Kaikoura to Christchurch

Finished packing ourselves and disposing of unwanted items before heading out this morning.  John, Alan and I did the Kaikoura Peninsula Walkway which took us a couple of hours and gave us some lovely views south.  I was a bit worried it was going to be too wet as we had rain last night but it was misty but lovely for walking.  The visibility was not great though.

Then we drove south to Christchurch.  The first section was right on the shoreline with mountains towering beside us, and then through some wooded valleys before heading to some more open plains.  Like everywhere else we've been  its been quite impressive.

We arrived in Christchurch about 3 and checked into our hotel, which is right behind the old cathedral. Alan and I went for a wander and found the new "Cardboard  Cathedral" which is very impressive.  The walls are shipping containers and the roof is clear polycarbonate sheeting and it is lined with huge cardboard rolls with timber beams through them.  It is a lovely peaceful building.

It is very sad to see the devastation still so obvious in Christchurch with many deserted buildings or spaces where buildings have been removed - though that does give lots of places for parking.

Shops near our hotel  

Late this afternoon we returned our motor homes successfully a the end of a scenic South Island road trip.

Motueka to Kaikoura

Another day's drive through lovely countryside.  There were more orchards growing mostly apples as we headed south from Motueka.  We headed via Nelson, through a very beautiful valley and a very windy mountain pass, where our trusty motor home wheezed its way to the top, to our relief, and on through the vineyards to Blenheim.  Our plan was to lunch then visit a winery but that didn't happen because by the time we found somewhere to stop for lunch the wineries were behind us.  We hit the Pacific coast just south of Blenheim and drove between shore and mountains to Kaikoura.

Kaikoura beach

Public seating Kaikoura

I have been surprised by the number of touring cyclists we've seen - not my ideal bike riding destination!!!

Tonight is our last night in our motor homes.  We've had good travelling in them, even though they are a bit older.  So tonight and tomorrow morning we're going to have to pack ourselves up for the next part of our adventure.

Abel Tasman National Park

Its been quite wet today - started raining late morning and hasn't really stopped.  But we still went on our different expeditions to the Abel Tasman National Park.  We were picked up at 8.30 and driven to Kaiteriteri.  Penny and John went for a 3 hour kayak tour before coming back to Motueka.  Alan and I caught the sea shuttle an hour north to Medlands Bay and walked back to Anchorage, a distance of around 14 kms.  We really enjoyed it even though most of it was in the rain.  The coastal track is a very popular and we were surprised how many people we passed (or passed us).  We found a Department of Conservation hut at Anchorage and spent an hour sheltering from the rain waiting for the return shuttle.  We were very glad to get back to the campground and have hot showers.

Greymouth to Motueka

Another clear and sunny day, which was great for our adventures today.  We headed north from Greymouth along the spectacular scenery of the Tasman coast.

We stopped at Punakaiki and did a short walk to the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes, which were amazing (the Rocks that is - it was too calm for much action from the Blowholes).

We continued on through beautiful river valleys to Motueka, at the southern end of the Abel Tasman National Park, which we will visit in various ways tomorrow.  Fortunately there were not too many mountains to drive over as our motor home has developed problems climbing, which is not terribly useful in New Zealand!!   There were orchards and hop farms over the last few kilometres into Motueka, which were lovely to see.

We are comfortably ensconced here for 2 nights.  There is a vintage car rally in town, and these 2 are behind our motor home.

Fox Glacier Township to Greymouth

Woke to a clear sky, which was amazing after the cloud and mizzle yesterday.  We got some great views of Mt Tasman, Mt Cook and Fox Glacier.

We drove the short distance to Franz Joseph Glacier and did the 1 1/2 hour return walk to the terminal face.

Left the glacier late morning and arrived at Hokitika mid afternoon. We had a look at some jade carving, which the area is known for, and drove 30 minutes out of town to Hokitika Gorge, which is quite beautiful.

It was a short drive to Greymouth, and our caravan park is right on the beach.

Sunset over Tasman Sea

Another day of spectacular mountains, glaciers and rivers, though the mountains are more at a distance now.

Queenstown - Fox Glacier Township

We were on the road before 7.00 this morning and headed out to Arrowtown, an old gold mining town.

We then drove via the scenic Crown Range Road to Wanaka, where we had breakfast.

More beautiful driving past glacial lakes and rugged mountains until we headed through Haast Pass to the coast.  The weather changed from fine and sunny and its been misty and cool all afternoon.  We drove along the Tasman Sea for a distance, and it was very calm but there were certainly signs of very rough weather.

We arrived at the township mid afternoon and checked in and then headed up to Fox Glacier.  I was very surprised to learn that Penny had never seen a glacier before.

Queenstown

We spent today in Queenstown and did some washing etc before heading out this morning.  Penny and John booked to go white water rafting this afternoon so were relaxing when Alan and I set out around 11 for a 2 hour walk to climb Queenstown Hill, a 900m climb.  We couldn't decide whether going up or down was worse - down was certainly harder on the knees!  In retrospect it was enjoyable but we weren't sure at the time.  Most of it was through a Douglas Fir forest so was in the shade which was quite pleasant otherwise it would have been very hot.

We ended up back in town and had lunch by Queenstown Bay and it was nice to sit in the shade and relax and watch the world go by.  We did some shopping before heading back to the motor home for a rest.

We walked back to town for a very nice dinner and then sat and watched the sunset over the Remarkables.  Its light very late so that takes some getting used to.

All sorts of activities happen by Queenstown Harbour!!