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03.03.11 Amberley to Christchurch and then to Springfield and Kowai Reserve
Today we were up with the lark to watch our final sunrise over the Pacific ocean in the sheltered Pegasus Bay from an Amberley Beach bench. The sun rose at 7.08am, it was somewhat autumnal in temperature so we breakfasted accordingly, hot drink and honey on toast, not quite porridge weather though. We had agreed with Viv and George our Christchurch friends to go to their house mid morning. We planned to pick our hire car up en route, keep the van until after the visit so that they could benefit from our fresh water and 'left over food' The road up the hill to their house had dropped about 1.5 metres in places but we managed to get the van up. They had just had a surveyor to the property. And the bad news is that the back of the house has been jolted off the foundations and is slipping down the hill, therefore not safe to live in. Most of the neighbours have had to vacate their properties. None of their area has running water but they do have electricity…so we made a cup of tea and sat on the veranda, which apparently isn't moving anywhere. Sadly all we could do was give them our drinking water and leave them to their big decisions. The boys who are 6th form and GCSE years are currently in Nelson with friends.
I checked the van in, sweet talked the man as he checked it back in and was suitably impressed by his motor biking journey prowess so that he didn't notice the scrape along the back left of the van where a barrier machine bit us, or indeed the chipped windscreen. However I did point out fairly early on that I had broken the door holder catch on the first windy day…told him the missing rivet was safely in the cutlery drawer…he then told me how he would make modifications so that that wouldn't happened…how clever you are I said!!! At that point we left Liz and Jim to book out their next van.
On George's advice Damian and I headed out towards Arthers Pass with our hire car and tent. We
stopped for salad lunch at a lovely café in Darfield. It was approaching 4.30pm we found the campsite in Springfield, Kowai Reserve Domain. Actually it was the village field, sports pavilion, tennis courts and hall. It was beautifully kept by a local lady in her 70s. The flowers around the shower and toilet block made a lovely display, as did the freshly picked flowers in a vase in the toilet.
We spent the early evening chatting to another retired new Zealand couple who had been on the road for a year and were heading back to Northland. The man had been in the navy so they had visited by land every light house in the country as he used to pass them at sea and wondered what the countryside was like. Hey and a 4x4 and a sort of caravan.
After supper we walked into Springfield and the Alpine Express Station(which was closed as the earthquake has wiped out the station in Christchurch and destroyed part of the track…so no trains til end of March at least) We spent time at the Rewi Alli memorial, a very well put together display of visual and written information as well as recordings and music…all automated and in an open sided memorial shelter with surrounding stream, garden and sculpture.
It was blowing 130km winds down the valley so we pitched our tent with great thought…away from falling branches, to the Leigh of the wind behind the pavillion with the car parked on the windward side…and then slept, hoping for no aftershocks !!!
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