This road was one to be enjoyed as it rotated left to right around the sharp corners allowing the natural shoreline to dictate the ebb and flow of the road. We had several tunnels to go through along this stretch as well. All too soon the highway headed inland and continued on over a mountain range to return to the Canterbury Plains and then into Christchurch.
We had 2 more gas coupons to use and both are for BP Petro so we felt the need to find a BP to refuel. This meant (as it turned out) that we would have to drive a little beyond our comfort distance for the gas tank and this often leads to stress as we hope to not run out of fuel. Of course I am the calm one and Wes is the one who worried and of course I am positive we can go 450 km on a tank and we would be at the gas station at about 430 km so why stress, just drive. I am happy to report we did make it just fine and Wes started to breath again. I should add this saved us a total of $2.25 on the gas fill up of $80.00.
Ok we got settled in Christchurch and decided to do some exploring of the city. So we headed downtown to the Botanical Gardens since this is a place where we could park for free and walk into the downtown core. The Gardens are huge and so colourful. We did not much more than walk through the Gardens on our way to downtown but what we saw was so amazing I wished we had all day to just wonder. For example, I could not believe how beautiful the rose garden was and how large the roses were. Unfortunately we had forgot to put on sunscreen so we did not want to stay out in the sun too long so did not wander around much.
Quote from the internet. “The Christchurch Botanic Gardens showcase some of the flora of New Zealand and other parts of the world. Founded in 1863 with the planting of an English Oak tree, the Gardens now feature one of the finest collections of exotic and native plants found in New Zealand. Towering majestic trees - many over 120 years old - dominate the Gardens, forming a striking backdrop to the extensive themed plant collections and sweeping lawns. A loop of the gently-flowing Avon River, criss-crossed by bridges, encloses a large part of the Gardens while the adjacent 164 hectare Hagley Park enhances its natural splendour. The Gardens are an oasis in the city of Christchurch - 21 hectares of horticultural displays, several conservatories, memorials, garden art and walking tracks.”
On our way to Cathedral Square we walked by the Court Theatre to see that there was a live stage production on for Cabaret. We spontaneously decided to check to see if there were any tickets available for tonight and picked up tickets for the show. The show time was set for 6 pm and we wanted to go on the Gondola and this meant we put ourselves on a bit of a time schedule. So we headed back to the van through the Gardens again only to stop and watch a buster couple putting on a performance. They were doing all types of acrobatic stunts and some juggling (with balls, knives and fire torches). We were immediately unable to leave until the end of the show when we learned that they were performers from Canada. Actually later we learned he was Winnipeg and his wife and partner was from Chicago (yep I know this is not part of Canada).
We hurried off to find the Gondola and ride up to the top. The wind was really blowing and as we crept up the side of the mountain we noticed that the car was swinging back and forth which was a bit unsettling. However, I drew comfort from the fact they would not be running the gondola if it was unsafe (yeah right!). From the top we had great views of the Pacific Ocean, Lake Esllemere, Quail Island, Mount Herbert, Lyttelton Harbour and Port, Ripapa Islands and Christchurch. One thing we learned was that Lyttelton Port of Christchurch is the ocean's gateway to the South Island. As the major deep-water port in the South Island, it caters for a huge volume of imports and exports, with over 1300 ships arriving each year. The access to the port from Christchurch is through a tunnel that passes the mountain we were sitting on.
The second thing we learned with Wes’ excellent observation skills was that part of the mountain across from us called Castle Rock was mostly gone. He compared the pictures of the area on the wall against what we were seeing. We learned that most of Castle Rock fell with the earthquake last fall. Now we are reminded of the potential of earth quakes as we wait for the gondola to take us back down.
We returned to the campsite to make a quick dinner and head back downtown to go to the show. We felt we had lots of time but as you can imagine we did cut the time a bit short. In all fairness we had plenty of time as long as we could find parking – which was not easy at all. It must have looked funny to see the two of us running the 6 blocks to get to the theatre in time. We were a bit late, but the start of the show was even later so we got to our seats easily. We sat at the front section 2nd row in excellent seats. The show was worth all the effort it took for us to get there and we had a really good time.
After the show we wondered around the downtown core for a bit and then headed back to the campsite to call it a night. Tomorrow we have our last day of being a tourist and we have to decide what to do, and there are lots of options. Here are some sunset shots that captured my attention and my camera lens.
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