Pit Stop

I am in Oamaru NZ one day longer than originally planned. The bad news is that our car failed its WOF (warrant of fitness) inspection. The good news is that it means I have time to update the blog! Click on this link for an album with new pictures. I wish you could follow along with an interactive map, but you can’t. The highlights include:

• Christchurch – The largest city in the south island also likes to be knows as The Garden City of the World. To its credit, I’ll admit the botanic gardens are the same size as the city center. It’s also the gateway to Antarctica. The Avon River flows through the city, and the architecture gives it an old English feel.
• Akaroa – We took the “scenic route” from Christchurch to Akaroa, a vacation spot on the Banks Peninsula. This route involved steep, winding gravel roads. At one point, a sheep darted into a road. Then I had to hit the breaks when I came around a curve to find the road blocked by 3 large cows. Unreal. Akaroa was the first French settlement in NZ. The French influences can still be felt today. For example, on of the sleepy town’s main attractions is “le mini golf.”
• Ashburton – We spent approximately one hour walking around this town. A shoe saleswoman asked if we planned to spend a couple days in town. Like I said, we exhausted our options in an hour.
• Geraldine – Home of the world’s largest jersey (sweater)! We had an unplanned 2-night stopover in this tiny town to wait out some bad weather, including a hail storm. Needless to say, we traded the tents for beds. Geraldine is also home to “The Tin Shed.” This big tin shed seemed to be part souvenir shop/part petting farm.
• Aoraki/Mt Cook – This national park is home to the Southern Alps, including NZ’s highest peak, Mt Cook. It may have been the first time I’ve used the word awesome to truly mean “awe inspiring.” I assure you the pictures have not been photoshopped! I took a glacier boat tour in the morning and hiked in the afternoon. The park also has a museum that chronicles the pursuits of famous Kiwi Sir Edmund Hilary, the first man to climb Mt Everest. I have not mentioned this before, but “Sir Ed” is the godfather of NZ. They absolutely revere him. He is pictured on the $5 bill and his body laid (lay, was lain?) in state in Wellington when he died in January 08.
• Oamaru – On the way from Mt Cook, we stopped to see some Clay Cliffs and Elephant Rocks (giant limestone boulders that are meant to look like sleeping elephants). Then we hit Oamaru, a popular penguin-watching destination. We “hid” in the rain to watch a yellow-eyed penguin colony come ashore around dusk. They are best seen with binoculars. Then we watched 148 mini blue penguins come ashore under the cover of darkness (around 9:30pm). These little guys are only about 8 inches tall, weigh 1 kilo, and waddle very slowly to their nests. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed. The penguin also appears on the $5 bill, opposite sir Ed. The historic section of Oamaru has lots of neat, old limestone buildings. With the advent of refrigeration, the town became very prosperous in the “frozen meat industry” when its sheep became valuable for more than just wool!