Christchurch

After a lovely short flight we landed in Christchurch early afternoon. A short taxi trip saw us settled into our very central accommodation for 3 nights, the new Novotel, right in the centre of town next to the Cathedral. A really great spot. We spent the afternoon getting our bearings and then headed next door to the Irish pub for dinner, with our favourite beverages, Guiness and Magners Pear Cider! Yum! The weather was overcast and cool, about 17 degrees.

Day 2 in Christchurch was a little clearer initially, so after a nice sleep in we decided to do the scenic tram trip and headed out to the Gondola by bus. It was a great view, although could have been a little clearer, but quite cool, about 13 degrees! Haven't felt temps like that for a while. John survived the gondola trip, he didn't really enjoy the return trip down the mountain but!

After arriving back in town we continued the tram journey and found the arts district, with it's lovely craft markets..... yes I visited the markets (didn't buy anything, but enjoyed the experience) and then wandered around the Botanic Gardens. We watched people punting on the Avon river and heard a pipe band in the Gardens and loved looking at the Dahlia's and trying to take photos of flowers and bees.

This really is a lovely city, very easy to wander around with some lovely historical buildings and gorgeous parks. It is very English, and has some lovely open areas. The sun finally gave up trying to come out and the clouds won over, and the temperature stayed cool but it hasn't rained. The hills around Christchurch are very dry, a bit reminiscent of home.

We have an early start tomorrow for the Trans Alpine Train trip, hope it fines up a bit.

The Itinerary

27th to 30th March in Christchurch, South Island
- doing the TransScenic Rail Trip on Monday 29th

30th March - 31st March - Pickup car and drive from Christchurch to Hamner Springs

31st March - 1st April - Drive from Hamner Springs to Kaikoura

1st April - 2nd April - Drive from Kaikoura to Picton

2nd April - 5th April - In the Picton area

5th April - 6th April - Drive from Picton to Nelson

6th April - 10th April - Nelson pickup for Abel Tasman National Park 5 day sea kayak and walking tour.

11th April - Drive from Nelson to Greymouth

12th April - Drive from Greymouth to Fox Glacier

13th April - Drive from Fox Glacier to Wanaka

14th April - Drive from Wanaka to Queenstown

15th April - Drive from Queenstown to Te Anau

15th April - 19th April in Te Anau, visiting Milford and Doubtful Sounds

19th April - Drive to Dunedin

20th April - Drive from Dunedin to Timaru

21st April - Drive from Timaru to Christchurch, staying near the airport

22nd April - leave Christchurch early morning for Australia.

Our New Zealand Trip - 27 March til 22 April 2010.

The Journey begins.... Saturday March 27th with a flight from Sydney leaving at 8.50am.