International Antarctic Centre

A day before we were due to fly home, we took some time to visit the International Antarctic Centre at Christchurch Airport.

There's plenty to see and do. There are static displays that all seem to have sled (ski-doo) of some sort in them and others that aren't so static. The 'Antarctic Storm Experience' is essentially a big fridge with a bunch of fans that made us feel like we were in Calgary again (only not as cold). Harry was very interested in the igloo, the sled & the icy slide, but wasn't so keen when they cranked up the storm.

The cente also has a Little Penguin rescue facility. You'd think we'd seen enough penguins on the trip already, but they don't loose their amusement factor.

Everyone's favourite activity was the Hagglund ride. It's pretty rough and tumble but that's most of the fun of it, particularly when you're nearly 3.

One of the more interesting displays is all about the USAF Hercules LC-130 aircraft that do the supply flights from Christchurch to Antarctic every summer. The US Antarctic Program Christchurch HQ is right across the road. There were not one, but three orange tailed LC-130s parked just on the other side of the fence. We even saw one of them take off. Fully loaded it was struggling to climb & I thought if would clip the trees at the end of the runway (in Ashburton!).

So that was that for yet another trip to New Zealand. We have great memories and some wonderful photos to show for it. I wonder where our next NZ experience will take us......

Arthur's Pass

The final day of the adventure took us from Greymouth back to Christchurch via Arthur's Pass. It isn't as treacherous as Haast Pass, and the weather was a bit more friendly. Pat and Jeanette has set off separately as they weren't planning to stop and had to detour via Ashburton on the way back.

Arthur's Pass has it's fair share of random waterfalls but nowhere near the scale and quantity of Haast.

The pass is set up well for tourists with plenty of rest areas and car parks for trail heads and lookout points. We stopped at one lookout point where we are greeted by a cheeky Kea.

These alpine birds are very smart and brilliant scavengers. This one knew exactly how close to let us come before we became a threat. Even Kerri was impressed and she isn't a bird fan by any stretch.

Soon after we crossed the Viaduct  that is relatively new. The road before the structure was built was apparently dreadful.

Overlooking the Viaduct is another lookout and car park. There was a camper-van parked up with the occupants cooking breakfast. A family of Kea's were hanging around picking off scraps the people were giving them (despite all the signs saying "Don't feed the Keas").

Less than a kilometre from the Viaduct is the summit (background of the photo above). From that point, the road descends into the forest down to the township of Arthur's Pass. The township is pretty much the only civilization in the national park and is a base camp of sorts for hikers and day trippers alike. We had decided to hike up to Devil's Punchbowl waterfall. The trail starts just at the edge of town. The trail leads to a bridge that crosses the stream that runs down from the foot of the falls. The falls are clearly visible from the bridge (below) but we were heading up the the foot of the falls.

This would be a fair test for Harry's hiking skills and stamina. The trail has a couple of hundred steps and is quite steep. He handled it very well and I think he even enjoyed the challenge.

We all made it pretty easily in the end. There's a good platform to have a really good look at the falls without danger. It doesn't, however, stop you from getting a bit wet. Devil's Punchbowl falls was definitely one of the most impressive of the waterfalls we saw on the trip. I still think McLean Falls, all the way back in the Catlins was my favourite but these were an easy second.

The walk back was much quicker, as to be expected. By the time we arrived back at the car, the Kea's were busy being a pest. Fortunately they were being a pest on other visitor's cars and not ours. I'm sure Julie would not have been impressed.

The rest of the drive back to Christchurch wasn't especially interesting. The rugged forested mountains quickly become smooth treeless hills that are more enticing for skiers than sight-seers and hikers. I imagine the scenery is much more interesting when the grey dusty hills are covered in snow in the winter months.

We arrived back in Christchurch mid afternoon. Harry was pretty happy to ride his trike and run around a bit. I think we were all a bit over being in the car.

Christchurch

Back in Christchurch we woke to find ourselves surrounded by thick fog. The plan was to do a ticky tour (a Kiwi term for the uninitiated) of Christchurch. The last time we'd been there was 2007 on the way to Canada, long before the two earthquakes had destroyed the city. The contrast of the before and after was dramatic.

Lyttleton bore the brunt of the second, more destructive of the two earthquakes. We took a bit of a drive around and were shocked at the damage. The port is still functioning but frequent earthquakes continue to hamper repair efforts.

The fog was still hanging around when we reached Sumner. It didn't seem to worry the local surfers.

One of the worst hit areas was Redcliffs. The second quake literally shook the face off the cliffs. The clifftop mansions slid down the cliff and into the school at the bottom (below). Many perished including students. The houses left standing at the top of the hill are now out of bounds as it isn't even safe enough for the owners to retrieve their possessions. This one of many very sad stories in the shaky city.

To avoid rock slides crashing into passing traffic, shipping containers full of concrete have been placed as a barrier along Main Road. It's not pretty but very effective.

One of the good news stories is the Restart Mall in the CBD. The city centre was hit hard during both earthquakes and the demolition and re-build process is constant and extensive. In order to stop retailers going out of business (and Christchurch residents the opportunity to shop), shops have been set up in brightly coloured shipping containers that can be easily moved as the demolition & re-build moves around the city. It seems to work really well and is a testament to the resilience of the community.

Oddly, the tram lines through the mall survived both quakes relatively unscathed. This section was a recent extension to the tourist route and designed to the latest earthquake ratings so it isn't necessarily surprising.

That's for New Zealand until next time.........

Lake Alexandrina

Sadly we had to leave Lake Tekapo and it was another brilliant day. After packing the car we made a stop before heading back to Christchurch. Lake Alexandrina is a small lake in the neighboring valley to Tekapo. It's just a small out of the way spot with a handful of shacks to one end.With clear skies and no breeze, it can be almost as photogenic as the two neighboring large lakes.

The drive back to Christchurch was a bit more scenic than the way in thanks to clear skies.

 The clear skies wouldn't last. We climbed over a ridge near Kimble and the clouds showed themselves.

The closer we got to Christchurch the worse the weather became. We made a nostalgia stop at the Te Moana Gorge where Kerri's family used to camp when they were younger. I can't say it was especially interesting to be honest.

By the time we left the gorge it was bucketing down. That was about as interesting as it got for the rest of the drive to Christchurch.

Lake Tekapo

Back at base camp we sorted out dinner and put Harry to bed. Time to grab the camera and take advantage of the sunset.

The Church of the Good Shepard. Great spot isn't it.

 The wild weather from a couple of days previous had made sure there was plenty of snow on the mountains.

 

 What a day!

The moon rose over Mt Dobson  where the local ski field is located.

Tasman Valley

The after lunch exploring turned the Tasman Valley just on the other side of Mount Cook.

 

 

 We walked the short but steep trail up the debris wall of the Tasman Glacier. The glacier, like so many others around the world that we've seen, has receded so rapidly that the debris wall left behind is enormous.

It was the first real test for us of hiking with Harry. Amazingly, he slept most of the way up the hill but woke up just in time to admire the view. First up, the Blue Pools that look more green than blue. Crazy Kiwis.

 The giant Tasman Glacier, the surrounding snow capped ranges & the enormous melt water lake were the reward for the toil up the hill. The shear size of the glacier and lake only became obvious when a helicopter buzzed past on the far side of the lake looking like a mosquito.

As always, a bird manages to grab my attention. This one is Yellowhammer.

 After the Tasman hike, it was time to head back to Tekapo. By the time we had reached the end of Lake Pukaki it was late afternoon. The clouds and wind had both disappeared completely. One final look and a few photos of this beautiful place before heading back to our holiday house. Breath Taking.

Lake Pukaki & Mount Cook

Another day and another beauty. We set off for the next lake over, Lake Pukaki. Another gorgeous turquoise tinted lake with a snow capped mountain range behind it. This lake has the highest peak in New Zealand behind it, Mount Cook, and the second highest, Mount Tasman. Clear skies & no breeze happens only a few days a year so we were incredibly lucky.

After a few photos we set off in the cars along the Western shore of Lake Pukaki. It seemed that around every bend was a postcard shot.

 

We reached the village of Mount Cook in the shadow of the mountain. This is the place where climbers launch their assaults from. We spent a little while in the visitor centre before going out exploring.

Our first stop was the Hooker Valley. The short trail up the valley is also the start of the climb to the summit of Mt Cook.

 At the end of the trail was the reward of turquoise glacial pools, a huge wall of glacial debris and, of course, Mount Cook.It was about the only time we saw clouds for the entire day.

We had lunch at the visitor centre where to view was sensational (below).

Lake Tekapo

 The morning after the wild weather, as if by design, the skies cleared and the wind was non-existent.

 We spent the morning exploring the local area including Mt John that has the observatory overlooking Lake Tekapo.

 This chaffinch is one of the many resident birds around our home away from home.

 The long daylight hours allowed us the opportunity to put Harry to bed for the night with a grandparent on duty & head out to watch the sun go down. By the end of the day the clouds were completely gone. The full moon was a mixed blessing. Great in sunset shots, but completely killed any chance of star gazing that Tekapo is famous for.