North to South Pt II
Zepher
Chris & Lyn Darch
Wed 5 Aug 2009 18:52
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Hi Folks,
After a few hrs on the internet, ferries book and
accommodation reserved we packed again slung our bags in the van and set off to
the ferry port.
I think I have told you before that the ferry is
the old P & O Portsmouth to Cherbourg car ship, slid to NZ after they
stopped there service some years ago, since our last trip on it some seven
years ago the only change has been the removal of the French signs and the life
belts have now got there new name printed on them !
Four hrs later we were cruising down
Marlborough sound, it never fails to impress such a view on entering the fiord
like waterways of the sound and the calmness of the water was also a
bonus.
Docking at Picton we left the ferry and drove
south some 160 km to Kaikouru a small town on the east coast , and the premier
whale watching area of NZ, it was cold and dark and I don't think anything
could match our experience in Tonga , anyway we crashed into our room and went
to bed as the next day was going to be a long one, some 800 km to Queenstown our
chosen destination for part of the break and a icon on NZ
tourism map.
Up early, 5:30 but it took a hr to raise Jack from
his pit, we finally bundled him into the front of the van in his PJ's off south
we went, once we had left the coastal windy roads we had about 250 km of dead
strait roads across the Canterbury plans, I didn't know the Romans had been this
far south, the roads being so strait, it couldn't have been the britz as given a
nice flat area and an free hand they would have to put a bend in it
somewhere!
After this delightful strait road and about
400 kms under our belt we stopped for a early lunch in a small village,
these are few and far between once we cleared the metropolis of Christchurch and
the Canterbury plans, a BLT butty later we were back on the road and winding up
into the Southern Alps, snow capped mountains surrounded us and we felt like we
were back in Europe alpine scenery be it for the lack of houses and the sheep
population, now we know were all the woolly backs of NZ live .
Another three hundred or so km later we arrived in
Queenstown, a beautiful setting on the edge of a very large lake, rain had
started to fall and as we looked up we could see snow falling on the Remarkable mountings that surround the town, it was
late by now and Jacks bed was calling him, still in His PJ's he clambered into
his pit and we all crashed weary after such a long days drive .
Up and about the next morning we were
disappointed that the weather was still wet ! so I decided that a bit of white
water rafting would be in order for Jack and myself, Lyn declined and did "Art
darling " plus a sneak trip to the cinema to watch the new Harry Potter movie
.
Jack and I on the other hand jumped on a bus
and took the ride up road to the venue at the head of the Kawaru river aka the
river Auduin for you Lord of the \rings fans, its the one in the move that has
the huge status each side, the furry footed ones in the movie meander down it to
a beautiful lake , wrong if the little bugger had taken the full trip I drought
that they would have got through the rapids we went down, whilst not as
challenging as the last one I went on it certainly was wet and cold and I
think there little feet would have looked more like five raisins on the end of a
prune x two .
After our mid-winter rafting experience we
had a quick sauna to warm up and went back to Queenstown for a slap up meal, as
the weather forecast was improving we went to the ski shop and picked up our
hire gear for the anticipated trip to the Cardrona the next day ..... Lyn had
had a nice quite day without us rowdy lot and had produced "feet" .
To be continued
.....................
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