2006-02-20: Christchurch Cathedral
After checking into the hotel we ventured out on our own to see a little of the city. Our hotel is on Cathedral Square and we were lucky enough to get to see the inside of this wonderful cathedral before it closed for the night.
2006-02-20: English Gardens
Christchurch is the south island's largest city and the "English" city of New Zealand. It is known for its beautiful gardens and the tree-lined Avon River which runs through it.
2006-02-20: Cathedral Square
This art in the square depicts all the different species of fern that grow in New Zealand.
2006-02-20: View From Our Room
We are loving our hotel accomodations and the views we're getting from our windows. Here we overlook the square from the 18th floor.
2006-02-21: TranzAlpine Train
Today we traded our bus for the TranzAlpine Train for a spectacular journey through the southern alps. We first crossed the Canterbury plains which are a patchwork of farms crossed by rivers. We then began to climb through alpine foothills crossing trestle bridges and the Staircase Viaduct which was built in 1906 and has a span of 149 meters (close to 500 feet).
2006-02-21: Waterfall Bridge
Here you see a snow shed as well as a bridge for a waterfall to use as it crosses the tracks. Evidently this waterfall was constantly washing out the tracks so they decided it needed a bridge of its own. We had never seen or heard of this kind of bridge before!
2006-02-21: Oreo Cow
Another Kiwi first - an oreo cow! Check it out carefully :-)
2006-02-21: Jade
After we crossed over the ice fed Waimakariri River, we arrived at Arthurs Pass where our bus and driver once again met us. We continued toward Franz Josef through many small villages (some 1 block long) with a lunch stop in Hokitika (where it was pouring). It was here we learned about New Zealand jade at the Westland Greenstone Factory.
2006-02-21: Franz Josef Glacier
It was amazing to see this glacier which runs through a forest and into a temperate climate (it was 90 degrees here the week before). It does not end at the water like the glaciers we saw in Alaska. The most interesting fact about this glacier is that it is growing 9 feet each week!
2006-02-21: View From The Room
After a wonderful dinner with the whole group, we returned to our room and found that the clouds had finally lifted and to our amazement we had a glacier view room! We had been told that there were only 2-3 rooms with a view and little did we know we had one.