Another early morning departure for us. Wheels rolling at 8:00. When we left The Hermitage it was a comfortable 10 degrees. However, just going a few kilometers dropped the temperature to 0 degrees.
Since we were up before dawn, we got to witness a magnificent sunrise. The camera shutters just kept clicking.
We had a rest stop at Lake Pukaki Visitor Center. More beautiful lake scenes. There was a statue of a Tahr. It is a animal that is hunted for sport in NZ.
The ride was pretty uneventful with the scenery changing from the mountain/lake scenes to a rolling green agricultural landscape.
Lunch stop was really early in the tiny hamlet of Geraldine. It was pretty slim pickin’s for food even at the place recommended by Peter. They ran out of sandwiches and so I got a bag of crisps and an apple to take on the coach.
We arrived at the Willowbank Wildlife Reserve outside Christchurch a little bit before our scheduled appointment at 2:00 pm. The tour included a walk through the bird area of the reserve. Some of the exotic birds were absolutely beautiful.
The highlight of the tour was a visit to the kiwi house. Kiwis are nocturnal and so the reserve, in order for visitors to see them, have created an environment that simulates night. Our guide gave a really informative presentation on the life of a kiwi and how the reserve is providing support to keep them from going extinct. No pictures were allowed in the kiwi house, but the stuffed ones give an idea of the size of the bird. The bird’s egg is huge and weighs close to about 25% of its body weight. It would be comparable to a woman giving birth to a 25# baby. The egg is so large that for the last week of gestation the kiwi has to fast because there is no room for food in her body.
After the tour we attended a Ko Tane show. It is a traditional Maori ceremony that began with a welcoming ceremony and then moved to a small amphitheater where the performers demonstrated haga, poi balls, a weapons demonstration, and a chance for members of our group to join in.
It was just a short drive then back to the Pavilions Hotel where we would spend the night. We had a much better room this time, actually a suite with kitchen and sofa AND heat!
Dinner tonight was at Jimmy’s in the hotel. We had choices of fish, beef or cannelloni for our mains. It seemed to take forever for the soup to be served. We have come to realize that the pace down under is much slower that what we are used to.
Some enjoyed a women’s rugby match.
A bit of reorganization of suitcases and then bed.
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