Sunday 2 February:
I spent the morning at the Christchurch Botanical Gardens which although it was a grey and overcast day was full of families and tourists, particularly Chinese folk.
The “Chugger” train ride (which chuffed just like a steam engine) had queues of parents and kids waiting their turn for a spin around the gardens.
Roses, dahlias and rhododendrons were in full bloom.
And I found a full grown tulip tree in the grounds. Do you remember my last year’s visit to Hundertwasser country in Kawakawa and Whangarei and mentioning that he wished to be buried on his property in the “Garden of the Happy Dead” with a tulip tree planted over him to be sustained by the humus from his composting body? His tree started as a small sapling in an open paddock and is now 24 years old, and a sizeable tree in a dense forest.
Tulip trees are a native “whitewood” from North America. Not sure I would wish to be buried under this one.
Sunday after lunch I started off on Route 72, the Inland Scenic Route where the Canterbury Plains borders the Southern Alps, with first stop at Oxford and the Ashley Gorge Holiday Park. I had time to visit Williams Flat Reserve that afternoon and take in the Fairy House bush walk up to the Gorge Lookout.
Ashley Gorge from the lookout.
There were over a dozen of these “houses” on trees adjacent to the walking track, each with a pithy saying contributed by locals. Opening the door on this one and —–
—– this is what was revealed. Another example was from Dave of the Oxford Mens’ Shed who wrote in his “house” that “It always amazes me how exercise and extra-fries sound alike”.
Monday 3 February:
A brilliant sunny day with a 1 hour forest loop walk over the river from the camping ground.
There were some pretty steep steps to climb up into the forest above the river (hiking poles invaluable) —–
—–but there were great views, such as here across to Williams Flat Reserve with the motorhome the only vehicle at 8am ——
—- and later a view of the Ashley River cutting through the plains farmland. I met three locals doing the forest loop, one of whom said they have an underground counter on the track entrance which recorded 10,000 walkers last year (around 27 per day on average).
The next river gorge on Route 72 was the Waimakariri.
River access at the bridge provided great opportunity for canoeing enthusiasts.
And finally for the day it was the Rakaia Gorge where two bridges spanned across to and from an island in the middle of the gorge outlet.
Bridge 1 was a sort of upside-down steel truss —-
—– while Bridge 2, a few metres across the island, was a conventional concrete arch.
Tuesday 4 February:
This was an engineering visit – the Lake Coleridge Power Station, constructed in 1914 to serve Christchurch City growth. I backtracked over the Rakaia Gorge and travelled up the left bank of the river to Coleridge Village and the power station.
It always amazes me how every time you stop at the side of the road with a mob of sheep grazing happily away in an adjacent paddock, as soon as they see the camera, they all turn with a quizzical look to have a group photo taken.
The power station has 6 turbines with the outlet from turbine 4 shown here.
A dual tunnel system 2.2km long feeds lake water to two surge chambers 176 metres above the turbine intakes.
Looking down the feed pipelines from the location of the surge chambers. This view is similar to that taken from a helicopter and featured in the 1987 Beacons TV series Part 4 episode relating to the engineering use of water.
Back on Route 72 the rain had set in, so a rest stop was in order at Staveley cafe, famous for its varieties of sausage rolls.
The café today – the Topp Twins lived along the road from the café in years past. I stocked up on sausage rolls.
A few km up a side road from the café was a series of forest walking tracks built and maintained by the Mount Somers Walkways Society. I took off in the rain to visit the Sharplin Falls, a I hour return walk with several zig-zag climbs and descents.
The first bridge 20 minutes up the track.
Second bridge at the foot of the falls 35 minutes up the track.
The falls are a series of cascades dropping down through the valley. It was a 25 minute walk from the falls viewing platform back down to the parking area.
Wednesday 5 February:
After overnighting at Geraldine I backtracked up country to Peel Forest where on the Acland Estate there is the Anglican Church of the Holy Innocents where Ngio Marsh is buried in the graveyard. Lexie and I visited it twice in past years, so this was a trip down memory lane.
The Holy Innocents name comes from the fact that the location in years past was the resting place for three children of the district who died very young.
The Acland homestead viewed from the gravel access road to the church.
At Geraldine there are two vehicle museums come heritage centres.
The Roger Mahan Heritage Centre exhibited the collection of one man assembled over a lifetime of contracting success in earthmoving as well as owning and operating Milburn Lime Company.
The Military Museum was opened in November 2023 by a local man who had 14 years in the NZ territorial army service during which he collected odd bits of military equipment which he stored on his farm. After being given a host of Vietnam military pieces by a guy from Waimate he decided to pool all this material into formal collection. This has now expanded substantially as donations of equipment rolled in when other ex-military folk heard what he was doing. Everything has been beautifully restored, and excellently presented.
Wednesday afternoon on my way to Oamaru I detoured up to Duntroon to visit the second of two Maori rock drawing sites which I missed out on in 2024.
These drawings are within a large limestone overhang high above the road up a steep track.
These pre-European symbols are thought to represent sea creatures.
But some drawings of sailing ships indicate post-European contact, drawn by people far from the sea.
Thursday 6 February:
It was a really wet morning travelling from Oamaru to Dunedin, but the rain cleared after I arrived at 9.30. I then checked around the railway station to see what all-day parking was available for my Taieri Gorge rail trip on Saturday.
The Station is one of NZ’s most iconic buildings and is still a fully functioning railway station.
It also houses the Otago Arts Society studio and gallery as well as a sports museum and a Cobb and Co restaurant (remember these from the 1960s and 70s?).
The tile work throughout the main foyer and stairwell is unique —–
—– as is the stained glass work.
The rest of the day was a visit to Taiaroa Heads at the end of the Peninsula and the Royal Albatross Centre. When Lexie and I first visited there over 45 years ago it consisted of a parking lot and walking track with a climb to an outdoor viewing area behind a board fence. Now it is a huge complex with excellent historical and wildlife displays, and access to a viewing building by guided tour at $60/adult (50% discount for Gold Card holders).
There were 4 nesting pairs in residence with this bird egg sitting while its partner was out for a couple of days gathering food. They then will swap over for the next couple of days.
[Last season’s web-cam photo.] Once the chick is hatched and puts on weight it takes two parents fishing daily to feed both themselves and the ravenous youngster. These birds breed here and once the new family member grows strong they all fly east to Argentina returning a year or so later via South Africa and the Southern Ocean to breed again.
Two of the four nests are visible in the grass below the viewing building. Taiaroa Head is also at the entrance for shipping into Port Chalmers.
Friday 7 February:
I spent the day exploring the city centre with a three hour trip mid-day out to Glenfalloch on the Portobello Road to visit the gardens and have lunch at their restaurant.
The refurbishment of George Street’s pedestrian conversion included (I was told) this $600,000 see-saw complex which had ratepayers flabbergasted!!
The entrance path to the Glenfalloch Restaurant passed by a sculpture which was easy to photo as it was not darting around like the live ones I chased during last year’s travels.
The 30 acres of gardens occupy a deep valley and stream to the side of the homestead (originally built in 1872 and renovated in 1920) with loads of trees lining the slopes and several tracks from easy to difficult threading their way throughout the valley.
In the city there was First Church and the Octagon on my after lunch visit list.
First Church was closed while renovations are carried out ——–
—— while in the Octagon this 2021 sculpture is a “doorway to different dimensions” based on the doorway to the Otakou Marae where Southern Tribes signed the Treaty on 13 June 1840.
Saturday 8 February:
Taieri Gorge Railway today, leaving in brilliant sunshine at 9.30am for a 5 hour return trip to Pukerangi (about 2/3rd of the way to Middlemarch). There were 10 tunnels and maybe 20 bridges including the renown Wingatui Viaduct.
The Gorge is really rugged – in this shot the railway is in the top left-hand corner where a scree slope heads down toward the river.
Entering one of the tunnels after crossing a viaduct.
The Wingatui Viaduct.
Taieri River in view as we cross a viaduct over a side stream.
And a leg-stretch stop at Hindon where this sculpture of dog Sue acknowledges the contribution that Collies have made to farming activity in Central Otago over the last 150 years.
So, quite a busy week.
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