Great Journeys of New Zealand
03 Feb 2020
Great Journeys of New Zealand
Our Trip from Wellington, the cook straight ferry, the coastal pacific train to Christchurch.
We flew to Wellington from Tauranga Airport, chose the Ibis Hotel situated in the heart of Wellington CBD in Featherstone Street, for its close proximity to the Ferry Terminal and the airport, great for shopping in the centre of the CBD. Our room with a comfortable queen bed was clean and quiet. Just off the lobby, the bistro offers drinks, breakfast, lunch or dinner, even pork jowl of which I’ve never heard before!!! The Shuttle from Wellington Airport to the hotel cost$10.00. While in Wellington you may want to visit Te Papa Museum, Space Observatory and the Wellington Botanical Gardens in Kelburn.
Reception pre-booked a taxi for us for 7.30am the next morning, the short ride to the Ferry Terminal, cost $20.00. There also is a shuttle service leaving from the railway station to meet each sailing of the day. The Ferry Terminal was pretty busy for such an early hour, being surrounded by many sleepy people, we blended in very well I must add.
Our Cook Straight experience began as we boarded the Kaitaki, (Kiwi Rail Kaitaki, Aratere, and the Arahura operate under the brand name of INTERISLANDER.)
The captain’s safety instructions over the intercom where annoyingly inaudible, and sorry to say the viewing windows were murky making it difficult for clear vision. All passengers including numerous overseas passengers, without a doubt, would have appreciated good visibility especially as we were accompanied by pods of dolphins, showing off a spectacular sight, breaching and diving beneath our ship. The crossing was smooth and comfortable even though it blew 20 knots. Good choices of food onboard, plenty of viewing areas to enjoy the spectacular Marlborough Sound of the South Island. The trip takes 3hours and thirty-five minutes from Wellington to Picton.
OUR COASTAL PACIFIC JOURNEY
On reaching Picton, we disembarked to a buzzing beachfront to be greeted by a live jazz band, people enjoying the music, busy cafes and restaurants, we managed to find a table in Café Cortado, enjoyed their delicious seafood chowder.
E-Ko Tours in Picton offer many tour options including Captain Cook Cruise to Ship Cove, Wildlife and Wine, Kaipupu Sanctuary Cove as well as Whale Watching and Dolphin swimming, Day out Picton and Marlborough Sounds. Tours depart 8am, 9am and 1.30pm from the waterfront. Swimming with the Dolphins; $165 per adult $135 per child. $99 per adult $30 child for just viewing off the boat.
We boarded the Coastal Pacific, a leg of the journey that we were so looking forward to. Your luggage is booked in from Ferry to train all the way. There are daily departures from Picton throughout the summer season, but be aware the train station has no toilet facilities, therefore, allow some time before boarding as toilets are situated across two streets at the beachfront. The journey to Kaikoura is 2h16min (156 km)
Our Coastal Pacific journey; with the sea stretching to the horizon in the east and the Kaikoura mountains stretching to the sky in the west, makes it a stunningly beautiful scene.
We travelled through farms and pine covered hills, flanked by grapevine as far as the eye could see. The district is a premier grape and olive growing district, home to Cloudy bay, Yealands and Brancott and numerous others. This vine growing region stretches 10kilometres all the way to the sea. The1800 earthquake in Wellington affected the seabed around Blenheim making it accessible for shallow bottom boats to transport fruit and vegetables to Wellington.
1769 Captain Cook sailed these parts hence the name Cook Straight. There is a belief that a land bridge could have existed linking the two Islands. We passed Lake Grassmere, run by Dominion Salt, a major salt catchment situated in a perfect spot due to high winds and many hours of sunshine. Where else in the world will you find a pink coloured salt mine at the edge of an ocean? It looked almost surreal! Lake Grassmere yields 130,000tons of salt per year stretching across 1500 hectares. Energy3 has installed 660 KW Vestas V47 Turbine which provides around 75% of the plant’s energy needs.
This is also a prolific farming district; sheep farms abound in the surrounding hills. An hour and a half out of Picton, just out of Ward, we reached the South Pacific Ocean, the closest coast is Chile. We now travel through the Marlborough region, where the wild sea pounds on rocks and black volcanic sand. We see the foothills of the Southern Alps, where Sir Edmund Hillary trained before his climb to the Himalayas, this is a popular spot with many camping facilities along the coast including flocks of sheepen joying a room with a view over the Pacific Ocean. The Waiau Toa/Clarence River flows through here into the South Pacific Ocean, the 5th longest river in the South Island. A beautiful spot for camping, nevertheless a turbulent landscape with much volcanic action. Kumara, brought in by early Maori, grows well in this region.
Along this amazing coast, travelling towards Kaikoura, we passed Limestone boulders in unusual formations, sizes, encrusted in sea shells providing great camouflage for the seals and their pups. These boulders pushed up four meters from the seabed during the earthquakes are quite a freaky sight. Seals thrive in huge colonies of 10,000, along this stretch of coast they bask in sunshine outer rain that not long ago was submerged four meters below sea level. We now cleared the Oahu Point tunnel, once again we regretted by thousands of seal pups frolicking in the waterfall. They don’t seem to be bothered by tourists but it’s not recommended trying to touch them, please keep your distance.
We marvelled at the ongoing earthworks on the immense project of earthquake recovery and in most places extensions out on the Botanical Gardens, Hagley Park, where you can get a delicious coffee and cake.
Go for a punt in the Avon River. Take a walk up the Port Hills, great for biking and walking and from the Port Hills, stand in we at the spectacular sights of the snow-covered Southern Alps. A visit to the Canterbury Cardboard Cathedral opened in August 2013, is very worthwhile; a transitional co-cathedral after the 2011earthquake which devastated the Canterbury Cathedral. The new Library in Cathedral Square, at a cost of $92million, named Turanga, was gifted by Te Ngai Tua huriri Runanga, is impressive indeed. Christchurch is also home to Canterbury and Lincoln Universities and the Rugby Union’s the Crusaders. One hour and 58mins from Christchurch, you cans oak in the thermal hot pools of Hanmer Springs.
Visit gorgeous Akaroa, a historic French and British settlement. Sample French Crepes, cruise around Akaroa Harbour the habitat of Hector’s Dolphins. Join a guided tour and enjoy close up encounters withal pacas. Shamara-alpacas.co.nz Our Coastal Pacific journey was a true eye-opening experience, loved every minute, plenty to do and see in perfect comfort; The spectacular Kaikoura Coast, The South Pacific Ocean. The lush plains of the Canterbury District, the majestic Southern Alps. Oh...and did I mention Christchurch has world standard restaurants and cafés to satisfy the fussiest foodie.
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