Crossing the S. Island to Christ Church, Mt Cook
Trip Start
Sep 15, 2007
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8
10
Trip End
Dec 09, 2007
Christchurch, New Zealand
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
We finally arrived in Christchurch on Friday night and quickly realized our run of great houses had come to a screeching halt. When we had originally viewing the rental apartment's website, we had been thrilled about the prospect of staying at a hip flat in the heart of the city. However, we would soon realize that you can actually be too close to the center of the action. We also learned that you can't always trust the glamorous photos that appear on a website. As we approached the entrance to our new home, we wound our way through a parking lot and came upon a metal cage door and a steep narrow staircase - this should have been a sign of things to come...
Lewis Pass Views
. When we arrived, Anne was already there and had spent the afternoon helping the locals apartment owners with various chores, including cooking at a street fair and helping haul boxes up and down the steep stairs...someone forgot to tell her that she had just spent the last 30 hours traveling and was supposed to be tired. After going to dinner at a nearby cafe, we got Lila down to bed and all settled in for an early night. Around 11, we realized that our bedroom backed up to one of the biggest nightclubs in town featuring a mix of the latest techno and hip-hop beats. While there are times when I would appreciate the fact that bars stay open till 4am, tonight wasn't one of them. B and I listened to thumping bass all night long and did everything we could to keep Lila from staying awake all night. First thing the next morning I was on the phone with the owner, while holding an exhausted and fussing Lila tucked under one arm. I think that when he heard a tired screaming baby, he felt sorry for us and gave us a big discount on the apartment. Anyway, we had one more night in Christchurch, most of which was uneventful - it appeared that the whole town had partied so much the night before that the festivities ended a bit earlier - THANK GOD! B and Anne did some sightseeing, hit the local art museum and has a delicious dim sum dinner. The next day before leaving, we all took a Gondola to the top of a mountain and hiked down while overlooking the city, mountains and countryside. On Sunday we headed to Mt Cook National Park, 3-hours south of Christchurch and the tallest peak in NZ
Lewis Pass Views
. The views and scenery in this area were stunning - not to mention completely different from anything any of us had ever seen. The mountains were formed by glaciers and there were several glacier lakes at the base of the mountains. B and I did a morning hike that we both agreed was one of the best we had ever done - B and Anne then took the afternoon to take an inflatable raft onto one of the lakes and were able to get out of the boat and actually climb aboard a floating iceberg. We left yesterday and are now in the final few weeks of our trip. We're now in Wanaka, where through a friend of a friend of a friend, have managed to stay three nights at the private home of Lois Mills, who owns Rippon Vineyards, located on the edge of the lake in Wanaka. The wine is amazing, The views are spectacular from the house and we're planning to get out for some more hikes and fishing before heading to Queenstown tomorrow, where Anne leaves on Friday and we are joined by Charlotte, Paul and Lucy Bashforth a couple days later. Who knows what the final leg of our trip will hold...
On a final note, we wanted to give a quick update on little Lila. Just today we noticed that her two top teeth are coming in - could be why she cried for two hours in the middle of the night last night (the only night we actually spent in someone's home!). She has made some new friends here in Wanaka, Lois's grandchildren Henrietta and Fred who are just a few months older than she is. Basically Lila just sits there with a block in her hand, watching Fred crawl around and wondering how he moves, while Henrietta struggles on her stomach making a swimming motion as she tries to learn how to crawl and she gets frustrated. Lila just sits and smiles and takes it all in, very good natured. She doesn't even mind when Fred takes something out of her hands. That said, Lila makes a terrible fuss ever time you wipe her face or put her hands into a shirt or sweater. She definitely has her opinions and lets you know when she isn't happy.
Comments
Christ Chuch - Mt. Cook Pictures
Wow guys! What absolutely gorgeous scenery. I'm jealous and have decided to buy tons of lottery tickets. Maybe I'll win. :-) Sure would love to do a trip to NZ. I'm really enjoying all your pictures. I just had a thought ... what are you all doing for Thanksgiving? Whatever it is I hope you have a great day!
Take care,
Marion