Andrew, having flown From Sydney to Wellington NZ, noticed that the flight path takes him over the Marlborough Sounds on the northern tip of New Zealand's South Island. From the air, the scenery looke spectacular. So, We made it a holiday destination and in doing so, discovered we had friends there als!
The area ia mountainous, and right on the northern coast of New Zealand's Sount Island. The main towns are Picton and Nelson, and we stayed in Picton. A picturesque town right on the water.
The waterways are a beautiful blue, and the water is cold - even during summer where it sits around 17 degrees.
A worthwhile trip to do is the Mailboat run that leaves from Havelock and travels the Sounds of the region delivering mail and supplis to the remote residents of the area. The scenery is spectacular, and all the locals come out to meet the boat with friendly and eager expectation.
The waterways are extensive and the surounds are an eye-opener as to how and where people choose to live.
As beautiful as they are, the fijords are deep and the water is cold, hence you don't see people swimming so much - even in summer!
The Marlborough region is known the world over for it's wines and specifically for the Sauvignion Blanc variety. There are a huge number of wineries and the number is growing att the time. We caught up with our friends Steve and Sally who took us around the area to sample some wines and have lunch at one of the wineries. Steve was a mate of ours from our University days who now, along with Sally, own Crocadylus Eco resort in Cow Bay in the Daintree area. We also toured around the coastline to explore what was around with Steve and Sally and we also went for a cruise in their runabout on the water.
After spending a week or so in Picton with Steve and Sally, we headed south to Hamner Springs for a couple of days before flying back to Sydney from Christchurch. We stayed in a cabin at the end of a picturesque driveway. The cabin had a log fire and overlooked grazing land with a flock of sheep on it.
Hanmer Springs is known for it's hot springs and is a cute village in the mountains North of Christchurch. We tried out the springs and they were quite warm.
The long photo below was taken from the far side of Christchurch harbour. The city itself still showed signs of the eathquake that hit it years ago. Many buildings, sporting fields, shops are still barricaded as a no-go zone while they are gradually demolished.
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