Spent a couple of lovely days in Christchurch including catching up with friends. Took a tour around Chch East and the Sumner region - wow, what a change from September. The lovely Sumner/Redcliffs/Scarborough Hills are now a sheer face with some houses still dangling off the edge. Containers line the cliff edges to stop any rocks that fall off the hills running onto the streets. The road level looks like it changes daily. Avonside, Parklands and Bexley also look like war zones - the liquefaction damage in Parklands is striking. That being said, the rest of the city is looking quite well. There's even new building in Merivale and Riccarton and a good sense of energy in Addington. And I'd forgotten how great the produce and meat is...heaven! C4 Coffee didn't disappoint and C1 Espresso is due to open again soon. Great to see the peeps for a drink too :)
For the first time we wandered around Orana Park which was a pleasant couple of hours (it would have been less if a certain person hadn't needed to photograph everything...). Some of the photos:
Got to get in a good teabagging
Cat napping
Sable antelope apparently...
What you lookin' at Willis?
Went up to Hamner Springs - we've never managed to get much out of Hamner (despite a few attempts!). This time went on a couple of the local forest walks including up Conical Hill which gives a view of the city. Despite a pleasant day we're just not sold...although some of the facials at the spa did sound nice...
The view from Conical Hill
Finally made it down the Rainbow Road the next day. This is a spectacularly pretty gravel road that runs from Hamner Springs to St Arnaud, about 110km (90km unsealed). We drove towards St Arnaud and think this is the better option - unless you're planning to indulge in the Hamner spa at the end of the day. The road crosses two of the major South Island stations (Molesworth and Rainbow) and enters the Upper Wairau Valley. The road is open from December to April and tolled at the Old Rainbow Homestead or you can get keys from the station.
The recommendation is for a high-clearance 4WD. Technically, you could take a 4WD car that you didn't care too much about (e.g. a Subaru, why people, why?) until the Rainbow/Molesworth boundary, about 60km in. On the actual Rainbow Station there are a number of fords, some of which are uneven rock or concrete based and the concrete has moved, making the access interesting. A proper good clearance 4WD is needed between St Arnaud and the Rainbow boundary. Fair game on a motorbike too.
This was definitely one of the more scenic 4WD trips we've done (and we've done a few!) - changing landscape from grass and tussock to towering shingle to racing rivers and craggy mountains. Some pretty good mist too.
Lake Tennyson
Halfway up the Island Saddle
The Island Saddle- 1366m above sea level...
The Molesworth/Rainbow Station boundary
Views of the Upper Wairau Valley
Berts Creek
Lees Creek - man that is a dodgy bridge!
The day finished well with a vineyard crawl...hmmm...we *may* have bought 20 bottles in 2 hours! Good efforts from Spy Valley Wines, Isabel Vineyard, Omaka Springs Estate, Hunters Wines and Te Whare Ra Wines. Cheers!
The haul...
Hmmm, the cellar may be over 140 and may need to be listed on the insurance! Ah well, no more holidays until September now :( Back to work to pay for it all...
The Rose
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