Out and About in Christchurch

From The Willows to Weedons it was just a short 22km trip, and we arrived by lunchtime.  This is quite a large NZMCA Park with a maximum number of 130 and there were plenty of spaces available at that time of the day, but of course, the vans continue to roll in later in the afternoon and early evening.  We will be here for several days, we have people to see, and places to go. 

Weedons NZMCA Park, Christchurch

Fellow bloggers (The Circumferous Gibbs) Dave and Nancy called around to see us, they had been following our blog and knew that Weedons would be our next stop.  It was so nice to catch up with them again, the last time was during our previous trip down to the South Island.  We had plenty to talk about, discussing trips, both previous, current and in the future, and people we had in common.  Dave and Nancy are planning a big North Island trip in a few months time, so of course they are rather excited about that.

Dave and Nancy called to see us

The next day we drove in to Christchurch CBD to see any changes since our last time here in 2018, when the city was still in recovery mode.  On Tuesday 22 February 2011, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake caused severe damage in Christchurch and Lyttleton, killing 185 people and injuring several thousand.  This earthquake occurred on a shallow fault line close to the city, so the shaking was particularly destructive.  The earthquake brought down many buildings damaged in the previous earthquake in September, especially older brick and mortar buildings. Heritage buildings suffered heavy damage, and two-thirds of the buildings in the central business district were subsequently demolished, including the city’s tallest building, the Hotel Grand Chancellor. Many residential properties were so baby damaged that they were levelled, while others waited quite some time for extra builders to arrive from across the country to carry out repairs.  The Anglican Christchurch Cathedral was very badly damaged, and after years of wrangling, the work has only just begun on the repairs.

Christchurch Cathedral

Another casualty of the 2011 earthquake was The Bridge and Arch of Remembrance.  The repairs included replacing the original 4m piles with much longer 27m piles, and the arch has been reinforced with an 8.2 tonne beam.  This work means that the arch, built from rock quarried in Tasmania, will rock rather than twist in any future earthquakes.  The Bridge and Arch of Remembrance serve as a memorial to servicemen and women of two World Wars, and later conflicts in Korea, Malaya, Borneo and Vietnam.  It was so nice to see it repaired and in use again.

Bridge and Arch of Remembrance

The city was packed with people, and as we found out later, two cruise ships were visiting.  Buskers were performing to throngs of people at various spots throughout the city centre.  Let’s get out of here away from these crowds and  go to Lyttleton, we decided.  We drove through the Lyttleton Tunnel, the longest tunnel in the South Island at nearly 2km in length,

Through the long tunnel

Up the hill we drove, joining several other vehicles at the Lookout, all snapping photos of the views of the port and harbour, or taking selfies, as tourists do.  There was a huge pile of coal in one corner of the port, with a big long conveyor belt to move the coal around.

 

Views from the Lookout

What we had really come here for was to check out the Timeball Station, which was damaged beyond repair in the earthquake.  The Timeball Station was one of only five in the world known to be still in working order. From 1876 to 1934 a ball was dropped on its mast on the stone tower signaling the time to ships in Lyttleton Harbour, and to allow corrections of ships chronometers.  After the earthquake, workers numbered the stones, stored them in crates, while plans were made to fund and re-erect the tower.  The $3 million project got underway, and the tower was reconstructed in the style of the original stone masonry, complete with a newly coated zinc timeball painted in the original colours.  The timeball drops each day at 1.00pm.

Lyttleton Timeball

From this vantage point I also spotted those two large cruise ships in the port.  No wonder there were so many people everywhere in the city and in the tiny town of Lyttleton.  We also saw plenty of coaches bringing cruise ship passengers back from day trips further afield.

Two cruise ships in the harbour

Son Michael lives in Christchurch and we met up with him for lunch  at the interesting café/restaurant/wedding venue, The Sign of the Takahe, which I had heard about.  It was so nice to see him again, and as you can imagine, there was plenty to chat about.  We will meet up again with him shortly before we leave Christchurch and make our way southwards. 

Jenny and Michael

It was interesting to find out about this building, which looks just like a small castle.  Built in the Gothic Revival style by Harry Ell, it is one of four historic rest houses constructed for those walking the scenic reserves of the Port Hills.  With a beautiful medieval style interior built to impress, even a set of armour standing by, and lovely gardens, no wonder this building is much in demand as a wedding venue.  The other three buildings in this chain of rest houses are The Sign of the Kiwi, The Sign of the Bellbird, and the Sign of the Packhorse.  We may have to investigate further, I think.

 

Sign of the Takahe building

Medieval style interiors

The wind here in Weedons is ceaseless, and seems to get stronger as the afternoon wears on.  So much so that it is cold and unpleasant to do much sitting outside, or to have the awning out.  But we have had a few lovely sunsets.  Robin caught this lovely golden glow over the tops of the caravans and campers as the light was fading.

Sunset at Weedons

The following day we had a couple of chores to do, refill the gas bottle and visit the laundromat.  For a change the gas bottle didn’t run out in the middle of a wet and stormy night, as often happens.  As we had been  so impressed with the beautiful Sign of the Takahe building, we decided to visit another of the Harry Ell’s rest houses.  This time, The Sign of the Kiwi, high up on Summit Road.  Up and up we drove, wondering if we would ever reach the summit.  We finally arrived, and once again had trouble finding a park, luckily someone was ready to depart so we sneaked into that spot on the side of the road rather quickly.  We walked up the steps into another beautiful stone building – there were plenty of customers inside.

Sign of the Kiwi Rest house

This café advertises “The best date scones in town” and the certainly were.   Date scones are a real favourite with Robin, so that was his choice, and I had a lemon slice, but rather wish I’d ordered a date scone as well.  We enjoyed our light lunch and cold drinks, and sat and admired the interior of the building.

Rest a Whyle – the original purpose of the rest houses

There was an interesting looking stone column outside, and what did I see hanging from it but a wooden sign blowing in the breeze showing a kiwi.  And the views up so high on Summit Road are amazing.  There were scores of crazy cyclists around, zipping down the road by the café, and then along the cycle tracks in the hills.  Some of these cyclists stop off at The Kiwi Rest house for a cool drink, ice-cream, and comfort stop, so the vision of Harry Ell is alive and well.  That’s two Rest houses we have tracked down, perhaps we will try and find the other two next time we stay in Christchurch.

Stone column and a view from the top

Our time at Christchurch is almost at an end – we are visiting son Michael again today, then we pack up and drive to Ashburton tomorrow.  Just hope that dratted cold wind doesn’t follow us down there.

Next Stop - Barrytown

Goodbye Cape Foulwind, its time to move on.  A quick drive into Westport for fresh water and to use the dump station, and we were soon heading south along SH6.  The road was hilly and winding, and took us through beautiful native bush.  We spotted plenty of rimu trees, and nikau palms galore.  The nikau palm is the southernmost member of the palm family and New Zealand's only native palm species.  White flowering manuka trees were everywhere.  No wonder we saw several honey businesses dotted along the road.  We drove past Charleston, where we remember doing a  bush railway trip alongside the Nile River back in 2012 when we traveled the South Island with three other vans.

Nikau Palms growing on the hillside

There was plenty of notice of a couple of photo stops approaching, and we were hoping there would be enough room for us to pull in safely with our caravan.  No space at the first stop, it was full of cars, but we fitted in nicely at Coghlans Lookout.  The first thing we saw was a pair of cheeky weka running around.  Sadly, the tourists often feed them, which is not good for their health at all.

A weka

View from the lookout

Barrytown is our stop, at Rata Hill POP.  There is a large grassed area to park on, a wonderful sea view, at a cost of $10 per night.  This will do us fine for the next two nights.

All nice and comfy at Rata Hill

Originally known as Seventeen Mile Beach, Barrytown is yet another old mining settlement.  Gold was found in the sands along the coastal flats in 1866.  But when larger deposits were discovered in the mountains, miners flocked to the area.  The Croesus Track was cut to provide access from Barrytown across the Paparoa Range to the diggings in Grey Valley, and trampers can still walk this old trail.

Three vans  by the end of the day, all parked to enjoy the beautiful sea views. 

We joined the couple next door after dinner, chatting away as we waited and watched the sun go down across the Tasman Sea.

The sun going down at Barrytown

The next morning we back tracked 16km (leaving our caravan behind) to arrive at the Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki.  The car park was full to bursting and luckily we spotted a car pulling out so we went, as quick as a flash.  There were plenty of camper vans in the car park, but no way we could have fitted in with our van attached.

The pancake rock formations were created by the wind and rain eating into the softer layers of rock between harder layers of stratified limestone.  The sedimentary rock was formed on the sea bed millions of years ago, before being uplifted and eroded into the pancake rock pattern that is marveled over today.  This attraction is looked after by the Department of Conservation and entry is free.  The start of the boardwalk is an attractive walk through nikau palms, and then glimpses of the pancake rocks appear.

Walkway framed by nikau palms

We both took our sticks for this walk for safety in the crowds, what a pair of old crocks we are.  And there certainly were crowds of people everywhere, all jostling for the closest positions at the photo stops.  One little boy mentioned that Robin only had one stick (crutch) as he passed by in his pushchair.  That’s because his Poppa has two crutches at home, his Mum told us.  The pancake rocks were just as spectacular as we remembered.  There were information boards dotted along the paths.   Tourists were out in force, we heard all sorts of languages spoken around us.

I took a photo of three young tourists, and then one of them kindly returned the favour.

Enjoying the sights

Just a couple more

After our walk around this lovely place, it was time for lunch.  There were two cafes to choose from, and we decided to try the one which advertised Pancake Stacks – seemed most appropriate to us.    The pancakes were huge, we couldn't quite finish them.  We chose a table out in the awning and I mentioned to the young man clearing the tables how much cooler it was out there.  Poor thing, he replied that he didn't notice, he was too busy working!

Lunch at Punakaiki

On the way back to camp we took a short detour down to the Barrytown beach.  The clouds were rolling down the hills and rain was on the way.  There was a sign on the beach stating that penguins, seals, and birds rest and feed on the beach, and to keep at least 20m away – sensible advice indeed.

Down by the beach

There was something else happening down by the beach.  Our POP hostess Jennifer had told us she was busy helping out at the local gun club competition.  And there they were, competitors lined up taking part in clay pigeon shooting. The sounds of ricocheted off the mountains behind us, and you would swear there are hunters shooting up there.

Shooting competition down by the beach

Robin looked back to the hill, and spotted our van, away in the distance.  Looks like we are camping on our own today.

Away in the distance, up on the hill at Rata View

Straight to Koromiko

Departing the Inter Island Ferry we drove 8km to Koromiko CAP (charges apply parking)  opened the gate, chose a site, kept the car and van hooked up, pulled the blinds and curtains and climbed into bed.  We were so tired, but Gemma took a while to settle down, no doubt still a little anxious after her time alone in the caravan crossing Cook Strait.

WE certainly felt better after a couple of hours shut-eye.  This is a pretty camp, surrounded by beautiful mature native totara trees, and very reasonably priced at $5 a night.  For book lovers like me, this camo has a rather quirky book swap set up.  The books are inside an old fridge, with a power cord seemingly plugged into the totara tree.  I had a book to swap, and came away with a couple more.  There is nothing worse that not having book to read at bedtime.

The book fridge

Plenty of room here

The birds were singing in the trees all day long, and across the road came the occasional bleat of sheep in the paddocks.  I loved the look of this old barn, it may be old and in need of repair, but it has it’s own type of beauty, I think.

Old barn over the road

When we think of Koromiko, we remember Koromiko Cheese, world famous in New Zealand.  The factory has long been closed down, but the memory lingers.  The name Koromiko means a native white flowering shrub, of the hebe family.  This may be a tiny place but Picton Aerodrome is close by, with daily flights operated by Sounds Air.

It was one night only staying here, and we enjoyed a gorgeous sunset – just the thing to welcome us to the South Island for our holiday.  By the time I fiddled about with the camera the colour was fading sadly, next time I must be more speedy.

Sunset at Koromiko

Traveling on the Inter-Islander

Our South Island adventure was just one sleep away.  And to celebrate, it seemed that Mother Nature put on a lovely sun set for us on our last night at Plimmerton.

Sun set at Plimmerton

Tuesday was a lovely day, nice and sunny, just right for a trip across Cook Strait.  But it wasn’t to be.  We left Plimmerton in good time for check in, and arrived at the terminal.  There the staff told us that the 1.00pm sailing was cancelled, due to Covid wrecking havoc on staff numbers, and it was unable to sail!  Damn and blast, what now?  Turn around and go home we were told, keep your phone turned on, and wait for an update.  Because we were there reasonably early, I felt a bit sorry for the young girl who would have to repeat this message time and time again as the vehicles started arriving, offering apologies, and placating any who were put out with the change of plans.

There was nothing for it but to turn our rig around, and head back to Plimmerton NZMCA Park.  “We thought you had gone”, our neighbors told us, as we returned.  Seems we weren't the only ones in the camp who were affected either.  As the day wore on, we were advised that we had been booked on the 2.00am sailing on Wednesday morning.  It was a long day waiting, and we sensibly indulged in a Nana nap in the afternoon.

Back to Wellington we drove at 11.30pm, lined up in the queue at the booking office.  Here we were given our boarding pass and various large coloured tags to display on the dashboard.  I thought the “old folks label” was very apt!  We also had to fill in a declaration for Muffy – she was taking her journey inside the caravan, with all the comforts of home, food, water and toilet facilities available or her.

Our assorted tags.

There was even more waiting in line, so it was a good opportunity to wander up and take a photo of the Kaiarahi, lights blazing brightly in the darkness.

The Kaiarahi

Eventually our line of vehicles was waved forward and we were parked up for the voyage.  My goodness, it seemed a bit of a squeeze to me, here we were surrounded by very large trucks and trailers.  It seems our Easy Access tags were not noticed by the parking staff.  As we made our way to the stairs, me with a walking stick and Robin with a crutch (just in case we tripped, there were hooks and chains all over the floor) another  worker advised us to ask for easy access parking next time!  Of course we had, and next trip we will make sure to wave it about so it will be seen when we drive aboard the ferry.

Close parking indeed.

For a treat, we had decided to book into the Premium Lounge, a first for us.  A little pricey, but very comfy indeed, and no children allowed. As it turned out there were only about ten of us in the lounge, but we were told that sometimes it is at full capacity.

Premium Lounge

As we arrived we were presented with a glass of orange juice.  It was  breakfast service  on this trip, so we enjoyed bacon, eggs, and other delights from the self service counter.  Pastries were available, hot tea and coffee, and a trolley of sushi was on offer later in the evening, or should I say, very early morning.  It certainly was a nice experience, and I would like to sample it again during a day time sailing.

Our early morning breakfast

The ferry arrived in Picton at 5.30am, the break of dawn, and we were soon off and away to Koromiko.  Hopefully we can get into the POP at this early hour, and get our heads down for a while.

Hello Picton