After my lovely evening in Christchurch, very fortunately for us, we were up bright and early and left by 9.00am. We travelled past the wine district I had visited before then through the Lewis pass toward the northern west coast. Stopped for coffee at Culverden where they have an interestingly named gift shop.
It was only when we reached our lunch stop at Reefton that we heard about the earthquake in Christchurch. As we had left fellow travellers behind and our driver currently lives there, all rather concerning. Where I had dined the night before had a rock fall and our hotel was only 150 yards from the Cathedral which lost the spire you can see here.
It happened at lunch time and epicentre much closer than the quake last November, in fact at the port I had also looked over the night before so all rather close.
Reefton itself is a mining town, many now closed and has lovely old engine next to the skateboard park.
We then continued to a pub in Blackball, originally called The Blackball Hilton until they got a solicitors letter from the Hilton Hotels group so they changed the name to 'Formerly' the Blackball Hilton.
It is an interesting place which also has a union history and lots of old local papers about the various mining disasters including the most recent last November when quite a few miners lost their lives.
A drink was also what we needed while we looked at pictures on the TV of the city we had just left.
We then travelled on to Punakaiki where they have interesting rock formations and the waves crash into the shore have blasted holes in the rock from which water escapes in odd places.
Our hotel is right on the shore so we can watch the crashing waves
no chance of sunset which would have been over the sea, but then the blow holes probably wouldn't be working so apparently can't have it all and should perhaps be grateful to be here at all!
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