Sailing, sailing,: Arthur's Pass and Christchurch

Monday, March 24, 2025

Arthur's Pass and Christchurch

The mountains had skirts of clouds on this drizzly cold morning.

Arthur Dobson was the first European to cross over the Southern Alps at the pass now known as Arthur's Pass. The Maori knew of it but used the Harper Pass north of it (also named after a European who first explored that area. As a result the Harper was used until the Gold Rush. when a more suitable crossing was needed for vehicle traffic and in 1865 a rough track was completed for drays over the Athur. The Harper Pass is now an official trail "tramp" that takes 4 or 5 days.

With all the rain the rivers were raging.

The road climbed over the pass but it was pouring
rain so we didn't get any pictures through it.
Now we're on the other side and it lightened up.

This normally pretty spot on a lake had several
RVs staying there. There are public spots all over
the country and there's a AP to find them. Only
caveat - there must be toilets if you aren't self
contained.

But the Arthur Pass now is fully paved and it only took us a couple of hours, unfortunately mostly in the rain. Occasionally it would let up when a pull over was available and we got a couple of photos. But it was still beautiful with the clouds and mist hanging over the mountains. We passed many signs for ski area and if the weather had been better, we would have checked some out.

The Classic Villa retains it's facade and the
original building but has a big addition in the back.

The lounge area where we enjoyed meeting other
guests and talking to our hostess.

The cloudy damp weather held during our stay in Christchurch but we really enjoyed our time there. First of all, our hotel, the Classic Villa, was superb. Built in 1899 the Italian style home located right in the center of the historic district. We had a room in the original mansion with a marble fireplace but all the conveniences. It was run more like a bed & breakfast with a beautiful lounge and breakfast served buffet style. Our hostess was so friendly and nice.

Settled in our Hop On Hop Off trolly. We took one
trip around the city and then on the next one,
stopped off to see things.

The trolly runs through this "pedestrian only"
street with shops and restaurants.

We had a very nice lunch at this little place. I
loved the quote from Julia Child, upper left -
"People who love to eat are the best people"

Our one full day we booked the Hop On Hop Off trolley that run through the historic district, and visited the Quake City Museum, the Botanical Gardens and the Arts Center. Christchurch is still under construction after the devastating pair of earthquakes that hit in 2010 and 2011. It was the second one that caused the most damage and loss of life - 185 people and injuring thousands. It was the second deadliest earthquake in New Zealand as 258 died in the Napier quake in 1931. I was in a smaller quake once in the Philippines where we did have to evacuate our house in the night so it was particularly interesting. . We're grateful nothing happened during our visit!

The Curator's House Restaurant - right in the
Botanical Gardens.

Scott did it again, choosing two wonderful restaurants for our dinners: Featherstone and the Curator's House. The latter was a Spanish Tapas place and so much fun to try a bunch of little plates. SO overall a great visit despite the weather. And the next morning we woke up to a glorious clear sunny day. We had an exciting day ahead visiting Mt. Cook National Park and that will be in my next entry!

A tiny section of the Botanical Gardens, lovely walking and
right in the center of the city.

Scott loves taking photos of flowers
and he took so many beautiful ones
it was hard to choose..

These retro phone booths work!!!

The River Avon (New Zealand's version) runs through the
city and you can rent a boat and punt on it.

There are over 28 buildings in the complex but most were badly damaged in the earthquakes. Restoration is still very much ongoing with two thirds of the buildings now open.