Canterbury Tales

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Two superlative days, but tiring.
We drove south from Blenheim under clearing skies, stopping at the Seal Colony and Kaikoura, where the mountain views were immaculately superb. The countryside, surprisingly for me, was covered in dried grassland, apart from where fields were being watered for cows or sheep to graze. After Kaikoura, we diverted inland on a lonely road to Waiau, where we had tea/beer in an English country garden surrounded by mombretias(?), dahlias and petunias. (The South Island vegetation is less exotic than North Island's). Mary wanted to buy the hotel attached to the garden.
Eventually, after a long sunny drive south, we reached Christchurch, and our hotel in Cathedral Square. We looked like country bumpkins entering a posh hotel in tee shirts and shorts! But we brazened it out and went off to enjoy the swimming pool anyway.
Later, we wandered round town and found the young folks a bit like Newbury on a Friday night - the first time we'd experienced 'drinking' culture in NZ.
Yesterday, we took a detour to Akaroa (the first settlement ever on South Island, where the Brits thwarted a French takeover of South Island by a few days (and the hoisting of the Union Jack on a Flag Pole). But the town retains its French character anyway.
We stopped at Hilltop, overlooking the volcanic crater that forms the bay. There we became acquainted with Adam, the pet sheep, and his friends, Jack and Jill (two goats prone to sticking their heads through the wire fence to munch the grass in the garden).
We took a cruise round the Akaroa bay and had the good fortune to meet seals and Hectors' Dolphins - and I got the best photos ever of the dolphins to boot! Our dolphin quest was aided by the ship's dog. He seemed to be able to sniff out the dolphins and so we followed him to one side of the deck or the other, and were rewarded each time with great close up views. (Wait till you see my photos!)
After Akaroa, we had to drive rapidly across country to Lake Tepako for our bed for the night. Luckily, the road was straight, and devoid of practically all traffic. So we were able to drive fast and get brilliant views of sunset over the Mount Cook range.
Finally, we arrived in Lake Tekapo just after dark. But what s Dark Sky spectacle it presented. Admittedly, I couldn't see the Pole Star but I must have seen most of the stars in the Milky Way, some of them blinking out indecipherable messages! The stars stretched stunningly from horizon to horizon.

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Photos

Hector's Dolphins
Not bad, eh?

More of Hector's
My first try

Akaroa Bay
On the trail of them thar Dolphins

Akaroa Bay
As viewed by Adam, Jack and Jill

Mount Cook
The view that cooled us down on a very bright dayC

Jack or Jill
The grass is always greener

The ship's dog
The real star on board ship - he found the dolphins for us

Comments

[Joanna Taylor]

Dolphins
How incredible!! What beautiful creatures! I think you should publish some of the pictures - indeed why not write the book and include the photos? You should contact the New Zealand Tourist Board asap!