Jon Jermey's Travel Blog

  IMG_20200212_101829678.jpg   IMG_20200212_115938211.jpg   IMG_20200212_124010005.jpg   IMG_20200212_124524934.jpg   IMG_20200212_133252718.jpg   IMG_20200212_134136788.jpg   IMG_20200214_095128161.jpg   IMG_20200214_095230347.jpg   IMG_20200214_100120727.jpg   IMG_20200214_122553772.jpg   IMG_20200215_111244462.jpg   IMG_20200215_124926275.jpg   IMG_20200215_162813104.jpg   IMG_20200217_144935229.jpg -- Jon Jermey Indexer and database consultant 042 535 0422 webindexing.com.au

With most of the day in hand I decided to visit some walking areas around Christchurch. Started at the Bottle Lake Forest Park, which is terrifying. It's a vast area where trees are grown for logging, but only the areas currently being logged are fenced off. So you can walk or run or trail bike or ride a horse around everywhere else along roughly made paths, with the usual sparsity of signnposts. The walking tracks are very sandy, so after a while I stuck to the roads and bike tracks; and they're all lined with hectare after hectare of aggressive blackberry bushes. This is presumably to feed people who get lost and wander around helplessly in the area for days. So I had blackberries for breakfast, and narrowly avoided getting snagged. There are roads through the area, but most of them don't show up on Google Maps, and it's very easy to get lost. There are pine forests, half-cleared areas with vast piles of timber, and sandy stretches which don't grow anything but bl

Retraced my drive from yesterday, with a couple of stops by lakes and at cafes, and arrived in Christchurch about 12:30. I left the car in the street near the accommodation and walked in to Christchurch to find a brewery. There are a few, but the only open one in walking distance was the Fermentist, over the railway line to the south. It was cloudy and spitting rain when I started but changed to sticky heat and skin-destrlying sunshine by the time I got there. I was there for about half an hour and I had the place to myself all that time, except for the staff. A big room with tables and couches; no food; and about six beers to choose from including seasonal brews. I had a sour wheat beer, which was a good thirst-quencher, and then an Irish red ale, which was pleasant but lacked bite. Staggered out and wandered back through Christchurch to find a late lunch. Eventually I discovered an air-conditioned sushi shop, and had it there. There are still lots of gaps in the streets and blocked-o

In retrospect I should have probably cancelled my Kaikoura night too, as it was only meant to be a stopover on the way down from Nelson, and I've been there twice before, including one interminable rainy day between trains. But I thought it would be nice to see the coastal scenery and get out of the town one last time. The drive was supposed to take 2.5 hours according to Google, but somehow with stops for coffee and toilet breaks and roadworks it ended up taking about four, and I got into Kaikoura about one-thirty. It was spitting rain and the cafes in the main street were full of tourists from coaches. The sensible thing to do would have been to find a quiet pub, but I had a coffee and an overpriced pastry instead and wandered around town a bit. I have learnt by now to ask for a latte rather than a flat white, but even these are often terribly bitter. Very sticky weather, so that after going uphill your outer garments are soaked with rain and your inner garments are soaked from s

The predicted rain didn't transpire, so I walked down to the Saturday market in the main street and browsed around there for a few minutes. Much of the usual stuff, but also some nice food and live jazz. Then I set out along the coast to the west. There are two more cruise liners in today. Some of the passengers get coached into Christchurch, but a few come up and try the pubs and restaurants, which helps to explain why Lyttelton is a bit richer and more cosmopolitan than you would expect from its size. The port area is quite confusing, and at one point I got diverted into a fenced dockside area, but eventually I was able to find my way out and around the coast. There is a reasonably good track running for about 5k and I was able to stay on this for most of it. More views across the bay. The track was quite busy, and there were worrying spots where the edge fell away sharply to the sea, but it wasn't too bad, and I found a few ripe blackberries within reach. The track end

Took the 9:50 ferry across to Diamond Harbour on the other side of the bay. This is a refuge for people who find Lyttleton too urban and confronting. It runs along the base of a chain of hills, and there is one cafe/bar/post office, a medical centre and a library for a hundred or so houses. One major walk runs up the hills at the back to Mt Herbert, but there are others running along the coast. Some seem to have been privately made and maintained, and are indicated with little hand-lettered signs carved into wooden boards. I wandered around these for a while, had a coffee, and then took the Cliff Walk towards Purau, which is a refuge for people who can't handle the pace in Diamond Harbour. Despite the name it was a fairly safe and easy walk, with grand views out over the bay, including Ripapa Island off Purau which was used as a fortress by both Maoris and European settlers, and is now a Historic Reserve. Got most of the way to Purau and then came back by road, which was much

Slept in till ten and then took a walk at the end of the road towards the summit of the mountain behind Lyttelton, There's a building visible at the top which I think is the base for the Christchurch cable car, but I didn't get that far, turning off to follow another branch back down again. All the walks around here tend to follow the same pattern; walk uphill until your legs give way, then turn around and let gravity bring you down again. I kept going into the village itself and had a craft beer at the Civil and Naval bar--quite a homey, older-style place in the main street. It was a wheat beer brewed by the Three Boys company, who are quite well known here, and a very nice one. Back to the accommodation to do some washing and have lunch. Getting quite hot, so I just hung about till three and then took another similar walk up something called the Bridle Track, though I pity any poor horses who had to do it. This was a little busier--one lad whizzing down on a bicycle

Drove into Timaru and parked at the beach for a stroll around the town. Most of it is cut off from the shoreline by a huge container handling terminal, but this isn't so bad since the beach is all dirty grey volcanic gravel, and very depressing. But while I walked alongside it I did see something new to me; a seabird dropping oysters on rocks in order to break them open. The first time I thought it might be an accident; but when it did it a second time with the same oyster, I decided it was for real. Found a way into Timaru past the oil depot, and began at the north end of town, where they have made a brave attempt to lay out pleasure gardens and a panorama that runs down to the river. There were some nice roses, and yet another aviary--walk-through, this time--but under a grey gloomy sky it all looked very dreary. Timaru itself is laid out fairly oddly. Apparently there were two rival town plans, both of which got started before they decided to merge, which may explain p

Another long drive, up to the north, over a pass and back down again. Very empty roads and deserted surroundings--dry, almost treeless hills and huge bright blue lakes with limestone in the water. It's a long way between towns, but they seem to be thriving; Alexandra itself is quite large and Cromwell, further north, is also booming, although it's hard to see what there is to do here other than tourism and a bit of work in the hydroelectric industry. Lots of boats about, although given the size of the lakes you could easily think you were the only one there. And at least one houseboat, moored in a little inlet alongside one of the lakes near Cromwell. Lunched in Kurow on chips and deep-fried mussels, then pressed on towards the coast. Started recognising names and signposts from my trip down. One poor farmer has had two of his (her?) dogs lost or stolen. He's printed posters of them and attached then to noticeboards over an area of several hundred square kilometres. s

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