After waiting and planning for 2 1/2 years, it is finally time for our BIG TRIP. We left on January 26, with Jane taking us to the New Orleans airport. We would fly with Delta to Los Angeles. We had some trouble finding our next terminal so were happy for the 6 hour layover. Then we boarded Fiji Airlines for an 11 hour flight to Nadi, Fiji. The lay over there was only about 1 1/2 hours, then a 3 1/2 hour flight to Christchurch. We were fed constantly, it seemed and had uneventful flights except for a child that cried or screamed almost nonstop from LA to Nadi.
We were happy with the plans we had made. At one point, we had considered flying in to Auckland. It was lucky we did not as there were torrential rains there the night before and the airport was flooded and closed. Several people in our group and to make different arrangements at the last minute.
We reached Christchurch on January 28, completely skipping January 27!
January 28, arriving in Christchurch, finally! We checked in to our room in the Commodore Hotel, dropped our bags and headed immediately to the hotel bar for our complimentary drink. We met two people from our group, Dan and Laura, who invited us to sit with them. Shortly after, Sandy came in. She said a group was going to supper that night and we were invited to join them. The hotel’s airport shuttle would take us and bring us back. We were joined by Sandy’s husband Bob, as well as Kirk, Phyllus and Reagan. Keith and Joan got the the restaurant before we left.
New Zealand from the air
Commadore Motel and our room
Christchuch, Canterbury Museum, Hagley Park
January 29 was Sunday so Dave and I enjoyed our first New Zealand Bloody Marys in the hotel bar. Their idea of spicy was to add a lot of black pepper. We were to find out that was the main idea throughout NZ and Australia.
The hotel had given us bus passes and maps so Dave and I hopped a bus to the downtown area of Christchurch. We saw the Riverside Market with trolleys going down the middle. We shared a lunch in the Market, then continued our tour which took us through a park with the Bridge of Remeberance, a tribute to all fallen NZ troops. We tried to go to the Canterbury museum, recently reopened but it is now an art gallery and would close again after that day. It would be closed for reconstruction from the earthquakes. The receptionist there directed us to Quake City where we learned a lot about the most recent quakes in Christchurch.
There was a 7.1 earthquake on September 4, 2010 that destroyed the epicenter of Christchurch. It is common to have many after shocks but NZ was treated to over 11,000 after shocks. The largest aftershock was 6.3 on June 13, 2011, resulting in slips rather than vaulting, as is most common in an earthquake. More than 180 people died in that quake and it disrupted water, sewer and gas lines. We are still seeing rebuilding, much delayed as insurance companies still work on the claims.
We walked back to the Market and purchased food to take back to the hotel. This would be lunches and suppers for the next couple of days.
Monday, January 30, Day 1 was spent on our own most of the day. We wondered around the hotel and the streets and parks nearby. Mid afternoon was our welcome and orientation meeting where we meet the entire group. We all enjoyed a buffet supper together later that evening in the hotel.
Tuesday, January 31, Day 2 started with a buffet breakfast at the hotel, then we boarded the bus for a tour of Christchurch. Our first stop was the International Antarctic Center. The first part of the center tour was to ride in Hagglund all terrain vehicle the same vehicle used in the Antarctic. Then we got to go into a room that looked like the Antarctic, luckily they had given us heavy coats and boots, because with no warning to us they dropped the temp to 0 and blew in snow to show how quick the weather can change in the Antarctic. Then we watched a feeding of blue penguins, which are smallest breed of penguin. The ones at this center were all rescued after injury.
The Antarctic is not owned by any country. It is governed by the Antarctic Treaty exclusively for scientific research. The US was one of the first 12 nations to sign in 1959. There are currently over 40 member nations.
We got back on the bus and headed to Mona Vale, which is an old elaborate homestead, where we enjoyed a high tea and toured the flower gardens. We returned to the bus and continued our city tour. The tour of the city was very interesting.
When we returned to the hotel we were met by staff from Jucy. We were given a tour and instructions on how to operate our RVs.
Wednesday, February 1, Day 3. We finally picked up rigs today. The drivers left 2 by 2 to pick up the rigs and return to the hotel for their partner. We had minor issues with our rig, such as a missing screw holding the refrigerator in and a draw that would not stay closed even when locked. So we heard a lot of banging as it opened and closed as we drove. The frig issue was fixed the next day. The floors were soft in all of the rigs, but no serious issues. Our first stop was at a grocery store, where we purchased food for the next 3 1/2 weeks along with tp, condiments, spices, dish and laundry soap. We had to make sure we didn’t buy too much because we couldn’t take it with us to Australia. Dave and I had planned ahead a brought from home salt and pepper, individual coffee packets and laundry sheets.
We drove 245 km or 148 miles to Oamaru Top 10 Holiday Park in Oamaru. We saw lots of cattle and sheep and interesting tree fences. I call them fences because they were trimmed top and sides of various trees and shrubs and seen all over. Sometimes they were around a farmyard, sometimes around a pasture and sometimes in the middle of nowhere. We saw rye grass and lots of irrigation. It is now starting to get hilly.
At this and all of our campgrounds are notes tell us “wagon master will assist you to your site”, this really meant that we were given a map with our site number and we had to go find it!
Thursday, February 2, Day 4 we drove 112 km or 68 miles to Leith Valley Holiday Park in Dunedin. We started the day with a suggested detour where we drove along the Otago coast. We walked on the beach and picked up rocks and pau shells. We also saw our first black swans.
We continued on until we got to the Moeraki Boulders. These are huge round boulders on the beach. Scientist don’t have an explanation on how they come to be there. We saw red deer and lamas by the visitors center. Leaving that area we were able to look down on the beach and saw birds and a seal. We had a picnic lunch along another beach, where we saw people boondocking known as free camping. There are a lot of Japanese made cars in New Zealand including some Toyota models I’ve never seen before.
We stopped at the Evansdale Cheese factory where we bought some local cheese. The man working there was very knowledgeable about American sports teams and stats, it was amazing. He also wanted to discuss US politics but we didn’t want to continue that discussion. He suggested an alternate route to our campground, which took us on a high road for a different view to the ocean and beaches.
We made a stop Emerson’s Brewery before going to our campground. We thought the listed brewery hours were funny. “2PM til Late”, that turned out to be pretty standard throughout New Zealand.
Friday, February 3, Day 5. We had a bus tour of Dunedin. We hopped on the bus at 8:30. Our first stop was Baldwin Street the world’s steepest street. We wanted to walk up the street but our bus was leaving again soon so we didn’t think we would have time. Our friends Pat and Julie did walk up the street and the next day Julie said her shins hurt!
Our next stop was the University of Otaego, founded in 1869 and is one of the oldest universities in the south Pacific. This is a public research college ranked in the top 1% of the universities in the world.
Our next stop was the beautiful Dunedin railway station known as a “gingerbread house” because of its ornate architecture. We enjoyed the beautiful gardens, mosaic tiles and stained glass. The front of the building is currently under reconstruction.
Next we went to the Larnach Castle, New Zealand’s only Castle. It was built in 1871 by William Larnach a banker and politician for his first wife (he had 3 in all) and children. It took 4 years before they could move in, but a total of 12 years to complete the interior. Larnach picked this site because of the view of the ocean.
Then we went to Speight’s Brewery for lunch where Dave had a meal of lamb, which was fantastic. I enjoyed the white fish. We got to tour the award winning brewery. Because I was wearing sandals, I had to put on shoes supplied by Speight’s for the tour. They have been brewing since 1876 and have won many awards.
Later that evening at the campground some of us went on a glow worm bush walk behind the campground after dark. These were really neat, but we will talk more about glow worms later. Please expand the last 4 pictures below to see the glow worms, they are small specks of light in the dark.
