Author: Jane Whitaker

Ok. A long long drive from Dunedin to Cromwell. Seemed to take for hours but it was only 3. Stopped for lunch by this lovely gorge –

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So cool and refreshing –

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Then passed this structure – not sure what it entails. Terrace of lot of wire encased boulders –

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Along to the outskirts of Cromwell – our destination for today –

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Just in case you loose your bearings –

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Here we are in Cromwell famed for its fruit –

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Town centre rather tranquil –

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Then here’s a shot of our room –

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That has a lovely patio –

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That leads right onto the golf course –

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Is this a super charged BBQ – see the gas line in –

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Lamb steaks were great –

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Golf tomorrow!!!!

It was 27*C at 2am. Pleased to say it’s cooler now!!!

Off to the railway station –

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For a day out on the –

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Very comfortable 1930’s wooden carriage –

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Started off with lowland views –

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And passed Sue the sheepdog statue who commemorates all collies who have worked the mountains –

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We pass over some spectacular viaducts en route –

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With vertical views down into the gorge –

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The scenery becomes quite rugged as we climb –

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The tunnels are only just wide enough –

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At the summit –

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Are some opportunists locals selling their wares –

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And not a lot to see –

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Except for a Yellowhammer in full song –

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And our engine moving to the other end of the train for our descent –

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Views on the way back down we’re just as good –

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With a couple of goats hanging onto the scree –

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While we trundled on –

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Towards the plains –

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Where there is a lot of racehorse breeding –

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A very good day out and into the town for tea.

Ok. We played golf in a sweltering 34*C and humidity approaching 100%. On the way back got this photo,of the Dunedin basin just filling with low cloud. Weird. –

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Back for a cool shower and a well deserved chill.

See you tomorrow.

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Very short blog today. Had a good drive from Oamaru to Dunedin. Countryside was a little more interesting. Ended up at –

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For this –

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Where the credit card wouldn’t work and we didn’t have enough cash so simple – play today and pay tomorrow. Great little course –

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Watched on by some lovely friends –

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Ok. Today was a long drive South through the Canterbury plain. It’s VERY FLAT and VERY LONG. Quite repetitive and you need a drone for photographs. (Yes. May buy one!!!).

Then arrived at –

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Which I thought would be a bit of a let down but was very surprised to find it was quite a little gem for lunch –

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Started as a whaling station but I think money has arrived. The park was lovely –

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Even the view to the container port wasn’t bad –

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Town centre –

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After this we travelled down to Oamaru to see –

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They come into their burrows at dusk having spent all day at sea. At £50 to get a seat we decided a penguin is a penguin in this case and had a walk about the town.

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Strangely Victorian/ Georgian architecture –

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Absolutely fabulous gift shop ( secret photo behind a pillar when the proprietor wasn’t looking ) –

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Then into a stranger world –

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And fishing on dry land –

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Good. BBQ Was good

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Well. Today started on a rather different track. Thought I had looked up a really good farmers market at –

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That turned into a massive car boot sale with not a lot of quality –

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The plants were quite good –

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Pictures –

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Tools –

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Golf clubs –

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May be some rather garish cushions –

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Or a wok gas burner –

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After that a trip north for a game of golf at –

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Took some finding but we got there. Parkland so one photo –

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Travel day tomorrow so maybe not a lot.

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Off to a little conservation area today –

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We were greeted by this very handsome chap who roamed around the area. He was rescued nearly bald after his owner died and is now in great health

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The area mainly caters for kids with opportunities to feed a lot of the animals –

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Not quite sure what this was about –

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And this chap was in need of a good dentist –

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Hey – I can’t see mate –

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The Pukeko on the left – you just stole my food –

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This chap did a very entertaining illusionist and ventriloquist show with his birds

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We then decided to go for a drive along the coast. The weather wasn’t good so neither were the photos –

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A not very smart marina –

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Then we ended up at this cafe –

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Where you could opt for a weeks course on finding your inner being or get a yoga diploma. We opted for coffee and chips!!!

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Some expensive houses across the road –

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Then not so expensive –

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The locals are trying to raise approx £1.5 million to restore the jetty. Not sure why.

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Happy –

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Today started off with a quiet walk through Hagley Park –

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Where they love their netball. I’ve never seen so many courts in one place –

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Then into the Botanic Gardens. Men hand clearing the River Avon of weed –

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Massive entangled Redwood –

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Into one of the traditional iron conservatories –

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Pitcher plant –

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Very dried looking cacti –

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Couple of shots of the rose garden which was beautiful –

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And some glorious dahlias in the boarders –

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We then went into the city centre to see the effects of the last major earthquake on 22nd February 2011 just 3 weeks after we were there, at 12.51pm and measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale –

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The cathedral in ruins –

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Buildings still shored up waiting for repair after 8 years –

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Some of the buildings that survived unscathed –

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A massive crack still visible –

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We went to Quake City – a museum about their quakes and the devastation after 2/11 was amazing and so widespread. No photos allowed. Sorry.

There is a lot of new build going on across the city –

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On a brighter note a vibrant market outside the cathedral –

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Then off to a street full of bars and eateries –

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For a rather large pizza (to share) –

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All the tram lines have been repaired –

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How amazing is this –

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Then back past the infamous Peacock Fountain –

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Not a lot happening today as we drove from Kaikoura to Christchurch with a stop off for –

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At –

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So true.

Which was a lovely little parkland course running right along the shoreline. Honesty box and only £11.00 per round. Amazing –

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This was the halfway house by the 9th green with an ancient TV in it –

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And someone’s idea of fun –

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Last night there was quite a cyclone swept across South Island – (I was asleep but Gordon heard it ) and it caused a lot of damage. We saw quite a few trees down en route and it apparently damaged a lot of the fruit crops. Here is one of the greens staff clearing a lot of the debris –

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Hit Christchurch in the rush hour, couldn’t find a supermarket and I think the motel room is going to be noisy!!!! GUESS WHO LOST THE PLOT !!!!!!

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This is our accommodation – the Anchor Inn –

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I took these photos at 7am just to show the lovely morning light –

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And how deserted the street was –

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We went a short distance to the peninsula to try and see seals. It was already 30*C. Very hot with high humidity. The sea looked very cool and inviting –

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Eventually we spotted a seal way in the distance so the photo’s not too good –

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And then a cow and calf –

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A lot of sweat for not a great reward. This photo shows how the earth was compressed and the land forced upwards –

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Other areas are just flat rocks – it’s all very interesting –

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The day seemed to get hotter so we opted for book reading in our air conditioner apartment until I decided to go for a swim in the sea – Lovely and cool – Pacific Ocean –

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