Around Christchurch

On Friday, I did the tourist bit in Christchurch - had a swim in the fabulous 50m outdoor pool at Jellie Park then went to the Antarctic Centre by the airport and had a fantastic 3 hours wandering around the exhibition - but didn't feel the need to go into the "what snow feels like" room.......!!!  A highlight for me was the little blue penguin colony - rescued and disabled penguins now living in their own pool and nesting area in the centre.

On Saturday, I went on a charity walk at Fisherman's Bay near Akaroa on the Banks Peninsula, organised by the Banks Peninsula Conservation Society to raise funds for their conservation work.

The walk began at a fabulous garden created by Jill and Richard right above the bay and consisting of native NZ and exotic plants.  Created over the last 5-7 years from bare farmland, it is wonderful and contains some strange sculptures!!

After lunch among the seals in the bay, we visited an area of land that they have "covenanted" in perpetuity to the QEII Conservation Trust.  By fencing it off from cattle grazing, the native vegetation is being allowed to naturally regenerate and some very rare plants are now thriving.

While not a traditional "tramp", I did chat to some people who do go tramping with local groups and it was interesting to hear one lady say that the reason she joined a tramping club was to enable her to see more of New Zealand and particularly to get access to land that she couldn't access without being a member, i.e. areas where landowner permission is needed for access and this is often easier when with a club than on your own.  In addition, Jill, as a working farmer, was of the opinion that she would LIKE people to have access to their land in order that they better appreciate the countryside and learn to respect it as a working landscape, particularly people from towns who may not have an understanding of farming and the countryside.  From dicussions I have had with tramping groups, not all farmers share this willing attitude, however, and in fact my planned trip for the weekend was cancelled partly due to the landowner withdrawing access to his land.