We left Christchurch at 9 this morning, and set off across the Canterbury Plains towards the west coast. The Canterbury Plains are apparently rather dry, being in a rain shadow area, and have traditionally been used for sheep. However, dairy farming is more lucrative, and some farmers have been experimenting with irrigation systems so that they can produce better pasture, suitable for dairy cattle. It's wonderful the different things you learn on tour!
Soon we were into the foothills, and the landscape had changed to tussock grass. We could see the snow on the mountains above,
and we started to encounter lakes - this is Pearson Lake.
As we moved higher, there was beech forest. We passed an area called Castle Hill, which was used in the filming of Lion, Witch and Wardrobe, so I hope it looks familiar.
We entered the valley of the Waimakiriri River, in a glaciated valley. You can just see the bridge across it.
Soon we were in the Arthur's Pass National Park. We stopped at the town of Arthur's Pass to have a late coffee, and have a walk. We were warned not to try to eat outside, although it was a beautiful sunny day and the tables outside looked very tempting; but the outside belonged to the Kia. Two of these beautiful alpine parrots patrolled outside, hoping for food and expecting to mug unsuspecting tourists. They are the largest parrot species, and their beaks look big and sharp. Quite a few people returned inside. One of them studied my camera very carefully, and I wasn't sure whether he was posing, wondering if he could eat the camera, or proposing to take it from me and play with it.
The walk we set off for, to the Devil's Punchbowl Falls was said to take an hour, though our tour leader told us we would be able to do it in 45 minutes. He might have done so; it took me 55 minutes. It wasn't a walk so much as a stair climb. The stairs made it possible to get up some very steep slopes, but goodness, there were an awful lot of them. I took this shot on the way down - I hadn't the strength to do more than pant on the way up.
The falls themselves were quite spectacular.
We drove on through the mountains, passing one place notorious for avalanches where an avalanche roof had been built to protect the road. There is even a waterfall diversion channel, so the waterfall doesn't inundate the road. This fairly dreadful picture is taken through the bus front window - I had to run up the centre aisle to do it.
Eventually, we drove out of the hills and down to Greymouth. Paul and I were both quite surprised, when we drove through the suburbs, to find them quite extensive. This was a part of town we had not seen or even been aware of when we were last there in late October; it is a town of 40,000 people, which we had not realised. We lunched there, outdoors as it was an exceptionally beautiful day. Another superior dining-room at lunch time. It probably does not match yesterday's, but it's pretty good all the same. Apparently it rains 2 days out of 3 here, so I don't know what we have done to deserve all this sun!
After a late lunch and a walk round Greymouth, we set off for Hokitika. There is an amazing bridge on the way between the two towns. It isn't all that unusual in South Island for bridges to be single lane - there is a sign to show who has right of way. But this bridge is shared, not only by both carriageways, but also by the train! There are no passenger trains, just freight and coal. But the concept of sharing the bridge with the train quite took my breath away! This is taken out of the bus window, but you can see the railway lines. That's a van approaching, not a train.
Hokitika is a smaller town than Greymouth, but I like the clock better! This one was built in 1901 to celebrate the coronation of King Edward VII in 1902.
We spent some time in a Jade Factory, with predictable results. I spent it without Paul though - he had to see a doctor, as his tooth abscess has started up for a second time and he needed more antibiotics.
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