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chess set
view of the big chess set that makes it look small Hooray!
So, Friday morning (April 21), Daddy and I got on a plane headed for Christchurch. We arrived a little after 9, and got a rental car. We hadn't made any plans before we got there really, so when we got the car we got out the travel books and figured out where we wanted to go. We started out in Cathedral Square, the site of a massive cathedral and the center of town. There was a giant chess board set up in the square, and we had fun watching a couple of guys play that for a while and judging their moves. Then we went into the cathedral - it was very ornate. They had a sign up saying that the privilege of taking pictures cost $2 - we ignored it, as did all the other tourists. There was no one to enforce it and no one to take our money. After walking around the sanctuary we went up to the tower, with lots and lots of stairs arranged in a tight spiral. Daddy explained that the benefit of this design (with the stairs spiraling left) was so that the defenders coming down the steps could easily maneuver their swords
pretty bells
there was a little window in the wall on the way up the tower stairs that we almost missed. with their right arm and the attackers coming up were limited in their movements. Makes sense, though I don't know why a cathedral in Christchurch, New Zealand would need such a design...
After Cathedral Square we went to explore the Art District of Christchurch. To the art gallery, then lunch outside (it was a surprisingly warm day), then looking around little craft shops, then headed to the Botanical Gardens. They were beautiful, and full of people - everyone was just hanging out having lunch or playing with a rugby ball, enjoying the weather. There were lots of big trees to climb in : ) The gardens are surrounded by a little loop of the Avon River, and kayaks are available for hire. So Daddy and I rented a double kayak and went down the river. We weren't very good....but we blamed it on the current and the wind. After that little trip we explored the gardens some more and found the rose garden, and took lots and lots of pictures. Then we went to the museum that was right next to the gardens, then decided we were tired and wanted to go find a place to stay the night.
Christchurch Cathedral
the tower of the Cathedral of Cathedral Square...the next pictures are looking down from there We ended up at the Occidental Hotel and Backpackers, where we dropped off stuff then headed out to find food and a movie cinema. We ended up eating popcorn for dinner while watching Ice Age 2. 😊 Cute movie. It was still an early night when we got back to the hostel, and we ended up watching the end of another movie with a British guy that was hanging out then talking to him about his travels. He's been going around swimming with dolphins. So jealous! He videos/photographs for a company north of Auckland, and was traveling around the south island getting some more experiences in. Lucky.
The next morning we left relatively early to start on our journey down the east coast and up the west coast. That Friday in Christchurch was the only day that we didn't spend at least a few hours driving. The next stop was Dunedin, a town settled by the Scottish. We were hoping to see some of the Otago peninsula that day, an area famous for its seals, penguins, and albatrosses. When we got to town we went to the i-site, and luckily got booked on an off-road tour that gave us
me on tower stairs
example of the really tight windy stairs just enough time to get there. Daddy got to practice his driving skills on the windy roads, which he did great at. We got there in record time, and even had a few minutes to not quite purposefully stroll down the beach...(so we got a little lost and went down to the beach where we thought we were supposed to meet the group, then had to go back and go back up the road a little; we were still only 2 minutes late after that little side adventure). We eventually found Sam's off-road tour experience, and met the 4 others going with us, a family from California. Sam took us through his land (he raises sheep) and to a large drop off, where we saw seals. They were soo cute!!! And so close! Some of the babies were up on the bank with us, sleeping. I accidentally scared one when it woke up and I was standing pretty close to it...oops.
After the seals we got back in the land rover and headed to a beach where the penguins come in for the night. We got there a little before dusk and there were a few already on the
Daddy amongst the rocks
these are the Moeraki boulders...'perfectly round and smooth.' not quite, but still very impressive beach, hanging out until they went to their nests up on the hills. We weren't very close, but had binoculars. It was really cool watching them swim in from the sea and waddle up the beach. When they got there they just hung out together for a while - social time. Then they climbed up the hill to the vegetation - it was amazing how fast they went up it. Apparently penguins are great climbers.
That was the end of the tour, and Daddy and I went to find a place to stay the night. There were still some things to see on the peninsula, so we stayed at a little hostel there instead of going back into Dunedin. It was one of the coziest we stayed in - only 3 rooms with a little wood stove for heat. There were two couples sharing it with us - one from Belgium and one from France. They were great, and had fun stories to share about their travels.
The next morning we went to Lanarch Castle before continuing again down the east coast. This 'castle' is the only castle in NZ and was built by a man who was trying to impress his wife. His story didn't end well - he was on his third wife when he committed suicide in the parliament building. His castle was very nice, though.
After the castle we started off on the scenic route to Invercargill, the southernmost city of the South Island, not including the little town of Bluff. We drove through the Catlins, an area full of amazing scenery. There were lots of side-road things to see, but we only stopped at 4 of them, starting with M_ . It's famous for it's round rocks. They are literally huge round rocks that have been formed underground and that they sea has exposed through erosion. They aren't as 'perfectly round and smooth' as the guide books would have you believe, but they are very impressive. Next we stopped at P__ falls, which the brochure said are one of the most photographed falls in NZ. Next was Nugget Point, where there's a light house watching over a point with lots of big rocks off the side of it, which look a little like gold nuggets. The sun was lowering in the sky, and the lighting made for a spectacular view. The last thing we had time for was Curio Bay, which at low tide has a petrified forest on the beach, in the form of stone logs amidst the rocks. Crazy. There were also yellow-eyed penguins here - the same ones we saw with Sam, but here we got a closer view.
Basically this whole drive consisted of driving for an hour or so then getting out for about a half hour. It was good to have lots of breaks. We finally got to Invercargill, though, where we would stay the night and then catch a ferry to Stewart Island the next day. Invercargill was one of my favorite over-night stops. I'll save that for the next entry though. I promise it won't take so long to get it up!
Hope everyone's doing well and enjoying the summer weather!
The pictures aren't working at the moment for some reason...All of my South Island pics are at http://photos.yahoo.com/druzi72000 They're labeled New Zealand South Island (pics from my camera), Daddy's South Island pics (pics from daddy's camera). I still have to rename/describe them...but I will eventually, promise! 😊
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