Waipara Valley Vineyard Trail

28 January 2018


We're having a heatwave. It's hot. Humid, too, although locals look at us like we're bonkers when we say so. Here in Canterbury, there is relatively low humidity--today, for example, weather.com says Waikari is at 33˚C (91.4˚F) with 41% humidity. Not as humid as places like Auckland and Wellington (we are told tales of clothes getting moldy in the closet!), but pretty humid compared with Colorado, which typically has single-digit humidity during summer. The other day someone at the life-saving pool (which has been hovering around 30˚C) said, "You Americans probably have heating and cooling sorted, Eh?" Eh. I have rooted out one small, upper left corner of the cottage minifridge that get's cold enough to freeze water if it is in a small, shallow container. That ice cube is the highlight of my day.

 The heat has resulted in some spectacular sunsets (always look for the silver lining!) and some new adventures.

Sunset behind Rocking Frog Cottage

The light dying west.

Rocking Frog Cottage

Sunday started out overcast, so we roused ourselves after church for a ride on the Waitara Valley Vineyard trail. The trail is described thus:

The Waipara Valley Vineyard Trail has been developed by the Hurunui Trails Trust to encourage cycling and walking in the Waipara Valley. Pass through world-class vineyards and historic farms, visit cellar doors and dine at winery restaurants, experience Greening Waipara Biodiversity Trails, the historical steam train at Weka Pass Railway and other activities in the area. Enjoy a trail designed for cyclists, walkers, joggers - young and old. The views across the valley to the main divide are truly remarkable.

Not too many pictures because the trail was rough (by my standards) and hilly. I had to hold on, pedal hard, and take opportunities to catch my breath. I finagled a stop at the cellar door of Black Estate and  under the guise of asking for water for my bottle, struck up a conversation with a worker on the estate from Ft Collins! In addition to wine, olives for olive oil are also grown in the region.

First gate into a vineyard.

Sheep keep the grass down between rows of vines. Notoriously shy (and kind of dumb), this group bolted as soon as I had my camera ready.

Main attraction, Waikari

22 January 2018


We have been entertaining ourselves since we arrived in Waikari with the notion that the main attraction is the toilet block along the highway. It is very popular at all hours for people traveling on Hwy 7. Then we realized, as we were out and about on foot or on bicycle, that for the majority population of Waikari Zorrillas are the most interesting thing to come along. Everybody stops whatever activity is being engaged in (eating) to see what is up with those Zorrillas going by.

Tuhaitara Costal Park Ride

21 January 2018


After a scorching Saturday of doing any errand we could think of that involved a place wit air conditioning, we were willing to venture outside Sunday after church. Ruben learned about a 60+ km bike path along the coast from Waikuku to Kaiapoi. Rumor was it was so well groomed and smooth that one might confidently push a frail elderly person in a wheelchair. That's my kind of ride. So off we went. It was indeed very smooth in most places. One big puddle to ford and some sand along the way, but all in all a good outing for a Sunday afternoon.

We came across a patch of these Alice in Wonderland-esque mushrooms.

He's not going to pick it, he is offering a comparison to his hand to gauge size. 

Near the end of our ride we took a break to see what was happening on Woodend Beach.

Woodend Beach at low afternoon tide has a long sand bar.
There was moderately rough surf, but it was shallow quite far out,
so lots of kids on boogie boards were enjoying the waves.

It was also nice to see lots of people just taking a Sunday afternoon stroll
along the hardpack beach. 

Akaroa, Banks Peninsula

15 January 2019


Ruben loves hotels. He loves cable TV with movie channels. He loves climate control at his fingertips. He loves blackout curtains. NZ hotels lack these elements pretty universally (at least in our price range). Every time we consider a longer-term stay in NZ, our must-haves include unlimited broadband Internet, cable TV, and window screens.

That said, after a nice night (actually a bit buggy because the silo has two sliding doors for climate control) and hearty breakfast at the silo, we made our way to gorgeous, stunning, crowded-with-tourists Akaroa. Akaroa is New Zealand's French town.

 

 

 

 

 

Time to tramp! We chose the Woodills Loop from town. The start was very steep as we made our way out of town, then plateaued in some lovely fields.