Only 8 days remain on our trip! We spent 5 days in Australia, from Sydney to Cairns. Then, we have spent the last 12 days road-tripping through New Zealand. We begun our travels in New Zealand in Queenstown and have now traveled 951km, or 591 miles, to Picton.
Currently, we’re aboard a ferry departing the South Island and headed towards Wellington on the North Island. This is now the largest ship we’ve been aboard, I feel confident that my seasickness will stay away, let’s hope anyway.
We’ve had a busy past week. We had a total of three days in the Christchurch area, which unfortunately each day gave us less than desirable weather. It was cloudy, overcast, in the low 50s, spitting rain off and on. Not the weather we had hoped for, but we still made some good time with it.
We spent one of the mornings at the Willowbank Wildlife Reserve, spoiling my inner-child. It was this fun little wilderness park with a walkway through the entire park where you could see things like monkeys, pigs, and most importantly otters!
Sidenote: I love otters. They’re extremely playful creatures that just look like they have so much fun in whatever they do.
We bought a bag to feed the friendly livestock as well.
On our last full day in Christchurch, we drove out to Arthur’s Pass National Park for a hike. The hike was about 8 miles long, 2000ft of elevation, took us about 4.5 hours to complete, and at the end of the hike is a hut. It’s this very small outbuilding made of sheet metal. It contains a fireplace and 5 or 6 hammock type bunks. A table with log of visitors. Not glorious by any means, but it does seem like a much more convenient way to spend a night on a trail.
And this isn’t a unique thing. Huts exist all over New Zealand, provided to hikers, climbers, campers a space to rest overnight for a small fee or sometimes even free out in the wilderness. We were big fans of the concept and both agreed we could spend a night in a place like this…
With the weather I previously mentioned, we missed out on what we imagine were some incredible views of Arthur’s Pass. On the way up to the hut, we were hiking in the clouds primarily. A sheet of gray surrounded us.
But on the way back down, we did received some views into the valley from which we started the hike.
We had to save the best for last in the Christchurch stop of our trip. Climbing in Castle Hill. And the weather showed up well for us on this day.
Castle Hill holds views that we’ve seen in fantasy movies like Narnia and Lord of the Rings. The area is outside Arthur’s Pass National Park and features these huge boulders that have eroded out of the Earth’s soil. Varying in size, some massive that stand as tall as buildings and some smaller that just require a small step up onto. A climber’s paradise.
We tackled and tried many different types of boulders. Asa more successful than I was. These rocks were limestone, so different than what we have back home and what we experienced sport climbing on ropes. It’s a bit smoother of a rock. Coupled with the exposure to elements and popularity, routes typically had a “polish” at times. Polish is where a hold is so worn, it truly has a shine on it and is smooth and slippery. That “slippery-ness” was uh… let’s say, an added challenge.
So climbing limestone rocks were a first for us. This trip has provided so many “firsts” for us. The first time visiting and seeing all of these places…. first time being without a phone in a foreign country…. first time driving a car in a foreign country…. first time driving on the left hand side of the road… and even… first time receiving a speeding ticket in a foreign country!
Yep – that happened on the four hour drive to Blenheim. One of the best souvenirs we could have. That will be waiting us in our mailbox when we get home! For the record, I have been following all of the traffic laws and speed limits, Asa would attest this. I missed a single sign one time.
At least I still have my phone, as my Dad would say.
We arrived to Blenheim without any other surprises. Nestled in the rich wine region of Marlborough, we were spoiled with sunny weather, fields of vines, and delicious wines for a few days.
We rented bikes and biked throughout the valley, popping in to several wineries and a gin shack for tastings. New Zealand is primarily known for its Sauvignon Blanc, which we tasted plenty of, but they also grow a lot of Pinot Noir varieties. This has become a new favorite of ours.
Blenheim was a charming little town. We drank, ate, and were quite merry during our time. We got in a shorter hike too, this time along the coast which gave us spectacular views over the Waikawa Bay.
We are on our way to Wellington for a short stay. But on the itinerary is a visit to the WETA Workshop – the special effects masterminds behind movies like Avatar, Lord of the Rings, and Narnia. More middle-earth adventuring continues!
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