New Zealand Journal Day 8

We awoke to another day of perfect fall weather and checked out of The Settles, one of the nicest lodgings Sandi and I have had in years traveling abroad. The manager even changed a hundred dollars for me and gave me the best rate yet: $100 for $140 NZ. We ate breakfast at one of the sidewalk cafes in quaint downtown Hanmer. The main drag reminded us of a quiet a Gatlinburg before it became noisy and gaudy. After breakfast, we followed Jackie to an art shop where she purchased a watercolor print by a local artist; a captivating boat and sea scene.

Leaving Hanmer Springs, we followed highway 7 through beautiful mountain valleys, streams, vineyards, sheep.

We came to Frog Rock and took a picture of Sandi.

We debouched into Canterbury Plain which is mostly farmland. We made a pit stop at a small atmospheric cafe. Sandi and Jackie had cappuccino. I crossed the street and bought a coke at a small mart.

On the way into Christchurch, we passed the crematorium where Alan is interred, lovely grounds populated with colorful rose bushes. Jackie took us on a tour of the earthquake damaged area of Christchurch 5 years ago. We recalled nothing because so much of the center city, including the magnificent cathedral, was destroyed.

We continued on to the Rasberry Cafe where we met Brian and Pam, Kevin and Jody, Maria and Daryl and Cheryl and Dan and all of their children for a lunch reunion.

Lucy

From this point on, the route to Christchurch turned into a mountainous coastal region with drop dead views around every bend and turn. Eventually, we saw Akaroa Harbor.

And came to the Bone’s home complete with awesome view, tennis courts (below) and swimming pool where JE swam laps before dinner.

We enjoyed wine before dinner with sunset views of Akaroa Harbor.

The last picture is a view of the Bone’s house looking from the back.

New Zealand Journal Day 9

After coffee and a bowl of oatmeal, Jackie took us for a tour of Akaroa and the harbor area. Before leaving, I took a photo of the house with some of the prodigious rose bushes.

We saw continuous scenes of the harbor along the way. Akaroa is a picturesque village nestled along the shores of the harbor with numerous shops, cafes and offices.

We stopped for some shopping. Sandi was looking for some Paua jewelry similar to some I bought for her 14 years ago when we were here.

We were able to watch the artisans at work. This was the same shop where I purchased the paua necklace drop for Sandi. Jackie took us down to see her son Brian who was working on a boat. We got a photo op of the lighthouse and the cruise liner in the harbor, then to a fudge shop. Jackie then drove us around the harbor for a photo of the entrance and also a view of their home on the opposite side of the harbor.