We spend the next day cruising around the bottom of the South Island, this part of NZ appears very isolated and unihabited. ย However it is very picturesque, with various birds including a number of Albatross following our ship. ย Interestingly the Captain tells us most of the ships lights a turned off early in the evening to stop attracting birds from the shore. ย Apparently many become lost, being found dead or injured on the ship.
The next morning we wake to find we are already docked at Port Chambers. ย It’s a 20 minute bus ride to Dunedin. The ride along the bay is easy and we arrive at the tourist information centre and head off for a coffee. We decide on the round city tourist bus to kill an hour and get our bearings. ย Dunedin was founded by English and Scottish settlers, this is reflected in the buildings and larger homes. ย We bus it back in the afternoon, stopping for drink at the pub near the Port.
We sail at dusk for Christchurch, again finding we have docked just after dawn. ย The Vollendam has docked at Lyttelton, a 10 minute bus ride from Christchurch. ย We arrive and immediately begin the search for a good coffee. ย It doesn’t take too long and we sit down and get our bearings. ย Before long a tram rubbles past and we have found our next adventure. ย There is a tourist tram that does a loop of the CBD.
We jump off in the main square wander a few shops before we spot the Cathedral. ย After looking through we noted you can climb to the mid-point of the spire for a dollar, so off we went up its tight spiral staircase. ย The views and photos well worth the dollar once you get your breath back. Sadly this spire collapsed in the earthquake in 2011 killing a number of people. ย It is quite sad to see Christchurch so often in the news as the aftershocks and quakes have continued.
Finding the tourist information center we note a chairlift to the hills behind Christchurch and the bus leaves from nearby, so our next impromptu adventure commences. ย It’s a long amble through the suburbs but eventually we find ourselves at the chairlift and where on our way to the top. ย The views are great and the ride up and back a bit of fun. ย Anyway time to head back to the ship as cocktail hour approaches.
