Tag: Christchurch

An Odyssey Down Under: Australia and New Zealand Day 10

Saturday, February 15th

This morning we took a motorcoach to Banks Peninsula and stopped at Akaroa Harbour.  On our way we stopped at Little River for a comfort stop.

When we arrived at Akaroa Wharf,  we boarded a boat for a harbour cruise.

Our cruise boat.
Many stayed inside the cabin.
We bundled up and braved the weather!
This dog is being trained to spot the Hector dolphins.

On our tour we saw the dramatic cliff faces and amazing views.

Fur seals were also spotted laying on the hillside.IMG_9717

We would have to say the highlight of our cruise was seeing the Hector dolphins.  Hector dolphins are rare, the smallest of the dolphins, and only found in New Zealand.  They are endangered and it is estimated that only about 7,000 are left!

They were following and swimming around us for quite a while and at one point we spotted almost a dozen!  Such beautiful creatures.

After our harbour cruise, we had some time to explore the town of Akaroa. We found The Brasserie Kitchen And Bar to have some fresh local food for lunch.

 

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The Banks Peninsula War Memorial and grounds.

On our drive back to Christchurch we stopped at the Hilltop Lookout along Banks Peninsula and looking out at Akaroa Harbour.

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Akaroa Harbour from the Hilltop lookout.

When we reached Christchurch we stopped and visited the Cardboard Cathedral or the Transitional Cathedral which replaces the original church that was damaged heavily in the 2011 earthquake.  The Japanese architect, Shigeru Ban, did the design and the  cathedral opened in 2013.  Cardboard tubes were used as well as shipping containers for the walls.  It is a beautiful piece of architecture that will withstand any further earthquakes.

We took a walking tour of the city center with our site coordinator.

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Our last stop today was walking through the University of Canterbury which was founded in 1873.

Boys’ High Building
Clock Tower
Arts Center
Arts Center being supported from earthquake damage.

A few other sites from our walk.

An Odyssey Down Under: Australia and New Zealand Day 9

Friday, February 14th

Happy Valentine’s day everyone!  Our first stop was the National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa at Rainbow Springs.  Our docent gave us a tour of the hatchery and explained about the endangered Kiwi.  We toured their facility and saw how they care for the eggs and chicks until the chicks are ready for release into their natural habitat.  We learned that a kiwi incubation period is around 78 days.  Since 1995 they have hatched 2,042 Kiwi chicks.  This season 119 chicks have hatched.  No photos were allowed in the hatchery itself.  We could photograph the introduction area and outside.

After our tour we left for the airport at Rotorua for our flight to Christchurch.

Christchurch is located on the South Island and up to now we were exploring the North Island.  It is also the largest city on the South Island.  We noticed upon arrival that the city is still dealing with the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes.  They are still rebuilding and we saw a number of areas that are barren because of demolition of 80% of the buildings in the city center after the earthquakes.

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The view outside our room in Christchurch. You can see some of the destruction of the Christchurch Cathedral.

This evening we visited Riccarton House.  We toured the bush forest on the property.

After our bush walk with a naturalist we toured the homestead and had our dinner in their restaurant.

After dinner, we were entertained by a storyteller, Margaret Copland.  She told us the story of early immigrants to the Canterbury area by portraying two different characters in her storytelling.