Really, we're having too much fun to spend much time on the computer, but since by 80something year old Grandma Hacault has recently become internet savvy for the first time, an is reading my blog, I have to write to keep her interested....Hi Grandma!!
After our fun times in Picton (which included a day of fishing where I caught BOTH Marc and my lunches), we headed back to Christchurch just in time for the buskers festival and to spend some more time with the family.
Every year Christchurch hosts an international buskers festival. The city flies in dozens of acts from around the world, and they spend 10 days busking at specific times at specific places. You get a guide, follow the fun and start ticking acts off as you see them. You can run around during the day, entry is free but clearly the buskers are only paid if you dish out so $5 per person is considered an acceptable fee for watching their half hour show. For people who can't make it out during the day, a night stage is set up and 6 acts each night perform to a packed crowd. The performers always pull hapless audience members on stage to "help" in the act. Marc must look like a prime target as he got dragged on stage 4 times during our festival visits. Very fun
We also bought tickets to some special night shows, the "boy with tape on his face" had us in tears with our faces sore from laughing and the "buskers burlesque" brought the art of seduction to a crowd who cat called their approval. Very well attended event, very professionally organized, very fun. It would be nice if Winnipeg could get a few more things going to attract people to our fair city in the summer.
After a week in Christchurch, back on the road to lake Tekapo! But wait, first a flat tire on the caravan that we had to spend several hours getting sorted...then...On the road to lake Tekapo!
About a 3 hour drive from Christchurch, Tekapo and the surrounding lakes are a beautiful milky blue colour. The glaciers that created these lakes many thousands of years ago also created "rock flour". These micro particles of glacially ground rocks are suspended in the water and reflect light in a way to make the water a spectacularly milky blue. Very pretty.
Because of the usual clear skies and lack of light pollution here, the university of Canterbury has an observatory on top of a mountain in the area. Marc and I took a night tour. Departing at what was usually our bed time, up the hill our bus chugged at 10:30 at night, to meet our guides who would be setting different telescopes on to different stars and constellations throughout the night. I loved it. Once you start looking at things, realizing that some of what we were looking at were over ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND light years away. The light shining from some of these stars and far away galaxies is over 100 000 years old. Amazing. Makes you feel completely insignificant. As I marveled at what I was seeing in the telescopes Marc was trained on his camera. An astrophotographer was out showing those camera geeks like Marc how to better photograph the night sky. I listened in for a bit of what the fellow was saying, it sounded a bit like the "Wa Wa Wa" tuba noise that the teachers on the Charlie Brown cartoons made, but Marc was paying rapt attention. He had a blast and didn't put his eye to a single telescope. A fabulous night.
We had planned to head off to Wanaka today, but gale force winds were on the forecast for the day, so rather than fight with a caravan on a windy road, we delayed the trip, and spent the day out at Mt. Cook park. We hiked along the bases of monstrous mountains shrouded in cloud and to a lake littered with ice bergs newly calved from the Tasman glacier. A great day.
Tomorrow, (wind permitting), we'll be back on the road to Wanaka, where we'll settle in for some hiking, mountain biking, fishing, and the Rippon music festival.
Cheers
Erin
Monday, January 30, 2012
Monday, January 16, 2012
Picton and its beautiful surrounds
I love our little caravan!
We just spent 3 nights, 4 days on the far tip of the Queen Charlotte track at a private reserve. The owner there, Ron, used to be a sheep farmer, then made the decision to take off the sheep, and let the native bush grow back. He opened up a lodge for people like Marc and I, and sells his carbon credits as offsets for businesses who want to claim to be carbon neutral. Very interesting fellow.
Marc and I got an 1.5 hour long boat ride to the lodge in the midst of heavy wind and rain. Luckily days 2, 3 and 4 were filled with bright sunshiny skies to offset the gale force winds. We spent our time hiking to old gold mining sites, visited a bay filled with green lipped mussels, hiked up to a lighthouse at the very tip of the peninsula of land. We had to walk on a section of track just meters across, with drops down to the ocean below. I wonder how long it will take for nature to cut that particular piece of land off from the rest and form yet another island in the area.
Marc and I were the only guests at the lodge during our stay so got to enjoy lots of chats with Ron and his WWOOFer Vero, a French girl who was volunteering for a month. Very fun.
We grabbed the boat back to Picton and out "home". So nice to come back to all of your things in one place as you left them, with no need to find a hotel room. I think that we're kind of hooked on this style of travel. There is no going back.
Today Marc and I headed off to the incredible aviation museum in Blenheim. A warehouse filled with restored and reproduced WW1 planes, tons of information, and life sized dioramas made up by Weta Workshops in NZ. They so lots of special effects and props for movies, including the Lord of the Rings trilogy. This was no grade school diorama project. We spent FOUR HOURS in the museum. Really it was amazing.
A stop off to pick a kilo of raspberries on the way home, and to check out some more food production places, then back home, to our caravan.
Tomorrow....mountain biking!
Keep warm!
We just spent 3 nights, 4 days on the far tip of the Queen Charlotte track at a private reserve. The owner there, Ron, used to be a sheep farmer, then made the decision to take off the sheep, and let the native bush grow back. He opened up a lodge for people like Marc and I, and sells his carbon credits as offsets for businesses who want to claim to be carbon neutral. Very interesting fellow.
Marc and I got an 1.5 hour long boat ride to the lodge in the midst of heavy wind and rain. Luckily days 2, 3 and 4 were filled with bright sunshiny skies to offset the gale force winds. We spent our time hiking to old gold mining sites, visited a bay filled with green lipped mussels, hiked up to a lighthouse at the very tip of the peninsula of land. We had to walk on a section of track just meters across, with drops down to the ocean below. I wonder how long it will take for nature to cut that particular piece of land off from the rest and form yet another island in the area.
Marc and I were the only guests at the lodge during our stay so got to enjoy lots of chats with Ron and his WWOOFer Vero, a French girl who was volunteering for a month. Very fun.
We grabbed the boat back to Picton and out "home". So nice to come back to all of your things in one place as you left them, with no need to find a hotel room. I think that we're kind of hooked on this style of travel. There is no going back.
Today Marc and I headed off to the incredible aviation museum in Blenheim. A warehouse filled with restored and reproduced WW1 planes, tons of information, and life sized dioramas made up by Weta Workshops in NZ. They so lots of special effects and props for movies, including the Lord of the Rings trilogy. This was no grade school diorama project. We spent FOUR HOURS in the museum. Really it was amazing.
A stop off to pick a kilo of raspberries on the way home, and to check out some more food production places, then back home, to our caravan.
Tomorrow....mountain biking!
Keep warm!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Setting off again
After spending a week in Nelson, Marc and I headed up further north to the golden bay area. Land of hippies the town smells on incense and patchouli. Sadly, while in town we did not participate in any sit ins.
We only had a 6 days in Takaka so felt short of time right upon arrival. The area is so beautiful and there are so many things to see and do, we're already planning to spend much more time in this area next year.
We spent our week in Takaka fishing in the Cob valley, visiting some absolutely amazing fresh water springs, hiking up to lake Sylvester in the Kahuragi national park and Marc got a shuttle up to Cannan Downs bike park where he got to scratch his mountain biking itch heading down the Ramaka track for the day.
We also found the time to hike up to some local caves. The area is mostly limestone and marble, making huge caves in the hills a common thing. We hiked to one only a few kilometers from our camp ground, a vast opening in the side of the mountain ringed with stalactites that looked like a monster's teeth. Very cool. We also headed to Harewood's hole, a cave with a diameter of 50 meters at the top and a chimney that goes down 167 meters!!!! Water used to cascade down it to an underground cave/waterway system. The tunnel is now dry though as fissures higher up have opened up over the years, meaning that the water flowing downhill hits a fissure sooner than at Harewood's. It was incredibly spooky to hike up to it. We were already part way down at the view point with limestone cliffs soaring overhead, and an ominous dark void of a drop below. Very impressive. We were VERY careful not to get too close to the edge.
Marc and I spent a day hiking and biking around the farewell spit area. The spit is ever growing and currently is a whopping 26 km long. The area is a bird sanctuary and is home to thousands of migratory waders who pop in on their way to and from their other homes. Unfortunately, it is also the site of numerous pilot whale beachings every summer. The sand spit renders their sonar guidance systems near useless as the poor beasts plow into the sand. Local volunteers turn up in droves to help float the whales back out to sea.
It's amazing how quickly a week touring around goes!
Now we are all set up in Picton, a small town in the Marlborough sounds. We spent today taking a scenic drive up the coast, checking out lots of little bays and inlets. Popped in at a cherry orchard to binge on the last of this year's cherries ($9 per pound straight from the orchard, I love how farmers here charge enough to actually attempt to make a living!!) We went on an amazing wine tour learning about the inner workings of a large winery, tastings included...yum... And as luck would have it we found a hydroponic strawberry farm where we stopped, picked a small basket of berries, and chatted with the growers for half an hour about their experience with the business. Very fun....very fiber filled. Thank goodness Marc and I will be outside all day long tomorrow hiking on the north section of the Queen Charlotte Track. We'll be spending 3 nights at a lodge on a private reserve on the northern tip of a section of the sounds hiking, swimming if the sun is out, and hopefully we'll get a kayak trip in too.
Hope that all is well in Winnipeg!!!
Erin
We only had a 6 days in Takaka so felt short of time right upon arrival. The area is so beautiful and there are so many things to see and do, we're already planning to spend much more time in this area next year.
We spent our week in Takaka fishing in the Cob valley, visiting some absolutely amazing fresh water springs, hiking up to lake Sylvester in the Kahuragi national park and Marc got a shuttle up to Cannan Downs bike park where he got to scratch his mountain biking itch heading down the Ramaka track for the day.
We also found the time to hike up to some local caves. The area is mostly limestone and marble, making huge caves in the hills a common thing. We hiked to one only a few kilometers from our camp ground, a vast opening in the side of the mountain ringed with stalactites that looked like a monster's teeth. Very cool. We also headed to Harewood's hole, a cave with a diameter of 50 meters at the top and a chimney that goes down 167 meters!!!! Water used to cascade down it to an underground cave/waterway system. The tunnel is now dry though as fissures higher up have opened up over the years, meaning that the water flowing downhill hits a fissure sooner than at Harewood's. It was incredibly spooky to hike up to it. We were already part way down at the view point with limestone cliffs soaring overhead, and an ominous dark void of a drop below. Very impressive. We were VERY careful not to get too close to the edge.
Marc and I spent a day hiking and biking around the farewell spit area. The spit is ever growing and currently is a whopping 26 km long. The area is a bird sanctuary and is home to thousands of migratory waders who pop in on their way to and from their other homes. Unfortunately, it is also the site of numerous pilot whale beachings every summer. The sand spit renders their sonar guidance systems near useless as the poor beasts plow into the sand. Local volunteers turn up in droves to help float the whales back out to sea.
It's amazing how quickly a week touring around goes!
Now we are all set up in Picton, a small town in the Marlborough sounds. We spent today taking a scenic drive up the coast, checking out lots of little bays and inlets. Popped in at a cherry orchard to binge on the last of this year's cherries ($9 per pound straight from the orchard, I love how farmers here charge enough to actually attempt to make a living!!) We went on an amazing wine tour learning about the inner workings of a large winery, tastings included...yum... And as luck would have it we found a hydroponic strawberry farm where we stopped, picked a small basket of berries, and chatted with the growers for half an hour about their experience with the business. Very fun....very fiber filled. Thank goodness Marc and I will be outside all day long tomorrow hiking on the north section of the Queen Charlotte Track. We'll be spending 3 nights at a lodge on a private reserve on the northern tip of a section of the sounds hiking, swimming if the sun is out, and hopefully we'll get a kayak trip in too.
Hope that all is well in Winnipeg!!!
Erin
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
shakey Crhistmas!
Everyone was in the house on the 23rd, getting ready for guests who Eric and Sue had invited over for a Christmas supper when, bang bang bang, a 6.0 earthquake happened whose epicenter was TWO blocks away from Eric and Sue's house. Just a few broken wine glasses and a tea pot bit the biscuit, and the swimming pool sloshed a bit. Mom and I stayed outside with the kids through the next few aftershocks while the rest of the crew cleaned up the mess. Our caravan was totally unharmed as we have virtually nothing breakable in it anyway. On with the dinner party. We moved the tables outside as evacuating a house full would be a challenge should another bump hit, and we had our party in the sunshine. Very picturesque.
We spent until the 28th in Christchurch, riding our bikes, Marc and I took a drive out to see castle hill near Arthur's pass. The area is filled with green rolling hills that have magnificent limestone monoliths sticking out of them. Pretty impressive. The whole family took a day hike out to washpen falls. Ira, almost 4 years old, walked the whole 4 hour route before finally crashing at the end. We all did, but of course it was most impressive that a 4 year old did it. Beautiful scenery all around. Mom, Dad Marc and I stopped in at lake Coleridge, a beautiful teal blue lake surrounded by mountains. It's used to produce hydro electricity. Marc and I dragged out the fishing rods and caught absolutely nothing, but the views were just spectacular.
On the 28th, we all packed up and headed off for Nelson, at the top of the North island. Known as the sunshine coast, Nelson had just come out of some pretty devastating rain when we arrived. Roads had been washed out, some people had lost their homes due to flooding etc. We arrived in sunshine, and would enjoy it for almost a full 24 hours before the rains hit again. Luckily, there are lots of museums, wineries and breweries in town (this is the hops and grape capital of NZ). So no worries, we kept ourselves occupied. With new years, a jazz festival, the World of Wearable arts museums etc, we were well entertained. Eric, Sue, Mom Dad and the kids headed back to Christchurch today and Marc and I headed out for a nice long day hike on a gloriously sunny day. Hopefully the rains have gone for the next little while.
Tomorrow, up to near the hippy town of Takaka!
We spent until the 28th in Christchurch, riding our bikes, Marc and I took a drive out to see castle hill near Arthur's pass. The area is filled with green rolling hills that have magnificent limestone monoliths sticking out of them. Pretty impressive. The whole family took a day hike out to washpen falls. Ira, almost 4 years old, walked the whole 4 hour route before finally crashing at the end. We all did, but of course it was most impressive that a 4 year old did it. Beautiful scenery all around. Mom, Dad Marc and I stopped in at lake Coleridge, a beautiful teal blue lake surrounded by mountains. It's used to produce hydro electricity. Marc and I dragged out the fishing rods and caught absolutely nothing, but the views were just spectacular.
On the 28th, we all packed up and headed off for Nelson, at the top of the North island. Known as the sunshine coast, Nelson had just come out of some pretty devastating rain when we arrived. Roads had been washed out, some people had lost their homes due to flooding etc. We arrived in sunshine, and would enjoy it for almost a full 24 hours before the rains hit again. Luckily, there are lots of museums, wineries and breweries in town (this is the hops and grape capital of NZ). So no worries, we kept ourselves occupied. With new years, a jazz festival, the World of Wearable arts museums etc, we were well entertained. Eric, Sue, Mom Dad and the kids headed back to Christchurch today and Marc and I headed out for a nice long day hike on a gloriously sunny day. Hopefully the rains have gone for the next little while.
Tomorrow, up to near the hippy town of Takaka!
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