more 11/2/10

Afterwards we went to the museum where Mum was really taken with the tableaux of early life in New Zealand. We wandered around until first Mum, then Fran had to give up because of back pain, so we trotted off to yet another cafe. Yet again we managed to get there after the kitchen had closed for lunch, and had to make do with what was in the cabinet. I had a scone melt, which was like a pizza topping on a scone base, and a fan slice. Mum had cheese and tomato on placcy white bread and a ginger slice and Fran had pastrami on brown. It wasn't the best meal I've ever had.
After lunch we decided to walk back to the motel 'cos Fran needed to lie down for his back, so we got back about 3.15pm, and I went for a lie down too. I slept for about a half hour and woke at 16.05, Mum was asleep and Fran was still stretching his back, so I'm just sat here waiting for something to happen.

11 February 2010

Decided last night to have a lie in this morning, but of course it was still only 8am when we woke. We all showered, had a brew, washed up and decided to go to the botanical gardens and museum. It had been raining overnight and was damp underfoot when we left and soon came on to rain again. A soft rain but quite heavy and difficult to see through; not quite fog but heading that way. Luckily before it got quite so heavy we had got to the park cafe, where we had decided to have breakfast. Had a muesli, yoghurt and fruit compote; it was nice, you see it on every breakfast menu so it must be popular. Mum had toast and jam and Fran had an omelette because his blood sugar was up. By the time we had finished the rain had stopped so we went around the botanical gardens, the glasshouses and bonsai shed, admiring the trees, the roses, the herbaceous borders and the fountain.

Later that day

Got back to the Ashford about seven. Didn't want to go out for tea, we were all really tired. We had come a long way in a short space of time. Asked at reception for a recommendation for take away food, they recommended a restaurant a few minutes walk away. We just couldn't be bothered walking, so decided to stay local. What a mistake. The food we got from a little place across the road was dreadful. Mum found hers inedible and Fran's and mine were so small, they were a snack not a meal. An expensive lesson to learn- it cost $67. Then we spent $60 in the off licence, or rather Fran and Mum did; on 2 bottles of wine!! We watched a bit of TV and were pleased to get in to bed.

Christchurch

Fran had programmed the satnav to take us to Papanui Road where he had stayed a couple of times at a motel. He found it easily, although he had not been able to locate it in 'Jasons Guide'. We drove in and tried to book for three nights but can only have two at present. The unit is pleasant and has two bedrooms and a kitchen/lounge. We unpacked the car and decided to go into the city for some lunch as it is now 2pm. Of course it was a struggle because we only wanted a sandwich. First couple of places we tried had shut the kitchen for lunches but eventually we found a caff called 'The Daily Grind' and had a nice lunch there. Fran had a hot chicken sandwich, Mother had a toasted Hawaiian and I had a vegeburger in a bun. It was very good.

Afterwards we had a wander around town and into the Cathedral, which is really beautiful but not ostentatious.
In the square outside a street market was set up selling arts and crafts and antiques and hippyish clothing. Mum bought a really good photograph from a guy calling himself the French Photographer. You can buy direct from his website at www.theFrenchPhotographer.com  so I think I may have a look when I get home, if I don't buy one while I'm here.
We returned to the Ashford Motel to phone friends here. I got straight through to Barbara but couldn't make Dave hear me although I could hear him.. Barbara was thrilled to find me in Christchurch and invited us over straight away. Fran was not so thrilled and moaned about the rush hour traffic although it was not yet five o'clock. So we went anyway. Fran was more tired than anything else. Barbara and Ray made us very welcome and we had a brew and a chat with them, after they had got over the initial shock of us arriving mob- handed. They have been here in New Zealand 47 years and have family here. We stayed about an hour and then returned to the motel.
I am sorry to say Ray Humpage died on Thursday 9th September 2010. A lovely man who will be sorely missed by his wife, family and all who had the pleasure of his acquaintance.

10/2/10

Another horrendous night. Had breakfast at a franchise coffee house, most expensive yet at $55. Paid Mum for breakfast $19 and $40 to Fran for hotel. Just filled car again $105, so we'll have to split that later. On the road again at 9.15 am. Saw a huge landslip yesterday as we approached Greymouth, just seen the workmen up at the top of it, working to stabilize the cliff face. Petrol actually $90, Fran had a coupon with money off. Took a picture of Mount Bruce Murray over the Taramakau River. Continued up towards Arthur's Pass. The clouds remained low and threatening. The road was cut into the side of the mountains and had chutes for scree and water to run over the top. Never seen anything like it, but of course everyone else had. Duh! Stopped at a view point to admire the red forests of rata and the white of manuka which continued above it up the mountains at 900 - 1000m. Mum and I were comparing a tree to the book when Fran started shouting. I thought he was talking about the trees but it was because there was a kea by where the car was parked at the view point. It was very tame and I crouched within a metre of it to take a photograph.We left the veiw point and went over a magnificent new bridge over a deep gorge towards the top of the pass, where we left the

state highway to climb high up to another view point above the road. we took pictures of the bridge we had just been over. The scale of the engineering project was immense. The small vehicle in the photo is a lorry with a double length trailer. We also checked out the flora at this height, and as we were leaning over the guard rail a kea came and joined us, parading up and down the rail beside us, like it was showing off. Above us on the car park were three more and they took off calling back to our companion. You could hear the distinctive call and see the red feathers on the underside of the wings.

We were practically at the top here and soon started dropping back down towards the hamlet of Arthur's Pass where a railway emerged from a tunnel and ran parallel to the road for about 20kms until it branched away towards Cass and Lake Sarah. We could just see Lake Sarah off to our left, soon followed by Lake Grasmere closer to the road and then Lake Pearson. It was after 11.30 am by now and we agreed on a coffee break. We stopped at the motel cum restaurant at Flock Hill, called appropriately enough  Flock Hill Motel and we'd had a good cup of coffee, we came out to sight of a huge flock of lambs in a pen 

next to the motel. We went and hung over the gate and gaped at them for a few minutes, then it was back in the car to rejoin the road. We then travelled through some of the most bizarre landscape I have ever seen. Very soft rolling hills showing massive scars of recent landslips, very flat valleys, terraced with wide flat terraces and valleys that looked like rifts, with very steep sides and flat bottoms like a 'u', then more gentle smooth hills with limestone boulders and ridges poking out of the turf. Really odd. We left this surreal landscape to drop down through native moorland and thence into low cloud and misty rain where the visibility became a couple of hundred yards, which lasted all the way to Christchurch.

9/2/10 continued

The flora is changing as we travel further South and West, there are no more tree ferns and lots of larch and Radiata pine trees, some shrubs with purple bee shaped flowers and oak trees. We  made a stop at Lake Rotoiti, truly beautiful, with water so clear you could see every pebble on the bottom. The birds were obviously used to being fed and soon gathered at the water's edge to see if we were going to oblige. They looked well fed to me so we didn't. I've included a picture of the public toilets because they were ace. I'm not obsessed with loos, it is the architecture that impressed me, honestly!
We continued up the Buller River valley, driving through native beech forest, with manuka and kanuka shrubs. There were big conifer plantations looking neatly combed climbing up the sides of the mountains. The Owen River joins the Buller in a wonderful confluence in a deep gorge, then Murchinson town over yet another river into a huge river plane, all the scenery is so vast. When we entered the Buller district the tree ferns re-appear. It must have been the altitude that they can't cope with. At Ingahangua we leave the Buller Valley and head off to Westport in the lower Buller Gorge, through a big plain with the forest becoming more mixed with Whitewood trees, crocrosmia, bracken and tree ferns, kanuka and many more. The road goes into one lane cut into a cliff like a bite out of it. The cross section looks like a c. Arrive at Westport and there are no vacancy signs on all the motels. The town looked a right dump but there was no where to stay so we headed off towards Greymouth 120kms to the south, thinking we would find somewhere as we travelled. We saw some wonderful beaches with black sand and amazing gorges but no where to stay and as it was now after 6pm we couldn't really stop. We found one place with a studio apartment but Fran wanted his own room, naturally. So we went on and eventually ended up in Greymouth. There were no vacancies there either so we ended up sharing a hotel room. We had to move once because the first room stank of mildew but it wasn't ideal.