June 26, 2017 – from Nelson to Christchurch
Today we asked him if he ever goes to the annual competition
for the World of Wearable Art and he said that he’s love to, but the
accommodations are too expensive! See above!! We chat about NZ politics and accents and how
the Australians aren’t very nice to the Kiwis.
He suggests that we stop to see the Maruia Falls on our way back south
and we consider it. He also shows us
photos of a Nelson sunrise that he has on his phone. He promises that they have one every
morning! It isn’t so much what he says,
but his sublime sense of timing!
We clear our table, despite his concerns, and go up stairs
to gather our belongings, his reminder not to leave any cables ringing in our
ears. We load everything in the trunk
and Tony appears with a pitcher of water to wash off all our windows. Such a sweetheart!
We’re off – down SH 6 back to Murchison, then south on 65 to
pick up SH 7 and hope that Lewis Pass is open.
The thermometer on the dashboard reads minus three! That’s centigrade; but still!!
You can see your breath and there is frost on the plants as we’re driving.
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| Frost!! |
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| Mohawk Mountain! |
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| Animal feed in the green wrappers |
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| We're back to seeing mist on the mountains. |
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| The first lollipop man of the day |
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| Autumn leaves! |
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| Oh, joy. Mist on the road! |
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| We see these rental campervans everywhere! |
On down we do. There
are supposed to be three or four little towns on this stretch; but we don’t see any until the last one! We decide that at the intersection where we
pick up SH 7 we need to stop and get some lunch. It’s called Junction Springs, appropriately
enough, and we stop at what looks like a truck stop. We go through the line and choose hot things
from the cabinet. I get a mince and
cheese pie and decide that’s not enough so I grab an “Afghans Biscut”. It’s the second time I’ve seen one and I have
to know what it is! Marilyn is in front
of me and when we get to the cashier she asks if it’s possible to get a
salad. There’s a little consultation and
the girls decide that we can have the one that usually goes with the sausage
for five dollars (remember that’s NZ dollars, so about three fifty or so). Sounds good so we each order one.
While we’re eating three Buddhist monks come in dressed in
their orange robes; but they’ve added a few layers and knit hats, all in
orange. At the same time a road worker
comes in and he’s dressed in orange, too!!
Fortified, we head for Lewis Pass. The weather has been dry, although the
temperature is low, and we pass through (giggle) without even noticing! There was a tiny little sign that appeared to
be hand lettered and said Lewis Pass 907 m.
Otherwise we wouldn’t even have know!
All along the way we are stopped by the “lollipop men” but
none of the stops are very long or annoying.
We also notice that most of the guys – and girls – smile and wave at all
the passersby.
It’s now about three and time for a coffee break. In Culverden we stop at a bakery that looks
like a tiny, dingy hole in the wall. But
the coffee (flat whites all around) and the carrot cake are superb! And come just in time, too.
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| When they say one-lane bridge, they aren't kidding! |
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| Whatever landscape you are looking for, you can find it in New Zealand! |
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| Vineyards everywhere! |
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| And cattle! Milk is the number one export! |
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| And sheep, of course! |
We’re close enough now that I open Marilyn’s laptop and
check the screen shot that gives us the turn by turn directions to our B&B
for tonight. The first four or five
steps go perfectly. But never fear,
there is always another adventure waiting!
We finally pull over and give up some of that precious data to use
Google maps on her phone. Three short
turns later and we’re at the Alumni House B&B! And it’s still light!
Our hostess was a primary teacher, then a lecturer at
Christchurch University, as was her husband.
They decided that opening a B&B was a good career move! They have a beautiful facility and we have
our bedroom, with ensuite, and a separate kitchen/dining room all to
ourselves! And the resident kitty,
Milly, adores people!
She told us that their minister of education is in favor of
open classrooms because they are cheaper to build and there isn’t much money
for all the repairs that are required.
She’s not a fan.
We ask about how the earthquake affected them and she says
that she and her husband were both at work;
but they had a guest who was home.
He went into their home and took things down off the walls and in
general took care of things until they got home. She said the after shocks lasted for several
weeks and no one lived in their upstairs!
They came down and lived with their guest! She said that she say one of their hanging
lamps swung so hard that it hit the ceiling!
Perhaps the most amazing thing, was that the next morning
their newspaper was at the gate and was filled with instructions about what
people needed to be doing! We plan to
check out some of the areas that still show damage tomorrow.
We’ve unloaded the car and taken a stab at packing
everything in our suitcases. There’s a
chance we’ll be able to get everything home!
Here’s hoping!
I'm impressed that you make a long driving day so interesting. I do think I will start calling the road sign people lollipop men. Really quite charming.
ReplyDeleteIt was easy when every curve revealed another gorgeous view! The only challenge was trying to capture them from a speeding car! Yes, I love "lollipop men", too! Tony was such a hoot, quiet, dry humor!
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