Think we now know what Art Deco architecture is! Napier was destroyed in 1931 by an earthquake and rebuilt in art deco and spanish mission style with the buildings being well preserved. What a welcoming place it is, perhaps one of the better NZ towns and has the feel of being a very affluent seaside resort. It has a lovely marine boulevard which is a hive of activity with cyclists and joggers although it is not a safe swimming area and the sand, once again, is bl...

Back in Porirua, just outside of Wellington, staying at our homely motel. The weather was not good heading up from Christchurch, it rained and rained and rained. We had intended to stay in Kaikoura, 100 miles north of Christchurch, for some whale watching but because of high winds no tours were operating. We did manage to stop and see a fur seal colony just north of Kaikoura. They were lovely; looked all soft and cuddly. Don't think Ray felt that way about t...

Christchurch is described as being the most English of NZ cities because of the Anglican Cathedral and punts gliding down the Avon River - not a sight we saw but that might be something to do with it being winter. The Avon River was a bit of a disappointment as certainly wasn't a mighty river. The city had the normal trams, city bus tours and botanical gardens but did not seem to be an exciting city. After a tour around the coastal suburbs of Lyttleton and Sum...

Moeraki was just a comfort break for us on the way to Christchurch but is home to some rather large spherical boulders formed from limestone. Not too mind blowing but certainly pull in the tourists and are located on a stunning stretch of beach. We had a laugh on the road down to the beach as I thought I saw the boulders from quite a distance and told Ray they were huge but he couldn't see them. Then we realised that I was looking at the beach cafe that had do...

Dunedin's founders were Scottish ('Dunedin' is Celtic for 'Edinburgh according to 'Lonely Planet') and they do have a statue of Robert Burns overlooking the city centre. It is also supposed to resemble Edinburgh because of the Victorian architecture but not having been there myself I wouldn't know but Ray says it does have some similarities. There again that could be something to do with the fact that we sat in Dunedin Railway Station cafe today (not your normal ...