Day 10 : Greymouth - Christchurch

Noah's Ark Backpackers offers breakfast on the house. There were loaves of bread and a variety of spreads for guests to help themselves with. Coffee, tea and milk were also supplied.

After breakfast, We commenced the last leg of our journey. That morning, we were to travel from Greymouth back to Christchurch via State Highway 73, the major East-West Highway.

The highway runs along undulating flat lands ...

Flat land ...

and then climbs up towards Arthur's Pass

Climbing up ...

before descending again to the valley.

Going down ...

Arthur's Pass is set deep within Canterbury's Southern Alps, charaterised by roaring waterfalls, deep ravines, snow capped peaks. At 920 metres, it is the second highest pass that connects the East and the West Coast. The roads were steep and windy. So we were forced to drive with great caution. At times, we could not see very far due to the fog!

Foggy and winding ...

Along the way, there were plenty of ...

Sheep grazing on farmland ...

and there was a place called Castle Hill that showcased limestone rocks ...

Castle Hill

We reached Springfield, about 65 km way from Christchurch, for a much-needed coffee break.

Springfield Cafe & Store

And the specialty there was ...

Care for some?

Lol. Just kidding. That was just a poster that caught my eye in the shop. Doubt they served possum. Lol.

We ordered 2 pies to share. Each pie cost NZD4.90.

Steak Pie

Steak Pie Filling

Lamb, Kumara & Rosemary Pie

The taste of lamb was rather strong, and again we had to eat with lots of black pepper ...

After Springfield, we drove directly to Christchurch, the second biggest city in New Zealand, The Garden City. Christchurch is really a beautiful city. Unfortunately, due to the 22 February 2011 earthquake, the whole of the city centre was closed for reconstruction.

Music Centre of Christchurch

A building completely destroyed in the Earthquake

The Cathedral Square

It's such a pity. In my past visits, I'd always enjoyed strolling around the city centre. After the earthquake, everything was shut down.

While looking for an i-Site or a Visitor's Information Centre, I did not see a ledge, stepped on it, slipped and fell. My left knee was knocked hard against the road. Before I realised what had happened, I heard a lady calling out to me, "Are you all right?". She rushed over and helped me up. I was quite touched by her kind gesture. I wish everyone is as kind back home.

Anyway, I spent the rest of the day limping and hobbling about. Lol.

The Christchurch Art Gallery
It was here that I fell down ... lol ... i felt like a total klutz

Lunch was at McDonald's Eastgate, where I ordered a Grand Angus.

Grand Angus

Guess I was too greedy to have ordered such a large burger. It had a sourdough bun filled with a thick and tender Angus beef patty, red onion rings, cheese, tomato, and gourmet salad mix. A combo meal that came with a medium drink and fries was exactly NZD10.00.

We spent the afternoon visiting the University of Canterbury, and also the Westfield Riccarton Mall.

University of Canterbury, Christchurch

Our accommodation that night at Christchurch was at Around The World Backpackers at Barbadoes Street. The proprietor Geri received us warmly. Her hospitality was commendable. She was friendly, and she even took the trouble to show us around the hostel.

Around The World Backpackers

Yayy! Free wi-fi of up to 20MB

Our room was on the first floor, with 2 bunk beds.

Our room
Normally I would take the upper bunk ...
But because of my slight injury, I could not climb ...

From the balcony, we could enjoy the view of the garden.


And there was a school next door! At 3 p.m., school was out, the kids came out and we just stood they and watch them play before they went home. How fun it must be for them!!

Christchurch East School

Because it was a Wednesday, there was dinner on the house, and the menu that night was Beef and Bean Chilli, with salads and bread. I loved a good old chilli, and Geri's chilli was rather yum. Unfortunately, though, I did not take a photo of the dish. Camera was upstairs.

That night, we packed our bags, ready our flight home the next day.