Leaving Christchurch and getting to Timaru

Friday 20th December started in Christchurch. Jane and I left the boys to shower and pack their stuff, while we walked through the drizzle to another local cafe. The weather was not particularly pleasant this day. As we sat and drank coffee, we chatted about random stuff, and I texted Seth to follow up on our brunch arrangement. 

With everything all packed up, we said goodbye to our very comfortable accommodation, and drove to Sydenham to a gluten-free bakery to pick up a variety of gluten free goods. We were not far from the location where we had agreed to meet Seth, so we drove across town to the Addington Coffee Co-op. Parking in the area was ridiculous, but we finally managed to sort out a spot and made our way into this highly renowned cafe. It was packed, but we did get a table by the time Seth arrived. Their selection of gluten free food for brunch was pretty good. 

It was great catching up with Seth for the next hour and a half. He is doing well and the boys both found lots that they now have in common with him, from gaming to gym going. Seth is still enjoying his work and learning all aspects of the masonry trade. The company he works for has recently acquired another business and this has ensured work for the crew during this work recession. 

After hugs and farewells, we were on the road again, heading south towards our Timaru destination. The driving was easy, the landscape was beautiful, and the drizzle persistent. Our trip was very uneventful. We decided to stop in at Ashburton for a toilet break, late snack and coffee refresh. Ashburton is very much the Taumaranui of the South Island. The design of the road side park and public toilets beside the railway tracks is almost cookie-cutter. We did a bit of shopping, then were back in the car for the remainder of the trip to Timaru. 

This was also an uneventful journey. The roads through Canterbury are very straight, and it really wasn't long before we were settling into our new motel unit. At this stage, I was very happy to just chill out and relax following the journey. Jane and Logan went shopping locally and then Logan and Jonty went for a trip to Macca's before dinner. Both parties came back surprised at how uncomfortable they felt with the locals. 

It was while I was relaxing that I injured my knee. I have no idea how I did it, or what actually happened, but one moment I was lying comfortably, and the next I was unable to straighten my leg. This was completely frustrating to me, so I was more than happy to go to sleep that night wait for improvement. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Leaving Dunedin and into Gore

  Another single night of accommodation, so it was a matter of packing everything up and leaving in good time. Our first stop was the University. It's empty at the moment with no one around so we easily parked and went for a walk around. This was my first time there and it's an interesting campus that highlights the age of buildings and its gothic revival architecture. We had a good look around Since we were near it we decided to take a drive down Castle Street to see 660. We did, and we weren't the only ones clicking photos. We then made our was into town, and the one way street making havoc with parking. A small amount of yelling later we found a part and made our way up to the  Octagon. I have never quite understood the statue to Robbie Burns and why that was so needed in a new city so far from home, but it was.   We spied  St Paul’s Anglican Cathedra l also in the centre of town. It is stunning with incredible windows. The next stop was the Railway building and w...
Read more

From Oamaru to Dunedin, the long way.

Saturday, 28th Dec After awaking, Jane and I decided to walk through the Ōamaru Botanical Gardens before the boys got up. The gardens were lovely, if a little strange, and there were several different areas to look at. It was a pleasant way to pass time while waiting for the local cafes to open.  The drive to Dunedin was going to be our longest time on the road, so we decided that we would take a more scenic route via Middlemarch - an important location in Grant history. We went south to see the Moeraki Boulders, which the boys were not impressed by. We got some nice photos, but after the playground experience of the Clay Cliffs and Elephant Rocks, the Moeraki Boulders just didn’t provide the requisite entertainment. We had a drink at the cafe, but were keen to get back on the road and were soon turning north west towards Dunback. Before long, we were driving up a beautiful road with hillocks and outcrops of rock - I’m sure that these would have reminded our ancestors of their Scot...
Read more

Into the famed Catlins

Image
Tuesday 7th January We set an alarm to see the sun rise over Slope Point, but our estimate of early wasn't really early enough. We saw the sun come up, but o ther than being the lowest point of the South Island, and now having the rights to say that I have been there, the fuss wasn't all that to get excited about I guess…… Maybe it was too many sheep, maybe it was that my shoes and socks and feet all ended up wet after walking through the paddocks. There were some windswept trees, but we’ve seen these since we'd left Tuatapere and didn't seem worth taking photos of. The day dawned to a stun ning blue day, so we put the much needed washing on, and got to hang out clothes for the first time out in the sunshine - how delightful!!!! After some breakfast and research we headed off to drive and capture all the amazing things we had been told of…….Catlins in the early week means lots of things shut. This is a place to visit in the summer and in the weekend. The first part of t...
Read more