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Did my first foray away from Christchurch today and headed to Arthurs Pass, about 150kms inland. The pass was a common trail used by the Maoris to travel between the east and west coasts and was then "discovered" by Arthur Dobson in the 1860's. At 900m, Arthurs Pass Village is the highest town in NZ. The drive there was very scenic. Across the Canterbury Plains and then into steep twisty mountain roads that over looked wide, flat river valleys. While the lower slopes off the mountains were quite green the upper slopes were very barren and there was plenty of evidence of past avalanches and land slips The area around the Pass offers good skiing options and also many hiking options ranging from 30 minutes to 4-5 days. I opted for a walk through the pass which pretty much paralleled the road that now provides a major road link between the east and the west. The walk moved through rainforest areas with small streams flowing through and countless varieties of moss and lichen and then into more open areas with low ground hugging plants that could cope with the wind, which was quite strong today, and the snow cover that they have to endure during winter. I got to the end of the trail, or as far a I wanted to go, and had lunch overlooking Lake Misery. I couldn't think of a more apt name. I'm not sure what the minimum size of a lake is but this surely must have been on the limit. But it was a nice elevated position which provided a great view down the valley. From here I essentially retraced my steps and then headed off to Devils Punchbowl Falls. These falls are 131m high and are really quite spectacular. The way the water comes over the edge almost gives the impression that it is falling in slow motion. (Have a look at the video I have posted) And the wind in the valley creates huge sheets of spray that drift slowly away. Quite an impressive walk. By the time I got home it had a been a long day but well worth it. The forecast for the next few days was promising so I decided to spend a day just walking the streets of Christchurch. As in many cities around the world, street art has taken on major prominence here. Christchurch probably provides many more larger "canvases' than other cities. With so many buildings having been demolished since the earthquake there is no shortage of huge blank walls waiting to be decorated. There is no doubt that it brings colour and life to the city. Even though it is 7 years since the quake the city centre is virtually a major construction zone. No matter where you look there is cranes, buildings under construction, abandoned buildings fenced off, road closures etc. etc. The amount of work required to restore the city is immense. A visit to the "Cardboard Cathedral" was interesting. This is a temporary sturucture to replace the main cathedral which was severely damaged in the quake. It is essentially made out of cardboard and the odd shipping container. A simple but ingenious design. Near the cathedral is a very poignant nd sombre reminder of the quake. 185 chairs, all painted white, in memory of the 185 people who dies in the quakes. It is opposite the site of the CTV TV building where the majority of the deaths occured. A visit to the newly opened Christchurch Art Gallery and the Quake City Museum rounded out the day. Quake City provided a great overview of the 2010/11 quake which devastated the city. With the combination of the epicentre of the quake being so close to the CBD area and at a very shallow depth it makes it easy to understand why the damage was so severe. I obviously misread Friday's weather forecast. What I thought was going to be a sunny day in the low 20's turned out to be a rather cooler day with drizzle most of the time. However by the time I had realised this I was well and truly committed to a day of driving into the area inland and south of Christchurch. Whilst the views of the mountains were a little obscured the country side I travelled through was very picturesque. Lush green pastures, wide river valleys, deep gorges and some quaint little country villages. Arriving in what I thouught would be the quiet little town of Geraldine it was evident that "something" wa happening. The streets were full of people, buses and more than a normal number of classic and customised cars. Apparently there was a 3 day car festival happening at Timaru, which was where I was heading, and they had conducted a drive to Geraldine for the day. About 300 hotrods, customised and classic cars were lined up in a nearby park. NZ, or certainly the Christchurch area, seems to have a very strong culture for 1950/60's American cars. I then headed to the Vintage Car & Machinery Museum, a must see in Geraldine. I have never seen so many vintage tractors, most in working order and other vintage farm machinery. It was an amazing place in such an out of the way little town. Timaru is quite a lovely place despite being dominated by what appears to be a fairly large and busy port. The main shopping area has some wonderful Edwardian architecture. And the foreshore is dominated by well maintained gardens. It's current claim to fame is Tom Walsh, the world shot put champion, and with the Commonwealty games just around the corner he is getting plenty of airtime on local TV. From here it was good 2 hour drive home. most of fairly mundane and boring, but it had been a good day overall.
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Sue Artlett Sounds like a spectacularly scenic trip alongside historical and moving points of interest Doug. Looking forward to hearing more.