Day 73 – Pedal to the metal

Today we had to get some big mileage in, driving from Dunedin to Christchurch. Before we hit the road I went into town to sort out our kayak refund. The isite in Dunedin were really helpful and more than a little miffed that Te Anau had passed us along to them when they could have sorted us out yesterday.

Leaving town we headed took did a road trip around the Otago Peninsular. The roads were superb to drive; cliffs on the way out and edge of the sea on the way back. It took about half an hour to get from Dunedin to the Royal Albatross Centre that marks the end of the Peninsular. Apparently this is the only place in the world where albatross have a colony on land but due to it being breeding season we couldn’t walk around.

Heading aback into Dunedin we stopped off for a Subway and a haircut. I had a great chat with the hairdresser and he pointed out some sights to see on the road to Christchurch. I’ve really enjoy speaking to the locals and find that a quick hello is usually welcomed and sparks conversations that provide a better insight into the area than any written word.

Hitting the road we found the distance easier to cover as the roads on the East coast are much straighter and faster than those on the West. After a couple of hours we stopped off to see the Moeraki Boulders; a strange geological formation of spherical boulders that emerge from the cliffs and spread out across a section of golden beach.

The remainder of the journey was spent cruising at speed along long fast highway, intermittently passing double trailer trucks. At one point we passed over the longest bridge in New Zealand, way hay! Much of the East coast scenery is dominated by fields, grazing cattle and huge irrigation systems that put the ones I’ve seen in France to shame.

Finding out hostel in Christchurch was a little surreal as I had to follow signs for Lyttelton and Hagley; both places just down the road from where I grew up. My Granddad had previously told me that the Lyttelton family had been to these islands and thus thus places had taken their names. The hostel, The Old country House, is one of the nicest we’ve found and I’ll be glad for the comfy surroundings after a long day driving.

To get rid of the cobwebs I took the car into the centre of the city and went for a run around Hagley Park. It was a lovely run. The park has some lovely trees, a river and exercise activity points that allowed me to add circuit training into my run.

So that’s pretty much it for the South Island. We’ve covered over 2200 kilometres and only scratched the surface of what this island has to offer. Good – it leaves something for me to come back and explore!