Day 6--Down South toward Christchurch

Kekerengu

Road work in NZ

Randi's finds

Left from Blenheim today on the way to Christchurch. We stopped for coffee in a place called Kekerengu, which seems to have nothing but a tea house and the ocean...ahh, the ocean. Its such a beautiful color. Randi and I went rock hounding for really smooth round white rocks. Lots of conglomerate type rocks here, and we did find some we like. Yes, I am          

Jim holding up a mountain
in the Kaikoura range

            bringing it home.

Next stop was Kaikoura, which is a real tourist destination...feels like Santa Cruz or Capitola. Bus tours from cruise ships too, but the real reason we stopped here was that in the right season there is a NZ fur seal colony here, but , alas, not a seal to be seen.

The dark hill is an exotic forest
aka Monterey Pine

One of many one-lane bridges
You wait for oncoming traffic.

Jim took the old inland road, heading for the number one tourist destination in NZ, Hanmer Springs. Can't say I ever heard of it, but if you aren't going to a city, this is where you go. What a road! Lots of rolling hills (NZ is one of the most up-and-down, and then up again, countries I have ever seen.) with turns where you're supposed to slow way down, then one lane bridges, then do it all over again, for 85 km. Randi did not get sick, but I think it was a close call.

Henmer Springs hot mineral baths

 Finally reached Hanmer Springs, where we checked into a boutique hotel, and then went to the hot mineral springs. Large choice of mineral, really hot, cooler, and hydro-therapy, which is a fancy way of saying huge jacuzzi. Stayed at the springs for a couple of hours, changed, and then went to a fantastic, small restaurant named Malabar. Indian run, with several kinds of Pacific Rim foods. Good curry, too.

For the tourists from left hand drive
countries