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.

Lake Tekapo

We did get a bit further away from Christchurch than Akaroa. Three nights at Lake Tekapo was part of a plan to actually do some traveling during the trip.

With Kerri's parents & sister in tow we set off for the Lake. The weather had turned windy, wet & cold. By the time we reached the lake, the wind was howling! The lake even had waves lapping on the shoreline. What had we signed ourselves up for?

 The wind abated a little by the afternoon and allowed us to admire the view from our home for a few days. Other than the obvious views of the lake if over the neighbour's roof, the snow capped mountains completed a spectacular panorama.

 Late in the evening another storm front descended over the lake changing the sunset into quite the show.

Orana Wildlife Park

Orana Wildlife Park is an open plains zoo near the airport. I did manage to get some nice animal photos & Harry showed his first signs of his love of animals.

 Meerkats were Harry's favorites.

Akaroa

We did manage to sneak away for the day to Akaroa, about an hour's drive from Christchurch.

 Akaroa is the place where the French originally colonized New Zealand only to find out the English had beat them to the punch.

 Now it is a little fishing & village with a strong tourist trade including whale & dolphin watching operators.

With a baby in tow, there would be no whale watching for us so the only wildlife watching was the gulls including the large Black Winged Gulls (below).

  And the cheeky red beaked gulls.