Punting on the Avon

When i was a kid i remember watching this game show for which one of the prizes was flights to Christchurch and included punting on the avon. I thought it was like going on a gondola in Venice, and as such took on romantic overtones for me and was something I looked forward to doing one day.

So thats what I did while I was in Christchurch. It took about an hour to locate the place and it was raining at the time, but in the end it was really enjoyable, and I met this nice couple who were visiting from auckland. The water was really shallow, maybe only 30cm deep in some places, and we scraped the bottom a few times.

The people travelling with me managed to get out punting guy to sing to is, something in italian. It took the whole ride for them to convince him to do it, but he did in the end. It was cool. Totally the best part of my time in Christchurch.

Abel Tasman National Park

The abel tasman is beautiful any time of year, one of the sunniest places in NZ, but lots of rain at the time I visited it. While wandering around in the middle of my boat trip out there I discovered an amazing array of birdlife unlike anything I'd ever come across anywhere else in the country.

I saw tui for the first time, flitting from tree to tree, singing to each other, fantails and other little birds I couldn't identify. We went past an island where seals lazed on the rocks and another one completely resonating with birdsong. It was great. I can't wait to go back there later this year and actually do some proper hiking.