The East Coast

The Tranzalpine train was nice and very scenic. It left Greymouth on the west coast of the south island and went up into the Southern Alps reaching the highest point at Arthur's Pass and then down the other side of the Alps, across the Canterbury Plain and into Christchurch on the east coast.

Tranzalpine Train


Christchurch is a very English city and the largest city on the south island. I spent my time in Christchurch at the history museum, botanic gardens, art museum, the cathedral (all of which are free by the way) and also did a fair amount of general wandering. I've found that New Zealand is chock full of coffee shops and have managed to find one of these every day. Not only are these great hangouts but they also ensure a daily source of coffee to fulfull my daily coffee consumption quota. I also took a day trip to Akaroa and the Banks Peninsula east of Christchurch on the coast. Originally I planned to do a dolphin boat trip but my plans were thwarted by rain and rough seas, so instead I wandered Akaroa with my friend for the day, an Australian woman on holiday, and predictably we found ourselves a cozy little coffee shop overlooking the harbour where we could warm up and dry off a bit.

Christchurch City Center


The next stop on my journey north was Kaikoura, a small town on the east coast where mountains and ocean meet. Just off the coast is an underwater canyon reaching depths of 1600 meters very near to shore. Because of this the area is home to a wide variety of wildlife. While in Kaikoura I visited the resident fur seal colony, walked the Kaikoura Peninsula track and went whale watching where we saw sperm whales, dusky dolphins, albatross and a variety of other birds. My hostel was a mere two minute walk from the beach and in the morning you could see dolphins swimming just off shore. As with pretty much every other part of the south island I have seen thus far the scenery in Kaikoura was stunning.

Kaikoura


Next, I made my way to from Kaikoura to Nelson on the very north end of the South Island. Nelson is a funky town similar to the likes of Boulder. Neighboring Nelson about an hour to the east is Abel Tasman National Park about which I have heard wonderful things and wanted to see for myself. I arranged a trip with a company and awoke early the next morning to wait outside the hostel for my bus. A very nice luxury coach promptly pulled up, however this was not for me. A few minutes later a bright orange mini bus flew up the road and screeched to a halt squarely on the sidewalk. This was for me. The driver/guide, Steve, who had the complexion and demeanor of a surfer dude, took us to Marahau where we would begin our day in Abel Tasman National Park. Our trip consisted of taking a couple of water taxis, hiking a portion of the Coast Track, followed by kayaking the remainder of the way along the coast back to Marahau. It was fantastic, although I have to admit the swells in the ocean were a little scary at times while we were kayaking. On the kayaking portion we stopped at a little island that was home to female fur seals and their pups. They came right up to our kayaks and curiously peered at us. Steve said "just don't let them bite you". Right, yes, no sticking my hand into a wild seal mouth full of sharp point teeth. Check. All digits present and account for. The seals were awesome to see up close in the water and kayaking the coast was beautiful.

Getting Ready to Kayak at Te Puketea Bay


Next up...The North Island.