See the Sea!

After a stressful week we decided it is time to see the pacific ocean! and not only campus and the car-selling street in CHCH.  So, we took our quite old and ramshackle rental car and made a sunday weekend trip to the coast! We drove to Sumner, a village close to CHCH, and kind of a summer residence for the CHCHs - lots of fancy houses along the coastline but quite damaged due to 22nd feb's earthquake. Took a stroll at the beach and enjoyed that finally we're in New Zealand! Still I don't get it ! I'm in New Zealand! Yeay! Saw some children surf-classes too and quite handsome surf-teachers!

Sumner and the Pacific

Cafe in a double decker at the promenade

 

 

Next stop: Lyttleton (harbour city on the other side of the Port Hills). Here the earthquake damage was quite severe, as the epicenter was right in the harbour, which is by the way a volcanic crater. Walked along the coast and just enjoyed: beach, turkis sea, pines, palms and cabbage trees!

View over Lyttleton (was hit by the 22nd feb earthquake quite hard)
nice little habour town with nice cafes

Lyttleton beach and view to quail island

Drive home through the beginnigs of Banks Peninsula. Lots of grassland, sheep and cattle. And almost got our dinner, but the sheep moved off the road in the end!

 

some weird food stuff

On an other occasion: Right in the middle of CHCH there are last remnants of floodplain forest, under protection since the early 20th century. It is fenced to keep predators out and inside there are KIWI's (this cute non-flying bird, not that you get confused)!

sooo.. huuuge!