NZ: Last stop - Christchurch (before the quake)

We arrived in Christchurch almost ready to go home, having been on the road for 4 weeks.  We were invigorated by a warm welcome from our dear New Zealand friends who made the remarkable city even more memorable.  We walked everywhere and enjoyed the classic neo-gothic architecture and serene streetscape.  What a beautiful city! It was with much sadness that we heard about the devastation from this year's earthquake.  But New Zealanders are strong and resilient - they will recover.

The bell tower from our hotel room in the historic Novotel.

Great War Memorial

Handy stroller hangers on the trolley

The Art Gallery - stunning!

Inside the Art Gallery

Arts Centre located in the former University of Canterbury buildings, sadly the Arts Centre was heavily damaged during the 2011 earthquake

This used to be the Engineering building.

Inside the Arts Centre

Gorgeous colours in the Botanic Gardens

Roses in all their glory

Christchurch Town Hall - also significantly damaged during the quake

The Town Hall Performing Arts auditorium known for its acoustics - reminded us of the Berlin Philharmonic Hall

The lovely banks of the Avon river flowing through Christchurch

Damage from the earlier quake

Our friends took us up to the top of the Cashmere HIlls for tea in this historic building The Sign of the Takahe.

Panoramic view of Christchurch and beyond

This wraps up our amazing trip to New Zealand and Australia - four memorable weeks in two remarkable countries -  doubtless people and places we would love to return to again.   Thank you all for coming along on the trip with us.

Next post - a retrospect on our 2009 Berlin trip

NZ: the TranzAlpine - Greymouth to Christchurch

We boarded the TranzAlpine Scenic Railway at Greymouth to begin the last legs of our NZ trip.  We have now been on the road for almost 4 weeks - it was almost with a sigh of relief that we sat down in our seats on the train and wait to be transported across the South Island to our final destination, Christchurch.  You can see below some of the scenery on the way - not the most spectacular we had seen, whether on this trip or in the Canadian Rockies - but quite unique in its way.

Saying goodbye to the west coast

The TranzAlpine approaching the long tunnel

The river meandering across the Canterbury Plains

Arriving at destination Christchurch's Cathedral Square

NZ: Helihiking on the Franz Josef Glacier

For us, it was an adventure of a lifetime - a hike on the Franz Josef glacier.   We had reviewed our options - the full day hike from the valley floor to the top was out of the question for us, we'd never make it.  The only physically viable option was the heli-hike, where we would be flown to the glacier by helicopter and taken on a two hour guided hike.  This could only happen if it didn't rain.  This hike was the biggest challenge on our entire New Zealand trip and we looked forward to it with much anxious anticipation. 
Our lucky streak continued and the day of the hike was sunny and warm (for spring), a windless cloudless day.  We still had to wait for the confirmation that the flight was on.  Then it took an hour just for everyone to get their gear, put them on and line up for the helicopter.  When we landed on the glacier, it was slippery and I was nervous I couldn't catch up with my group - most in their twenties.  But we were given crampons and it was a lot easier once we've got them on.  We had never done so much walking and climbing on snow and ice before.  You can see from the photos that the glacier surface was full of mountains and valleys, tunnels and crevices - it could get dangerous.  

The glacier from the valley floor to the top

Approaching the top on the helicopter

First glimpse of the blue ice caves

It was like we were on a jungle gym made of ice, we crawled through tunnels and we climbed up slippery chutes.

Doesn't this remind you of whipped meringue browned in the oven?

Our guide had to periodically break up the ice to create a less slippery path for us

What's going on with the other group?

We got pretty high up off the glacier floor, the way down was harder than the way up

Time to go back

We did a short hike later in the day to the foot of the glacier and looked up to where we were earlier in the day.  The experience would have been very different if we had not done the helihike.  This was all we would have seen in the valley.

Still a magnificent view - but a totally different experience.  We were so glad we did the hike!


Next Post - From Greymouth to Christchurch

NZ: the Road to Franz Josef

One of the high points of our trip was the helihike to Franz Josef glacier.  We looked forward to it with much anticipation as we approached the last few days of our trip.  We took a bus from Queenstown to Franz Josef along a famously scenic route. 

Just one shot of the miles of vineyards we saw along the way - 

The bus stopped briefly at Wanaka to pick up passengers.  We were allowed 5 minutes to stretch our legs.  Here is a shot of the tranquil lake -

We continued along the shores of Lake Hawea - a beautiful lake in a glacial valley.  This shot was taken from the bus - I would have given a lot to be able to get off and take more photos.

Same lake, from another angle-

One of the many spectacular mountains we saw along the way

The bus driver got off at Haast Pass, the pass that took us across the Southern Alps.  A friendly young driver hopped on and took us from here to the coast.   The road followed an ancient trail used by the Maori in their search for pounamu or greenstone.

Looking down from the bridge -

The waterfall near Haast Pass and the famous blue pools fed by glacial waters -

We reached the western shore of the South Island.  Here's a view of the Tasman Sea.

The Tasman Sea from another lookout.   To our surprise, the driver took us onto the beach to hunt for greenstone after lunch.  What an unusual and hospitable gesture!

Could it be Mt. Cook in the distance?

Next post:  the much anticipated Franz Josef Glacier!