Picton to Christchurch Jan 31

The train ride to day was something else. For 5 1/2hrs the scenery was constantly changing no words can describe how beautiful it was. The train had an open carriage where we spent alot of time feeling the warm wind and enjoying every turn and bend and what it brought. The photos show the journey as we went along right up to the Avalon River which is 20 miles from Christchurch. I posted some photos on Facebook for those not following my blog so you may get to see them twice :) Mary Rose

This is salt it turns pink only at this time of year

 

Picton Jan 30th

After a 3hr ferry amazing fantastic calm seas we arrived in the lovely small town of Picton. Population 3,000 it reminds us of Nipigon in Northern Ontario only has more people and shops. The main industry here is the Ferry and shipping. This is the last stop for the train from Christchurch. Most people continue on to Christchurch we decided to stay and are we ever glad it is delightful here. We took an hr hike thru sub tropical forest half way around the harbour on a narrow pathway hanging on the side of a cliff the view was fabulous and worth all the terror I felt I hate heights and in particular when I am on the edge of a cliff. Later we strolled around town and found numerous interesting restaurants the one we choose was quaint run by a local family with two young kids flying in and out on their scooters. Kevin had local mussels chowder he said was great. finally found my all time favourite dessert Pavola and OMG was it good best I ever had. Our last stop was Seumus Irish Pub for a few pints. There was a guy from Dublin playing various instruments and had a voice like Ronny Drew we sang many songs with him and Kevin gave his rendition of "Liverpool Lou" Later as I was going to sleep I heard this awful rumble and the room vibrating I went oh no an earthquake but it turned out to be a freight train two blocks away memories of Red Rock came flooding back. Our train for Christchurch leaves at 1pm so I plan on checking out the lovely little shops no hiking for me today Kevin is going to try another trail no stopping him it is the Camino Trail urging him on. Mary Rose

 

 

 

 

Wellington Jan 29th

Today we walked around Wellington after we spent 4hrs at a wonderful museum with a lot of Mauri history. We spent the afternoon walking around the harbour. Photos today are Wellington and things we saw. There is free Wii Fi all over the city I totally forgot I could have Skyped the kids and showed them where we are:( we leave early in the morning by ferry for the South Island more adventures ahead. Mary Rose

The ferry to the South Island

 

 

 

 

 

 

S

So what are Jandals????

No flip flops down here a girl in a shoe shop thought it very funny she had never heard them called that as I had no clue what she meant by did I want to buy Jandals

 

 

 

Wellington Jan 28

What an amazing day we had. We were picked up at 8:10am there was one other person from Denmark so we had a personal driver/guide for the day. He was a retired Principle who likes to meet people and does a few days guiding a month. He was a mountain of knowledge and never rushed us he even took us of the tour itinerary to his favourite places. The first part of the tour was visiting Lord of the Ring sites. The locations were very nice nothing spectacular we discovered most of the sets were computer enhanced or sets built for the scenes that were removed after filming. One site was in Kaitoke sub tropical National Park here we saw a Rata tree over 1,000 yrs old. We then drove thru Hutt a suburb of Wellington here they have free car parking and a low cost commuter train into the city thus the traffic in the city is not a problem. They even run a shopping train at 10am! Next we went on Hwy 2 that goes North East from Wellington it was a winding cliff hanging road thru forested mountains not a drive for faint of heart. There are not many forests in the north island mostly cleared land. Next we stopped in a Small town that was once a thriving wood mills town it's only coffee shop was lovely reminded me of when we lived in Northern Ontario. Next we took the low road thru sheep and cattle farms WOW we drove for miles on a small country road without meeting a car it was like years ago in Ireland. The cattle are rotated twice a day to a different field they only eat grass and corn. The sheep are reared for meat and wool which is coarser than Marino. We stopped at a sheep station church built over 100yrs ago it is still used today for weddings and funerals. The peace and quite was beautiful only sounds were birds and the gentle breeze rustling thru the tall grasses. Ann of Green gables could have lived there. The scenery started to change after this as we drove towards the most southern point of the North Island. The drive became amazing the ocean one side sheer cliffs the other side parts of the road are gravel it erodes so much they got fed up trying to resurface it. A fishing village called Ngawi is unique in that it has no harbour due the high winds and rough seas. They launch their boats with a bulldozer every fisherman owns his own. After a storm the bulldozers make a channel for the boat to the water. We were lucky and saw one been launched. At the southern point we saw a few seals normally there are hundreds but due to the unseasonal warm weather they were out fishing for food. On our way back we went to some wineries unfortunately they were closed we spent too long off the beaten track. What a day with so many different experiences. We drove 350km and feel we saw the "real" NZ. Mary Roes