More Photos

I remember my first impressions when arriving in Christchurch on Friday 16th March 2007…I am on the other side of the world from my home and yet everything seems so familiar. From the church in the main square to school children walking around in smart school uniforms, it all seemed so English. Even the trams that were the main transport made me feel as though I was still in England, but stepped back in time.

So, amongst the familiar sights, I wanted to discover what made New Zealand special. Why do people say so many wonderful things about this country? I was told that there were 10 times as many sheep as people in New Zealand. What I noticed (apart from millions of sheep) was the many wine growing vineyards. They seem to be everywhere and I enjoyed stopping to sample a few glasses over my two weeks here. Some of the things that I discovered over my two week stay were very special indeed.

Firstly, I took the Trans Scenic Mountain Railway from Christchurch on the East Side to Greymouth on the West Coast. This was a great journey high up across the Southern Alps through 16 tunnels, over 4 viaducts and through ‘Arthur’s Pass’ at the top.

One of the most exciting moments for me was when I went whale watching off Kiakoura. It was not the season for migrating whales, but because the seabed drops so deeply just a few miles from the shore, Sperm Whales live and breed here happily all year round. When we spotted one rise to the surface, it was one of those once in a lifetime moments and the camera caught the moment. I also saw a wandering Albatross and many Fur Seals while out at sea, a truly great experience for me.

I hired a car for a few days and drove to Mount Cook (Aoraki), the tallest mountain in New Zealand. I stayed at the Hermitage Hotel at the base of the mountain which was superb. Great views and great photos of the landscapes, eagles, cattle and of course sheep! One of my favourite views was at Lake Tekapo where everything seemed perfect…the beautiful old church on the bank, blue skies, turquoise water and the sound of birds all around me.

Most of my stay on New Zealand’s North Island was around Rotorua after flying to Auckland and picking up a hire car. I was in the Whkarawarewa Geothermal Valley where I saw the legendry Pohutu Geyser erupt as I arrived. Fortunately I missed the erupting volcanoes and destructive earthquakes that the area is known for. I found some Maori culture on my visit to Te Puia, such friendly, welcoming and very proud people.

The other great day out I had was white water rafting. Such a great experience and such amazing scenery! As we passed through sections of rapids called ‘Geoff’s Joy’ on our 14 kilometre journey down Rangitiki River the adrenaline was pumping. We all got very wet and it was great to sit and relax with our juice and beetroot sandwiches at the end.

My two week visit to New Zealand was part of my ‘incredible around the world journey’ in spring 2007.

Thank you for reading my journal.