Kia Ora Everybody!
We are now in New Zealand after catching a 3:10 minute flight from the Gold Coast, Australia that landed in Christchurch on the 30th January at 23:40. The time difference to the UK is plus 13 hours. At this point I am the furthest I have ever been away from home and it feels very exciting. We are already 8 days into our journey and each days brings me closer to home. So much to see so little time.
CHRISTCHURCH
I remember feeling sad inside knowimg I am in the heart of an earth quake zone. I could see the damage all around and the aftermath the quake has caused. It was truly disbelieving to think that this once was a busy city full of cafés, hotels, restaurants, apartments, churches, monuments and streets that were full of people. The entire place was completely empty (despite the contractors and their heavy machinery). The photo's I have taken does not really show the full scale of the damage or capture any emotion and feelings you have when you see it.
On the brighter side we did go to the parts of the city that were in operation and we had a nice visit to the Botanic Gardens and the
Our first stop after Christchurch was Lake Tekapo, situated 3 hours south of Christchurch. We stayed here for one night to see the famous lake which we didn't know was famous until we arrived and someone told us. The views and the lake were beautiful as the entire place is surrounded by mountain ranges as far as the eye can see.
After Lake Tekapo we got the Intercity bus to Mount Cook. Mount Cook is New Zealand's biggest mountain and is part of New Zealand's longest mountain range. The views from our hostel of Mount Cook were nothing short of spectacular...In fact the views from everywhere were spectacular and we soon realised why so many people come to New Zealand. We both had a really amazing time here and spent our two days just walking around with our eyes wide open enjoying the snow capped mountains.
After Mount Cook we took the 5 hour bus journey down to Queenstown. Queenstown is another beautiful little township located at the base of another mountain. Queenstown is known as the adventure capital of the world. Here you can bungy jump, sky dive, kayak , canoe, go jet boating between the mountains in a river that is crystal blue, go paragliding, hiking, skiing, zip lining, horse trekking through rivers and along where the lord of the rings was filmed, take a helicopter ride, a plane ride, luge down the mountain, go mountain biking and I'm sure there is more aswell. We are thinking to maybe do a bungy jump and go on a horse trek, but before we did any of that we took a bus down to Milford Sound to go on a cruise. The cruise was amazing and we got to see some great views of more mountains, some glaciers, a few natural waterfalls and some local wild seals. We are now back in Queenstown, where we will be staying for the next two nights. Next stop, Fox Glacier.
Hope all are well,
Jon
We are now in New Zealand after catching a 3:10 minute flight from the Gold Coast, Australia that landed in Christchurch on the 30th January at 23:40. The time difference to the UK is plus 13 hours. At this point I am the furthest I have ever been away from home and it feels very exciting. We are already 8 days into our journey and each days brings me closer to home. So much to see so little time.
CHRISTCHURCH
When we were in Christchurch we stayed at a place called Haka Lodge located just outside the city centre and YMCA Backpackers located in front of Christchurch Botanical Gardens. For our first day in New Zealand we decided we wanted to go and visit the city and see what it had to offer. People told us (due to the February 2011 earthquakes) that most of the main centre is closed but a temporary container city has been built to cater for tourists and local trade. On arrival the first thing you notice is how quiet it is for a main city, it was like nothing I have ever witnessed before, you could see the damage and it gave you strange feeling inside the quietness and what you see almost takes your breath away.
I remember feeling sad inside knowimg I am in the heart of an earth quake zone. I could see the damage all around and the aftermath the quake has caused. It was truly disbelieving to think that this once was a busy city full of cafés, hotels, restaurants, apartments, churches, monuments and streets that were full of people. The entire place was completely empty (despite the contractors and their heavy machinery). The photo's I have taken does not really show the full scale of the damage or capture any emotion and feelings you have when you see it. 
Christchurch Museum, we even got to sit on a Penny Farthing. We also went to the I-Site, a tourist info centre where we booked all our transportation so that we could travel around the North and South Island.
There was also a little church that features in most of the post cards for Lake Tepako that was built just beside it 77 years ago. On the day we went to see the church and take some photos there was a wedding being held. All the tourists gathered around to see the couple being wed.
After Lake Tekapo we got the Intercity bus to Mount Cook. Mount Cook is New Zealand's biggest mountain and is part of New Zealand's longest mountain range. The views from our hostel of Mount Cook were nothing short of spectacular...In fact the views from everywhere were spectacular and we soon realised why so many people come to New Zealand. We both had a really amazing time here and spent our two days just walking around with our eyes wide open enjoying the snow capped mountains.
After Mount Cook we took the 5 hour bus journey down to Queenstown. Queenstown is another beautiful little township located at the base of another mountain. Queenstown is known as the adventure capital of the world. Here you can bungy jump, sky dive, kayak , canoe, go jet boating between the mountains in a river that is crystal blue, go paragliding, hiking, skiing, zip lining, horse trekking through rivers and along where the lord of the rings was filmed, take a helicopter ride, a plane ride, luge down the mountain, go mountain biking and I'm sure there is more aswell. We are thinking to maybe do a bungy jump and go on a horse trek, but before we did any of that we took a bus down to Milford Sound to go on a cruise. The cruise was amazing and we got to see some great views of more mountains, some glaciers, a few natural waterfalls and some local wild seals. We are now back in Queenstown, where we will be staying for the next two nights. Next stop, Fox Glacier.Hope all are well,
Jon
No comments:
Post a Comment