Just W.O.W. again

Rosie  and I had a lovely weekend away at Akaroa, where French settlers originally had a small town. The French road names still exist. However it had been the British who reached there before them and stuck their flag in NZ (well, Maori) soil and laid claim to it.  

Moi outside one if the original settler's cottages, which had the most amazing garden.

Rosie by the same cottage. Wriggly tin (and it's more modern counterpart, flatter tin!) is what is largely used for roofing here.

Geraniums growing like you've never seen them grow before. It's a frost-free area I believe, so they just keep on growing.

Modern wriggly tin houses.

The line of blue buildings are the wharf where we boarded the catamaran for our two hour wildlife cruise on Saturday morning. 

The lighthouse.

When the first Maori settlers saw these Palms, they hoped for nutrition but this type aren't productive.

Rosie in the sunshine. We were so lucky with the weather and and to go out of the bay onto the Pacific and round to Scenery Nook.

Fur seal .

Scenery Nook.

If I remember rightly, this was a volcanic blow hold many million years ago. The entire bay around Akaroa is a vast caldera.

Another fur seal hauled out.

More great geology.

These are Hector's Dolphins, and aren't very big. There are Swimming with Dolphins boats which go out and if you are lucky the dolphins will approach.

I have dozens more photos just on my phone, and loads more plus videos which will have to wait until I am home.

I fly back at an ungodly hour tonight - well, tomorrow really as it's 1.05 a.m. Back in the UK mid afternoon.

Amazing things closer to

 

I took this picture of the rare White Heron (the bird sacred to the Maori) and properly known as the Great White Egret. In breeding plumage it has long white streamers. It has only one breeding site and that is on the West coast, where I was last week - indeed I passed the turning for it! However, once they have finished breeding, they spread out over a wide area.

Again, a photo taken with my camera of a Yellowhammer (quite common here) on a walk down by the Maikuku estuary. It's Rosie's local beach.

A gull at New Brighton.

Cave Rock at Sumner.

Memorial at Scarborough. We had a good walk along the promenade and then of course it rained and it was like a wet t-shirt competition!

This is known as the Christmas tree in NZ as it has these lovely red blooms flowering at Christmas.

Some lovely old wooden cottages at Taylor's Mistake.

Lovely roses and some unusual plants at the Botanic Gardens at Christchurch.

Back to Christchurch on the Trans-Alpine Express

 

The Trans-Alpine Express. It was delayed by about 3/4 of an hour and so lots of folk sat about. Some lad was singing for a charity but he sang such doleful songs and we were all glad when he stopped.  There was a young American lass, not an ounce of cellulite and wearing a pair of fit where they touched woollen trousers. Whilst she looked great, there was no VPL and I said to the lady beside me, I reckon she's had her knickers sprayed on and we got a fit of the giggles.  American lady was posing for photos like she was an Influencer but I was not the least influenced!!

Some views from the train. I have just realized that I left out photos from the bus journey from Franz Josef to the train, so will add those layer. We are about to vacate our motel room. Back later.

On to Franz Joseph

 

Off-road cyclists out there may like to hear there is a fabulous hillside-hugging track being put in beside the river to Queenstown. This is a 13km stretch - the Wharehuani Trail which is set in the Whakatipo Basin. It provides a vital link between Arrowtown and Arthur's Point.  Where they reach a rocky outcrop they put a metal bridge around it so cyclists safely cycle around it.

We drove past endless lakes.

Bailey bridges over . . .

Beautiful blue rivers.

Then we reached the far West coast and the Tasman Sea again.  Our driver stopped so we could take photos.

This is a little church just before Fox Glacier village. 

A couple of the older properties in the street where my accommodation was. Tam had booked another hostel for me and it was modern, bright, clean and a short walk from somewhere to eat. That was good as I had missed two evening meals in Queenstown as I was just too exhausted to go out into town and eat. . .  I lived on Baby Bel cheeses and crackers!

View up the street market from where I had my evening meal.

Grub!  I took the batter off the fish so I had a chance of eating both pieces. It was fresh and very like cod . I had a glass of the best white wine I have probably ever had - a Sauvignon Blanc called Montana. Such busy to it. I found out it's marketed in the UK as Brancott Estate but had a small bottle of that on the train and it didn't have that same depth.