Parents' Visit in February

Mike's mom and my parents came for a two week visit in February. We had fantastic plans for them:

• Going on an overnight cruise in the Fjordlands in the far south (some of the most dramatic ocean and mountain scenery on earth; it was recognized in 1986 as a UNESCO World Heritage site for " its superlative natural features, beauty and role in demonstrating the earth’s evolutionary history.")
  
• Taking the Tranz Alpine Train from the Pacific Ocean on the East Coast, through Arthur's Pass in the Southern Alps, to the Tasmanian Sea on the West Coast (one of the top 10 train rides in the world - we have photos posted in an earlier blog)


• Riding the Tranz Coastal Train up the East Coast from Christchurch, from the plains of Canterbury, along the coast where the Kaikoura mountains dip straight into the Pacific Ocean, through the internationally reknowned wine-country in Marlborough and Nelson, and onto the ferry connecting the North and South Island (the ferry ride is considered to be the most beautiful major ferry ride in the world).


• And of course, visiting our cats in quarantine (both Mike's mom, and my parents, had kindly looked after our cats for extended periods of time as we visited and settled into New Zealand).

Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate as much as we had hoped. Rather than demonstrating why everyone here calls February the most beautiful summer month, New Zealand chose to demonstrate why it is also refered to as the "Land of the Long White Cloud." (To be fair, the six weeks before our parents arrived were absolutely perfect, as were the two weeks after they left.)

So we scratched the Fjordlands trip. (Even the world's most beautiful scenery doesn't have the same appeal in fog and rain.) Our parents did get onto the Tranz Coastal train, but it had to stop less than a 1/3 of the way into the journey because of an automobile trailer that had fallen onto the tracks. And we didn't even get to drive up to the ferry ride: there wasn't a hotel room to be had within 3 hours of the ferry. (We'd unknowningly picked the exact weekend of the world reknowned annual international wine festival.)

But despite those "minor" setbacks, we had a great time, and they did manage to get in a lot of regional sight-seeing. We replaced the overnight cruise with a two hour nature cruise in the Lyttelton Harbour just south of Christchurch. Our parents gamely walked all over Christchurch in the rain. The Tranz Alpine train thankfully made it through the entire journey. The whole group of us kept the cats (and the quarantine workers) well entertained. And all three of them bravely took on our left-hand drive car and successfully navigated through New Zealand roundabouts.

As you can imagine, we left most of the photo-taking to our moms. (I don't think we had a choice.) But we did end up with a few good shots of our own from the two weeks.

FIRST SET OF PHOTOS: We went and picked up our parents after the unexpectedly short Tranz Coastal train ride in Kaikoura, about 2 hours north of Christchurch. Kaikoura is known for its scenery (the Kaikoura mountains plunge into the Pacific Ocean), the lobster (kai = food/eat, koura = pacific lobster), the dolphins and whale-watching tours (apparently, it's the whale watching capital of the world), and it's permanent colony of fur seals:

How many seals can you find in this photo?

SECOND SET OF PHOTOS: After we picked up our parents in Kaikoura, we used the drive home to sight-see locally.

The countryside:

My mom trying stealthily to photograph the sheep for the umpteenth time. (Not pictured: my dad loudly yelling "Baah" just in time to warn the sheep of the approaching camera.)

Mike & Mike's mom at Leithfield Beach:

The very appropriately named Cathedral View Point overlooking Gore Bay:

I'll post the last set of photos, from the Lyttelton Harbour nature cruise, in the next blog.

One of our favorite day hikes

Christchurch, itself, is incredibly flat. But immediately to the south (not even 15 minutes from our house) are the Port Hills, remnants of an ancient volcanic complex.

When the first European settlers arrived in the 1850s, they arrived in the protected harbour on the south side of the Port Hills. (The Lyttelton Harbour is still the major port for the entire region today.) The settlers then had the fun task of walking the 1.6 miles up and over those hills, into the plains of what would become Christchurch.


View Larger Map

As the Christchurch City Council puts it: "The path was hacked [over the hill] by a working party in 1851. The Bridle Path soon became the main access way for families of pioneers bringing household goods and personal belongings over the Hills. The horses had to be led by the bridle to the Summit - thus the name Bridle Path."

In other words - the path is steep. I can't imagine being a settler and having to lug all your stuff over the hill. But as an afternoon day hike, it's now one of our favorites. The views are beautiful, and well worth the exertion. Well, the views, and the chance for a cold drink or ice cream when you get to Lyttelton...

Here are a couple of photos we took when we first walked the Bridle Path back in January. Now that we're well into fall, the hills are bright green. Come the middle of winter, there should be a couple of days with a light dusting of snow on them.

Looking north (towards Christchurch) from the top of the path. To the right is the Pacific Ocean; to the left (and just out of the photo) is downtown Christchurch:

Looking south, towards Lyttelton, from the top of the path and then from about half way down. (That's Anna and Bede in the first photo.)


We hope you'll get a chance to come and join us one afternoon for the walk.

Back to Updating the Blog!

My apologies for the delays in updating the blog! Over the next couple of days, I hope to upload some of our favorite photos from the past couple of months. Thanks for all your patience and encouragement. - Anna