New Zealand

Ten years ago my mother-in-law generously paid for our family (and her and her sister) to take a cruise to/around New Zealand. Given that this is the tenth anniversary of that trip, for the next couple of weeks I’ll be posting some photos on the anniversary of their occurrence.

There will be little to no commentary, and no family photos will be shown.

Here are some photos in Christchurch converted to black & white, with contrast and noise boosted to partially emulate high speed film.

Our final holi-day was spent looking around the coast north of Christchurch then winging our way to Sydney.

Our last full day in New Zealand was spent in Christchurch. It was fascinating to walk around and see how the city was recovering and rebuilding some seven years after the earthquakes.

We visited Quake City which is a contemporary museum about the earthquake. There is video from some survivors and their stories of loss or escape.

For day 15 we were staying in Christchurch but went for a drive to Lyttelton - a port town about 10km south-east of Christchurch. Lyttelton is a busy, active port but also had a selection of boutique and specialty shops that gave the town a really nice feel. We only spent a couple of hours here but could have stayed longer.

Lyttelton is the port town that cruise ships used to dock in on stopovers for Christchurch, but that has ceased since the 2011 earthquake. I think cruise ships are expected to dock from next year.

We left a very grey and rainy Akaroa for the 100+km trip to what would work out as a very sunny but cool Christchurch.

Akaroa, with limited comment

Day 12 - the three quarter mark through our holiday was the longest drive of our trip - from Murchison to Akaroa. We started in the mountains, with deep gorges, plantation pine forests and snowy peaks followed by a lunch stop in Culverden then through the outskirts of Christchurch and finally winding down to the east coast at Akaroa.

Day 11 was a relaxing one - spent in the town of Murchison in the central north region of the South Island. These days Murchison is something of a hub for white-water enthusiasts - being at the junction of a couple of rivers. In 1929 it was the scene of an earthquake that took 17 lives. Near the centre of town is a memorial comprised of some stones. Part of the plaque reads:

We awoke to a fairly grey and overcast day in Picton and headed south-east through Blenheim and St Arnaud to Murchison. A peaceful trip, not much traffic, and a great lunch at the Alpine Lodge in St Arnaud.

The ferry trip from Wellington to Picton was fantastic. The scenery leaving Wellington was equally matched by the scenery entering Picton.

Day 8 - the half way mark saw us spend much of the day wandering around Wellington. Here are some samples:

Day 7 saw us begin the day overlooking Napier from the Bluff Hill Lookout above Napier Port before heading south for Wellington. We opted for SH 2 through Waipukurau and Dannevirke before cutting across towards Palmerston North and down the west coast to Wellington on SH 57 and SH 1.

Day 6 was spent in Napier and surrounds - from Cape Kidnappers to Hastings.

A very pleasant drive through the centre of the north island from Rotorua to Napier. A good cup of coffee from a roadside caravan in Taupo, and then a stop at Waipunga Falls:

And a stopover at the falls. The only hint was a roadsign saying “Scenic Lookout”. Somewhat understated:

Day 4 was spent in and around Rotorua. We visited two paid tourist sites of the half-a-dozen on offer. The first was the Wai-O-Tapu “Thermal Wonderland". The first site was the mud pool, followed by the Lady Knox Geyser, finishing with a walk around the site viewing such things as the Devils Inkpots, Champagne Pool and other geothermal phenomena. It was an amazing place – the colours, the features, the smells!!!

Day three saw us collect our hire car in Auckland and make our way down to Rotorua. The first photo is the view from our apartment – of a fairly grey cityscape, Auckland Harbour and bridge.

Morning tea was in a very pleasant cafe called the Town Mouse in Pukekohe – although we did earn the mild ire of one of the waitresses because we ordered from the counter before sitting down.

Here are a few photos from my phone – resized – from our wanderings around Auckland on the second day of our holiday:

Day 1 saw us flying from Sydney to Auckland. The flight, although delayed, was uneventful.

No photos to speak of for day 1. The only photos taken were of our opened luggage at the hotel in case there were subsequent disputes about ownership!