Darwin and his evolutionary theories, and a special presentation of Chinese artefacts on loan from that great country. It was all well laid out, very educational and enjoyable.


The Dunedin Railway Station has some interesting architecture but overall there’s not much to compare with our home city, apart from street names. The centre of Dunedin is quite dowdy and rundown.

Day 31 - Sunday 14th

On our way north in Dunedin, we had intended to pass the steepest street in the world but miss the turning and don’t return.


We near the east coast, steering to Shag Point after Palmerston, well known for New Zealand Fur Seals and Blue Penguins. There are plenty of young seals around, mostly lazing on rocks and a few are enjoying playing in pools. A fight between two males erupts but finishes quickly. Unfortunately, David didn’t get the camcorder operating quickly enough and we miss the barny. We find that the penguins tend to arrive on the beach in the evening so we are too early!

Further north we stop at the Moeraki Boulders, a group of huge near spherical boulders worn down by glaciation and deposited near the beach, becoming exposed by sea erosion, a fascinating sight.


There are supposed to be a Blue Penguin colony at Oamaru, a pleasant historic small town further north. Once again, the penguins are not due home until evening, foiled again!


Oamaru, called the ‘White Stone City’ has some interesting architecture that we’ve seen little of during our holiday. It is thought to have the best preserved buildings in New Zealand and we agree. The town has many building made of a local limestone that, evidently, was relatively easy to cut after quarrying, the stone hardening with age. Most early buildings in New Zealand were timber built and haven’t lasted too well. This town should be preserved; it’s quite unique in this country from what we’ve seen. There seems to some link with our homeland, with the main precinct name Harbour-Tyne and streets named Coquet and Wansbeck.


After Oamaru we head inland towards Mt Cook. To be honest, most of this journey is the least interesting we’ve experienced all holiday. It might have been better had the weather been clearer. There’s no sun because of the high cloud. As we arrive at Twizel, Mt Cook is clearly visible, although not as distinct as it would be under blue skies.


We’ve travelled some miles today so decide not to go all the way to Mount Cook along Lake Pukaki. We move on, stopping at Lake Tekapo Scenic Resort, a motel with terrific views of mountains surrounding Lake Tekapo, made mysterious and interesting by the low rolling clouds. The lake edge is dressed by large groups of wild lupins blooming in many colours.

While this is the most expensive motel we’ve used during our holiday, it has no cooking facilities so we opt for a takeaway Chinese, also expensive. However, the portions are so big we eat less than half. We’ll keep the rest for tomorrow night in Christchurch, hopefully in a motel with all the gear again. We intend staying here for four nights before heading home via Sydney, Australia.


Day 32 - Monday 15th

We wake to a lovely view of the lake and mountains from our motel balcony (see the panorama). The weather forecast was horrendous and we are pleasantly surprised. It has rained during the night so we are hopeful the worst has passed.


We stop at the Church of the Good Shepherd on the lake side, built of stone in 1935 as a memorial to the pioneers of the Mackenzie Country. It’s reckoned to be the most photographed church in New Zealand and there are plenty of Japanese visitors snapping away with their cameras. A little further along the lake edge is the beautifully detailed Sheep Dog Statue, erected in 1968 as a tribute to the Border Collies that helped shepherd with their flocks in this wild country. It’s a delightful spot.


Unfortunately the weather deteriorates a little and we are unable to sample the superb views known to this area. We take a long route to Christchurch, traversing a large part of the Inner Scenic Highway 72. Fortunately at Raikaia Gorge, the sun is out again and we soak up some of the beautiful scenery. The sun is so hot it generates huge plumes of steam curling up through the trees. It’s amazing.


We drift into Christchurch in slow traffic down Riccarton Avenue and immediately get a better impression of the city than any of the others we’ve visited in New Zealand. We even manage to cope with the one-way traffic system near Colombo Street, where we hope to find our motel but there are no left turns. We make a couple of mistakes but successfully circumnavigate Cathedral Square in the city centre and find our motel, which turns out to be huge, the cheapest we’ve used. Yet it offers living room with leather settees, bedroom, separate kitchen and dining area, toilet, and free broadband internet. All for £42/night! What a bargain. We take it easy this afternoon and will hit town tomorrow.


Day 33 - Tuesday 16th

It’s a glorious morning and we decide to walk downtown. David puts on his sunscreen and by the time and when we get into Cathedral Square after viewing passengers enjoying punting on the River Avon it’s very hot. Unfortunately, like Edinburgh, early sunny mornings cloud over. Men are playing chess on a huge pavement board and a local Maori sings his heart out opposite the information centre. He’s very talented and has a wide repertoire of songs.


We listen while David sips his coffee latte and Doreen her hot chocolate. We move on to the historic tram that does a 2.5km circular trip around the centre, passing such local delights as Southern Encounter Aquarium, The Arts Centre, Botanic Gardens, Canterbury Museum, Punting on the Avon, Victoria Square, and New Regent Street to name just a few.


At one point the tram turns into the narrow pedestrianised (except for the tram) New Regent Street, passing inches from people enjoying their open-air coffee, then on to the undercover Cathedral Junction.


Once again we are a little disappointed by the city centre, where some rich historic buildings have been smothered by modern tat and some rundown buildings.


We don’t feel like visiting all the local interest points and we saunter back to our motel where we grab the car and challenge Doreen’s navigational skills to drive across town to the Gondola. Doreen can’t stand heights so David takes a lone trip almost 500 metres above sea level to the summit centre, on the crater rim of Christchurch's famous extinct volcano. The 360 degree views of Christchurch, the Canterbury Plains, Central Mountains, Lyttelton Harbour and north to Kaikoura are lovely (will put a panorama from this point in next blog).


David is fascinated by the AMI Stadium that can be seen from the top, home to the famously successful Crusaders Rugby Union Football Team. Can they not come and help the Newcastle Falcons Rugby Team that is in dire need of some hard professional coaching?


On the way back to our motel, we learn a lot about Christchurch’s infrastructure as we search for a supermarket easily seen on the map but more elusive on the road. We succeed more by luck than skill and now we have some food for tonight.


Day 34 - Wednesday 17th

Unusually, it’s a chilly and cloudy morning, forecast to worsen during the day. We decide to drive to Akaroa a small village in the heart of the redundant volcano Bank’s Peninsula, named by Captain James Cook in honour of his botanist, Joseph Banks. It’s near Christchurch but quite a lengthy drive.


En route we get cut up by a couple testosterone-charged idiots in their sporty cars, one with the number plate “0UTLAW”. We are in a line of cars at near maximum 100km/hour and they go shooting past, racing each other, where are the police now? Nowhere!


We travel around the edge of Lake Ellesmere, a lagoon. It’s fairly flat but becomes hilly as we head around the peninsula. Soon we are on winding roads with hairpins that Doreen is not too keen on, even less so today because she’s not feeling too good. Even with cloud though, the scenery is excellent. It must be brilliant in good weather.


The strange thing is this place doesn’t get a mention in the “25 must-see attractions” in the AA New Zealand Road Atlas. This, in our humble opinion, is much more scenic and interesting than some of the places it recommends. There are some fabulous drives around the rim of the crater and down to some lovely coves and with great views all around.


Akaora is a nice little haven that offers all sorts of activities and there’s plenty going on, such a scuba diving, walking, rock climbing, kayaking, and penguin and dolphin watching, to name a few. There are some nice little café’s and restaurants.


Akaroa has a very interesting history. Around 1837-1839, Jean-François Langlois, commander of the French whaling ship "Cachalot", noticed the potential for colonisation of the peninsula and possible French annexation of New Zealand’s South Island.
Langlois thought he’d bought of most of Banks Peninsula from 12 Ngai-Tahu Māori chiefs. He returned France, gained the Kings permission and financial backing, and gathered together French settlers to be installed over the South Island, which would then eventually be claimed for France.


By the time Langlois gained official backing from France, the Māori population of Banks Peninsula had increased considerably. This was mainly the result of captives returning home after release from North Island tribes.


A convoy of French settlers left the port of Rochefort in March 1840 on board the "Comte de Paris", a month after the warship "L'Aube " had set sail, under the command of Captain Lavaud who had instructions to represent the French Government until the arrival of a Governor.


However, just before the "Comte de Paris" left France, the British signed the Treaty of Waitangi with Māori Chieftains, at the Bay of Islands in the North Island, on 6th February 1840, the South Island Māori chiefs signing the treaty a little later.

The French arrived at Akaroa in August 1840 to discover they would be settling in a British colony. After the signing of The Treaty, a British warship had sailed to Akaroa and planted the Union Flag.


The French Government requested the British Government to protect the rights of French landowners in New Zealand, which was agreed in 1841.


Around 60 French inhabitants became established and quite a few New Zealanders are descendants from these original French settlers. A number of Akaroa streets today still carry French names. The French flag flies in the harbour and some commemorative plaques pay homage to those settlers.


Day 35 - Thursday 18th

Back to the sunshine again after yesterday’s cloud and evening cold and rain. We’re not used to this type of weather. However, it won’t be long before we return home to the biting cold (according to the weather reports we’ve seen).


We decide to take a leisurely walk into town to sample some of the bits we missed the other day. We pass Johnson’s Grocers and photograph its dilapidated sign and wonder whether Jig could do some sign work out here? There seems to be plenty of work Jig and plenty of skiing opportunities close by on the Mt Hutt ski fields. We hope you get this Jig because we still can’t send out emails. Virgin Media seems to have put the block on it. We get the emails (mostly junk) in but not out!


Doreen’s in her element because there’s an open market in the square. After lengthy studying of the stalls, she buys a special 3D Kiwi decoration for the Xmas tree when we get home, assuming David can put it together!


There’s a fine statue by his widow Kathleen of Captain Robert Falcon Scott, Antarctic Explorer.


We visit the Christchurch Art Gallery which is a nice example of modern architecture. Staff kindly let us photograph some of the interior but not the exhibits, naturally.

There are some very interesting displays. David notices a glitch in the information relating to the nationalities of British artists. English artists are referred as British, with very few exceptions but Scots are clearly identified as Scottish, rightly. Should they all be identified by their individual countries? It’s very strange. Sorry Bronagh, but the only Irishman’s work on show (born Limerick) is referred to as British, possibly because he moved to England or because it was before the republic was established? Don’t know. It doesn't explain.


We move across the road to the Arts Centre on Worcester Boulevard in an historic stone building built circa 1855. There are some exquisite pieces of work by New Zealand artisans, especially wood turnings, wood carvings and Maori art. We’d dearly love to buy some to bring some home but they wouldn’t survive the journey.


Here we also have lunch surrounded by those pesky but funny little sparrows that seem to eat anything. One gets torn into a sugar sachet that someone left on the table, and no other bird is allowed near it! Another tries to land on the table opposite and slides across like a duck trying to land on ice. Hilarious.


We need to pack our gear for the flight to Sydney tomorrow so we amble back to our motel via the river Avon and Victoria Park. We have a long chat about our holiday and local issues with a lovely local woman as we admire the Weeping Willows thought to have been from cuttings of trees planted by French settler Francois Le Lievre that arrived in Akaroa, where we were yesterday. The originals were supposed to have come from cuttings taken from Napoleon's grave on the Isle of St Helena.


There’s also a statue of Queen Victoria and Captain James Cook, the man who started British interest in New Zealand. A tall and elegant Maori carving stands opposite the Town Hall. It graphically tells the story of the original natives of this area before the city evolved.

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