- Starting the trip, the Bay of Islands, and the Muriwai Gannet Colony
- The Coromandel Peninsula
- The road to Wellington
- Northeastern South Island — Wine Tasting, Abel Tasman, Nelson, and Havelock
- Kaikoura — marine life everywhere!
- Christchurch, a stay on the farm, and the TranzAlpine Train
- Starting down the West Coast — things are starting to get real!
- A glacier’ing we will go!
- Queenstown
- Milford Sound and Fjordland National Park
From the very laid back Kaikoura, we made our way to Christchurch, the most English of New Zealand’s cities. Settled in the mid-1800s on the banks of the Avon River, the original plan was to create a model Church of England community. While it was originally known as Canterbury, it was renamed for Christ Church, Oxford. While originally focused on agriculture, Christchurch ultimately became the second largest city in New Zealand as well the second most important industrial center. Of course much of the charm of the city is the significant amount of the city’s land that is devoted to parks, public gardens, and other recreation areas. It’s known as the Garden City of the Plains.
Our first stop near the city was the Willowbank Wildlife Reserve. Created as a personal passion nearly 50 years ago, this family-owned reserve has grown dramatically, receiving over 120,000 visitors a year. But they have stuck with their original goals of conservation of species, educating visitors, advocating for wildlife, and providing entertainment. Most of the exhibits are in natural settings, providing more comfort for the animals while maximizing the opportunity for viewing. While they have exotic and farmyard sections, we focused our time that are endemic to New Zealand.
From there, we took the time to wander around downtown Christchurch. The city center is very walkable and it’s amazing to see the blend of both old and new architecture there. Of course, walking along the tree-lined Avon River is a relaxing way to admire the beautiful neighborhoods and gardens. While it is a large and industrial city, you would never get the sense of that from strolling around. And, of course, it’s a “college town” with Christ’s College there, meaning that there is a vibrant arts and entertainment scene. We didn’t have much time there, but would definitely like to come back!
When we left Christchurch, we had the opportunity to do a farm stay close to where we would pick up the TranzAlpine train. The couple we stayed with were charming and gracious with their home. They raised cattle, sheep, and horses and decided farm stays would be a nice way to meet people and educate them about farm life. We got a demonstration of sheep shearing. Of course, the real challenge is to take all the wool with a continuous trim. Quite a feat!
So then it was time to head west and explore the rugged West Coast of the South Island. One of the best ways to accomplish that is to take the TranzAlpine train, recognized as one of the greatest train journeys of the world. We started in the eastern agricultural plains, but then started to enter the Waimakariri River gorge, From there we climbed the cliffs above the gorge heading to the high plains of Craigieburn. From there we could see Mount Binser at the beginnings of Arthur’s Pass National Park. We made a stop at Arthur’s Pass and the temperature was pretty chilly, but it was pretty awesome. After the pass, we started into a long tunnel that descends and when we emerged, the weather and landscape had gotten much more wild — characteristic of the West Coast. We continued to descend through a number of river valleys and ultimately we pulled into Greymouth — the start of our next adventure.
This entry was posted in New Zealand, Travel
I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.
