New Zealand – Back to the South Island

So for the second time I have travelled across the Cook Strait and Marlborough Sound to the South Island. It was just as impressive we were sat up at the front (as luck would have it because we had breakfast there), the sky was blue which was a change to the day before. We didn’t see any dolphins this time but we did see and albatross, huge and wheeling ahead of us. It completely dwarfs the Cormorant. I’ve no idea what sort it was. I was pleased to see this as it’s not a bird normally seen from the shore.
Lee got chatting to an Elf! Actually it was a chap who had been in the Lord of the Rings as an extra, both as an Elf and an Uruk-hai. He was also the model for an elf doll.

We only have four days on the South Island and it was always going to be a bit of a road trip. On landing in Picton we had a lovely drive down to Christchurch. Not so stressful this time as I kept a better eye on the fuel gage. When we had glimpses of the mountains this time they were snow dusted. The road is so close to the sea, road works are an almost permanent feature, what with shoring up the water side and protecting it from rock falls on the other.

We stopped in a Motel for the night, this was the first time we’ve shared a room. I wasn’t sure how Lee felt about that so I asked him. The reply ” It’s just like being in the cub scouts!” Should I be worried?
The next morning we visited the Cardboard Cathedral in Christchurch. Unfortunately for us it was Sunday and a service was being held. It’s an unusual building, clothed in a plastic covering. It’s a temporary structure made mostly from cardboard. The original Cathedral was badly damaged in the 2011 earthquake.

We had arranged to meet with some of Lee’s relatives for lunch. Lee didn’t know any of them but, we met Steve, Michelle and their yougest daughters, Hannah and Rebecca at a cafe. I found them all really easy to talk to and interesting. Michelle is distantly related to Lee and I could easily see a resemblance to Lee’s father Chris.

We had planned to visit a museum afterwards, however Lee was struggling with a migraine and looked a little grey round the gills so we decided to head to the next hotel.

This was much further than either of us anticipated. Lee slept through the flat boring bit and woke as we climbed into what looks like the Scottish Highlands in Arthur’s Pass.

We stayed at Bealey’s Hotel, the room we were given was not what we expected, more like a youth hostel. I think it had been misrepresented on the booking site. We paid for a better room.

The area is spectacular and the view from our room just amazing, we wandered down to the river after dinner and just enjoyed it all.

Once the light was going we went back to our room and settled down to watch Lord of the Rings on Lee’s iPad.