Wellington to Christchurch

Big travel day today. We took the 9am ferry from Wellington to Picton on South Island. It was a little over 3 hours, but it was like a mini cruise, they had movie theaters, a magic show, food etc. From Picton it was about a 5 hour drive down the coast to Christchurch. There is a lot of construction that delayed us quite a bit. I guess it is repairs from the big earthquake from a couple years ago that severely damaged the highway.

The drive was quite beautiful. At first we felt like we were in California because the hills were dry brown, and the valleys were filled with vineyards. They even have the “fire risk: very high” signs like California. I guess the similar climates are why they can both produce good wines.

It is very warm here, and I heard on the radio that they are setting heat records in the southern part of the island. Down here the further south you go the cooler it should get, theoretically. Right now it is getting hotter as we move south.

This is our trip so far, in New Zealand.

Tomorrow we pick up the RV. I’m not sure how much WiFi access we’ll have while RVing, so updates might be more sporadic.

David

Wellington

Yesterday we drove from Taupo to Wellington, but not before stopping at the Taupo farmers market to check it out. It was a cross between a flea market and farmers market.

The drive was long and pretty scenic but it was mostly overcast and we did get some heavy rain, which unfortunately obscured the mountains. Anyway we arrived in Wellington and checked into our Airbnb in time for us to go out for a short walk and Yanmei took this:

Today we decided to go to Zealandia, which our host recommended. It is a 500 acre sanctuary where they are trying to restore the habitat to pre-human levels for plants and birds. Until humans arrived there were no mammals in New Zealand, which meant that birds thrived here. Humans not only hunted the birds, they also brought predators like rats, possums and cats that severely damaged a lot of bird species. Zealandia is surrounded by a predator-proof fence to keep all those things out, which makes it feel a bit like Jurassic Park.

Inside are rare bird species and native forests.

The lizard above is a Tuatara, which is the last living species from its order. The rest went extinct with the dinosaurs.

After Zealandia we did some shopping in Wellington, before heading back. Now I’m writing this blog before dinner 😀.

David