Arthur's Pass to Christchurch - Day 272

Trip Start Jan 31, 2008
1
193
251
Trip End Ongoing


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Flag of New Zealand  , South Island,
Saturday, November 22, 2008

This morning I drove through the small settlement of Arthur's pass and over the impressive viaduct which was shrouded in early morning fog. Stopped at a lookout over the viaduct but couldn't see a lot, I was joined by five polite Kea's who didn't try and pull bits off my car which makes a change. They just sat on the surrounding rocks squawking. They were very tame, had a good opportunity to take a closer look at New Zealand's cheekiest bird.

The road to Christchurch from Arthur's Pass is stunning, the fog soon lifted and views of the surrounding ranges opened up as the road meandered down through glacial valleys and beside swollen rivers. The mountains soon ended though as I entered the Canterbury plain on the approach to Christchurch. This plain is scattered with farms and vine yards and must be one of New Zealand's most important farming belts. Not really use to seeing land as flat as this in New Zealand.

Arrived in Christchurch late morning and booked myself into the Couchman backpackers in the centre of town. Needed to park at least 2km away from the city centre to find a free car parking spot. Then next on the agenda was a glorious shower, it's been a few days since the last one and I was beginning to fester once again. I have no-one to impress but I need to be kind to the rest of humanity and get clean. I even had a shave and a haircut, I thought I might as well go the whole hog and a have a bit of a makeover.

Had a wander around this small city which still feels very British. It's hard to believe I'm on the other side of planet really with streets named Gloucester, Worcester and Manchester. The British weren't very imaginative when naming places but I suppose they had a lot places to name in those days.
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