Te Waikoropupu Springs (Pupu Springs)

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After Abel Tasman National Park we tried our luck and drove over the hill to see Pupu Springs. Unfortunately by the time we got there, the sun had gone down enough that we couldn’t see much, but we saw enough to know they aren’t kidding when they say it’s the clearest water in the world.

After, we stopped at the nearby township (Motupipi I think) for dinner, having probably the worst fish and chips I have ever had – not good given the number of visitors that would go through there. Still, it was a nice enough little town …

Nelson

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Nelson, sunny Nelson.

Unfortunately not – when we left Christchurch we saw the forecast for cloud and rain for both full days we were to be in the area – the first day did not disappoint the weatherman, but we only had a limited time so had to get out there anyway.

On the evening we got there, the missus noticed the water was out, and it was a chance for interesting shots of stranded boats.

Then just over the road was a small railway station, presumably part of a tourist railway as I don’t think the main line ever reached Nelson.

The next day with the uninspirational weather, we decided to just hang around Nelson. The “Church on the Hill”:

Miyazu Garden:

The Centre of New Zealand (conveniently right at the peak of a hill):

Rabbit Island:

By the water:

Drove past this interesting spot:

And of course had way too much for dinner:

Maruia

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After Christchurch, we headed north via the Lewis Pass to Nelson using a rental car. It was my first time driving a Kia, so I was interested in how it would go. Surprisingly for me it had some really nice features, and the interior was fairly slick, spacious, and comfortable. The way the dashboard lit up when the lights were on was very classy. Normal driving was very smooth and it seemed to do well, except the handling around corners could have been nicer, and she screamed while dropping down the gears whenever we overtook someone. I think they have a little way to go yet, but overall it wasn’t too bad.

On the way we stopped for lunch at Reid’s Store in Maruia.

It was good enough that we stopped there on the way back also – the chocolate truffles are superb.

After lunch it was back on the road, and then we came across Maruia Falls – worth a look, but watch out for the sand-flies.

Dunedin – transport

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It won’t be of interest to many of you, but needless to say for those that know me I took a few pics of buses and trains whilst in Dunedin … here’s some of the shots (the bus ones are just to show the variety – not well composed though as most were rushed, and some are from the phone).

Custom destos seem to be the thing with Citibus
I remember this old girl being introduced new into the fleet – note the old desto number (St Clair 7 … not 27 as it now seems to be)
… and again …
Dodgy shot, but interesting desto
There were Dennis Darts a plenty, but this was the only one that seemed to have the Dennis badge on the front. The others I think were all in the standard Citibus livery.
… like this one

An Ansair midi?
Shot in Oamaru, but it was the bus we got back from Dunedin to Christchurch

I also notice Taieri Gorge Railwayhave boosted their fleet with some of the curvy type carriages and a new (for them) parcel van, and also them expanding with trips to Palmerston – good to see them doing well. Not sure I like the new livery on DJ1227 though …

Dunedin – Orokonui ecosanctuary

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Having seen on previous visits most the attractions Dunedin has to offer, it was nice to hear of a new one – the Orokonui ecosantuary. It’s quite a clever wee idea actually – take a bit of native bushland, put a Jurrassic Park like fence around it, add walking tracks, and an info centre half built from old 40′ shipping containers, and you have an attraction! I’m sure there’s a bit more to it than that, as they have provided feeding stations for the birds, etc – overall it made for a pleasant (if slightly rushed, as we got there late) afternoon, and we saw quite a few native birds while there (some too quick for the camera).

Dunedin – Glenfalloch gardens

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Something I had been meaning to do on previous trips was to visit Glenfalloch Gardens on the Otago Peninsula – sadly I didn’t get around to it, however this trip we did. Last time I was there was when I was a kid, and all I remembered about it was the peacocks wandering around the place – we saw no peacocks this time, but I don’t know if it’s because we didn’t explore the whole place, or if they just don’t have them there any more.

We started out (oddly enough) at the main entry, looked at the bridal garden (where Jing must have left the map), and then went on a long walk up to the top of the hill – not good for my tibial stress fracture, but there you go. By the time we returned, we were too exhausted to look around the main area any more, so it’s still a bit of a mystery to me.

One observation – I literally think we saw more bees in the few days in Dunedin, than I have seen in 14 years in Sydney … odd. Plenty of bees seen elsewhere in NZ also.

Enjoy the photos …