Auckland, New Zealand

We took an enjoyable ten day trip to New Zealand over the Chinese New Year. New Zealand is made up of two main islands, the North Island and the South Island (separated by the Cook Strait), and some smaller surrounding islands. New Zealand is a relatively small country with a population of 4 million people and 40 million sheep ! Approximately three quarters of New Zealand's population live on the North Island.

With limited time it was impossible to see the whole of New Zealand. With that said, we decided to spend most of our time visiting the South Island, especially since the South Island is known for its magnificent Southern Alps, amazing glaciers and stunning fiords. Our trip however began in Auckland on the North Island. Auckland has a population of over 1 million people and is New Zealand's most cosmopolitan city. We stayed overnight in Auckland and not only did we get a chance to do a little exploring around the city and its beautiful harbour, but we were also able to meet up with Sam's friends Bernard and Glynda for dinner. Sam went to school with Bernard in South Africa and also knew Glynda from her school days. Bernard and Glynda took us to Mission Bay, where we had a great evening with good food and good conversation. It was great seeing them again and catching up with them.
The following day we made our way south by flying to Wellington, situated near the southern tip of the North Island.

Wellington, New Zealand

We flew from Auckland to Wellington and stayed overnight. Wellington is the capital of New Zealand and is the main crossroad between the North Island and the South Island. Not only is Wellington the capital, but it has also established itself as the home of New Zealand's dynamic film industry (especially after the success of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films).
Wellington is affectionately called "Windy Welly" and we got to experience first hand the ripping winds and accompanying rain (sideways) that Wellington is known for. Fortunately the winds did eventually die down and the rain did stop long enough for us to visit some of the outdoor attractions.

The Beehive, Parliament House and Parliament Library
The "Beehive" is the name for the Executive Wing of the parliamentary complex and it has been called this because of its shape. It was designed by British Architect Sir Basil Spence and was completed in 1982. The Beehive is 72 metres tall and has 14 floors, 2 of which are underground. It is where the Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers have offices and where the Cabinet meets. Adjacent to the Beehive is the Parliament House and next to that, Parliament Library.

Old Government Buildings
The old Government Buildings date back to 1876 and are among the world's largest all-wooden buildings. These buildings have been very well maintained and it was hard to tell that they are so old and made only out of wood.

The Little Red Cable Car
This is one of Wellington's prime attractions and takes visitors from Lambton Quay (the city's main business street) to Kelburn and the Wellington Botanic Gardens at the top. From the top we were able to get some views of the city and the harbour.

Te Papa Museum
Te Papa is New Zealand's finest museum and offers visitors the opportunity to interactively experience New Zealand's history and culture. Te Papa is situated on the waterfront and is a national icon. One of the main attractions at the museum is the huge Maori collection, which includes a marae (communal meeting place) created by leading Maori carvers. We spent an enjoyable afternoon exploring the five levels of this well laid-out museum and even though it was impossible to see everything in the limited time that we had, we made sure we saw the most popular highlights.

Wellington to Christchurch, New Zealand

We left Wellington early the next morning on board the Interislander Ferry, bound for Picton on the northern tip of the South Island. It was a cool and grey morning, with gusty winds blowing (no wonder they called it "Windy Wellington"!). That said, the weather conditions made the ferry journey a less-than pleasant experience, especially when we got to the open waters. The ferry itself was huge (room for up to 1600 passengers and 600 cars), but it could not steadily withstand the winds and rough waters, which made for a very bumpy ride at times. As for the surrounding scenery, because it was a grey and overcast day, the scenery wasn't as spectacular as it might have been. The ferry ride was just over 3 hours, covering a distance of 92 kilometres. We (or rather Sam) were very happy when we finally reached Picton, located in Queen Charlotte Sound and disembarked from the ferry.

After we arrived in Picton and disembarked from the ferry, we took a short walk to the train station where we boarded a Tranz Scenic train bound for Christchurch. Fortunately the weather in Picton was a vast improvement over the weather in Wellington, as it was much warmer and sunnier, and there were no winds ! The train ride was over 5 hours and in that time we traveled through 22 tunnels and over 175 bridges. The scenery was breathtaking as we traveled past farmlands; vineyards; the Kaikoura Mountain ranges and along the Pacific ocean coastline. It was a perfect introduction to the beautiful scenery that we would encounter on the South Island in the days to come.

Christchurch
We arrived in Christchurch in the late afternoon and had enough time to walk around Cathedral Square and parts of the city centre. Christchurch is the South Island's biggest city and is known as the Garden City. We stayed overnight in Christchurch and then collected our rental car early the next morning, before setting off on our journey to explore the West Coast of the South Island.