We leave the hostel about 1030 and set off along the Port Hills scenic drive around the Banks peninsula. New Zealand is basically all old volcano and we drive upto and around the craggy rim of a huge ancient volcano. The scenery’s beautiful and although it’s not as green and tame looking it reminds me of England in lots of ways. One thing we have decided when we get back is that we will travel England more and see what our own place has to offer. Because it’s a bit like England here I have felt ever so slightly homesick for the first time since we left home back in November. It’s like England but not, if that makes sense.
The trees are also the same type and lots of the architecture is very similar, gothic and Victorian style houses and buildings are everywhere. Many of the places have the same names as English towns and cities. (We also really noticed this in Australia) The differences though are the size of the roads- massive, and the amount of space in between everything. We stop at a small place called Akaora for lunch. It looks like Salcombe at home but better, not so crowded and expensive! We have some soup for lunch and then head towards a tiny place called Waipara where we have planned to stop for the night.
Adrian and Liz, the couple we met in the Blue Mountains in OZ recommended a backpackers called Waipara Sleepers and it sounds really cool. Old railway carriages set on their own bits of track have been converted into accommodation and with brass beds and the original train seats they sound romantic and cute.
By the time we arrive it’s almost dark and the temperature is starting to drop a lot. We wrap up warm and walk to the local pub, only 100 yards up the road, for dinner. This is sheep shearing season and by the end of the night I’ve met a few shearers and learnt all sorts! Apparently the kiwi shearers are world renowned and often travel abroad to places like Wyoming in America to shear upto 280 sheep a day. They shear them now to make them cold and therefore lead their lambs to more protected and warmer areas. Interesting-I love finding out all that kind of stuff!
By 9pm its pub closing time and we’re turfed out into the cold. All the puddles have frozen and it’s icy. We get into bed fully dressed realising too late that perhaps this is just too cold a place to spend the night! Simon takes a photo of me sat on the completely ineffective radiator in a sleeping bag. Despite it having been on for the past four hours we can still see our breath in here. I think its going to be a very long night.