Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Hanmer Springs & Kaikoura - 23rd March 2009
We leave Christchurch and rather than heading north to Hanmer Springs straight away, opt for a cruise around the Banks Peninsula, stopping in at Akaroa, stopping for a coffee at the Hilltop Cafe on the way in - the view from the back windows here was gorgeous: through a valley and down to lots of tiny little bays and turquoise waters, with more lumpy bumpy hills in the background, dotted with trees, cows and sheep.
Hopping back in the Spaceship, we drive down several more kilometres of winding roads until we reach Akaroa - a small town where everything is French. In fact, if the French who started this town had arrived just a couple of years earlier, New Zealand as it is now could have been very different...
We walk past a Gendarmarie, a Boulangerie and every street name is 'Rue' something or other. It's strange but a nice change, and quite charming. Apart from admiring the scenery though, there's not a great deal to do - after visiting our third souvenir shop/gallery and cobbling together some sandwiches, we decide it's time to move on.
We carry on around the peninsula and back to Christchurch, stopping for several more photo opportunities on the way, before turning north towards Hanmer Springs, where we have arranged to meet up with Steve and Mary-Jo, the honeymooning Irish couple who we met originally at Pancake Rocks (the ones who were forbidden to pitch their tent anywhere with a view by the narky campsite owners). They are living and working at Hanmer; Mary-Jo in the spa, and Steve as a carpenter on a building project, and they kindly offer to get us into the hot springs.
Never ones to turn down something free, and pleased to catch up with some friendly faces, we enjoy a lovely hour or two soaking in the 38 and 40 degree water pools (it's so hot that we have to get out for a breather), and chatting about our respective trips and plans for the future. Afterwards, we rehydrate with some New Zealand Monteith's beer from the local pub - I enjoy the honey-lime taste of the Summer Ale, and Dave sips at a Celtic with Steve, whilst Mary-Jo is on the house red.
We say our goodbyes and thankyous, and head back to camp for the night, in awe of the glittering display of stars above our heads on this clear night (or is it the beer?), before getting our heads down. In the morning, we decide that we need to leave for Kaikoura, but that we just have time to squeeze in a game of mini golf - considering only around 1,000 people live here, there are eight full golf courses in the area, and at least three crazy-mini golf courses on the main road. The one we choose is pretty inventive though, with the clever use of odd bits of farm equipment to keep things interesting - big borehole drill bits are used for a corkscrew whiz down a hill, and some unidentifiable part assists a loop-the-loop, as well as there being several underground mystery pipes that take the ball in unexpected directions. Even more unexpected is that I beat Dave by one shot - a true Australasian first, since we've played crazy golf in several places in both Australia and New Zealand... sad but true (we wish there had been a course in India or Laos - just imagine what they'd have come up with there!).
Worn out by our exertions, we take the scenic route to Kaikoura, via the Mount Lyford ski area, although apart from being pretty to look at, there's not a lot on, since the ski season hasn't started yet, and there's only a bit of snow on the tallest mountains.
We arrive in Kaikoura, a town which has a huge tourist population, there to see/swim with/sail next to/fly over whales, dolphins and seals. Much as we'd like to see us some more whales, we decide that we've already been lucky enough to see them in Exmouth, and that we'll save our cash for some plans we are cooking up for South America (more on that when we get there). After a wonder around town, we head to a campsite - it's pricey at $32, but has free showers and a couple of outdoor hot tubs... tempting after the luxury we've become accustomed to at Hanmer.
Whilst soaking in the tub under the stars that evening, we get chatting to a couple from Essex, who tell us that they've been waiting two days already for the whale trip - the first day it was cancelled due to bad weather, and today it had been postponed as there were no whales in the area. They had their fingers very crossed that they would get some action tomorrow, but for now were happy to relax in the spa and talk about their travels and life back home.
The following day, we decide to do a free walk, up onto the peninsula. There are a couple of seals flapping about on the rocks, and the scenery is once again beautiful (I've given up trying to describe New Zealand's scenery, and will just have to refer you to the photos!). We walk for an hour or so, and are just sitting on a bench for a rest when we hear a loud, screeching racket. We can't quite work out what's going on, but we later decide that it was a school group with some speakers, playing the sounds of gulls at top volume. I imagine it's highly educational and enlightening for the kids, but at the time it's just a bit disturbing!
We walk back, and enjoy a meal of fresh garlic greenlip mussels for $7 for lunch - at least Dave does... I try two (firstly because Dave makes me, secondly to see if I actually like them), and can't quite make my mind up... we get some grilled fish to share too, and feel quite virtuous after our healthy meal and walk, although we ruin it all by drinking three or four more of those lovely Monteith's beers later on with Ross and Kylie, the Essex couple, and a grey nomad from Victoria who is an ex-AFL player, now a racehorse breeder.
Tomorrow, we're off to the Abel Tasman National Park...
- comments