I left the beautiful little village of Akaroa yesterday! The night before I stayed at Chez La Mer Backpackers right downtown.It's a charming little place. I was just thrilled because of their shower. It was the first one since I arrived in New Zealand that wasn't shoulder height!!!
I arrived in Christchurch just as it was getting dark so I made my way over to Base Backpackers. What a cool place! I felt like I was in a huge college dorm all over again, but better. They had a huge kitchen, a TV room about 3/4 the size of a basketball court, giant big screen, and comfy couches and bean bags everywhere. I stayed in the Sanctuary, which is an all women section and bathrooms. Upon getting to my room, I met an American woman who was on her way to Antarctica to work for several months. Apparently she is going to be running some sort of retail store at the base there. She warned me ahead of time that she needed to leave by 4AM but would be as quiet as she could!
Then I met Katie, a sweet British girl. She was in as much awe as I was about the fun and unique atmosphere of Base. We met up with a friend of hers, Kate (also from the UK), and a Japanese girl (I forget her name now). We all went to the curry restaurant next door for dinner. It was the BEST Indian food I’ve had. After that we went to the Saints & Sinners bar, which is on the first floor of Base. There was a really good band playing…and good beer (Tui). I hit the sack around 10:00. I knew I wasn’t going to sleep well. I woke up at around 3AM and just couldn’t get back to sleep after that. I had to get up at 5:00 anyway to catch the shuttle to the train station.
The TranzCoastal ride was stunning. By far this country is the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. As soon as we were outside of Christchurch we were in the rolling green hills of the Canterbury Plains…lots of sheep (and tiny lambs!) and cattle….a few homes here and there, but other than that, it was remote. Then we entered a tunnel and on the other side the South Pacific was crashing to our right and the snow-capped mountains were to the left. We rode along the beach for about 2 hours. It was breathtaking. And to top it off, the sun was rising up and cast a pretty glow on everything. Around the Kaikoura area we saw the fur seal colonies basking on the rocks along the shore. There must have been hundreds of them! Some of you are going to kill me but I didn’t take photos… A) because I don’t like shooting photos through windows and B) I just didn’t want to take my eyes off the scenery! You all will just have to come experience this one for yourselves!
So here I am in Blenheim….It’s cool to see all the vineyards. They look a bit barren with it being winter and all but interesting just the same. I’m not impressed with the actual downtown area of Blenheim. It’s kind of boxy and stripmall-ish…and not as I imagined it. So I may head up to Picton tomorrow. We’ll see….
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
No photos, eh?! I congratulate you. Sometimes you just need to drink in the experience. However, this is a perfect opportunity to break out the pencils and put a little colorful scribble on paper. Do it before the strip mall scene covers your mind's eye with it's creativity-sapping shades of gray!
Now you're having fun - meeting people - having a few beers! The wonder and beauty of what we experience cannot always be captured with a lens. It is sometimes best saved within your heart.
Post a Comment