Imagine travelling to a country in the hope of spending a restful and rejuvenating week amidst snow-clad mountains and green pastures dotted with woolly sheep. And while you are busy picturing this, what if I told you that to get to those mountains you have to drive along the Tasman sea and wage through dense, luscious rainforests? Would that be panoramic enough for you? New Zealand is a surprise at every bend geographically. One moment you hear the whoosh of waves crashing, seagulls crying and pebbles tumbling over each other racing towards the shore and in the next instant you are transported into thick jungles. A large green canopy looms overhead, the air is rent with symphonies of frogs and crickets that echo throughout, the smell of pine trees fill your lungs. Just when you start to think you are in the wrong country having the wrong holiday, the capony opens out all at once to reveal huge glacier covered mountains sparkling richly in the sun. And thus began my holiday.
While the north island is the usual gateway to NZ, we chose to fly straight to the south island as we had had our fair share of beaches and bays in Australia. Christchurch boasts of being the 'Garden city' of NZ. The Avon river winds its path through the city leisurely framed by overhanging boughs and beautiful gardens. This scenary alone justifies the title for the city.
We spent only a day in Christchurch exploring its cathedral and city sqaure. Old trams which served right at the beginning of this century still chug along mostly as a tourist attraction. What started as a wet, windy morning soon turned opaque and festive due to a snow fall. This turned out to be a bonus for us because the next morning saw everything covered with a fresh layer of snow.We travelled on the Trans alpine train from the east coast to the west journeying through fields of the Cantebury plains, over spectacular gorges and river valleys, descending into deep, dark tunnels and emerging into lush green forests at Greymouth. Throughout the journey, our train driver kept up an interesting commentary of the local culture, people, places etc. Among the many facts that he revealed, one made a huge impact on my memory. Apparently, possums are an introduced species in NZ and they have become quite notorious for ruining the local flora and fauna. This the what the driver said.." We are not very welcoming when it comes to possums, so if you see one on the road, please feel free to squash it. We strongly support you driving over as many as you can". Rude and cruel as that might sound, his tone made it very funny and animated. Here are some views from the train.
Franz Josef: a small town at the foot of the glacier by the same name. When I mean small, I mean 2 roads, 5 hotels, 5 restaurants and approximately 270 people. The glacier is said to be one of its kind in that it is still growing and unaffected by global warming. The story behind this glacier is romantic albeit sad. The Māori name for the glacier is Ka Roimata o Hinehukatere ('The tears of Hinehukatere'), arising from a local legend: Hinehukatere loved climbing in the mountains and persuaded her lover, Tawe, to climb with her. Tawe was a less experienced climber than Hinehukatere but loved to accompany her until an avalanche swept Tawe from the peaks to his death. Hinehukatere was broken hearted and her many, many tears flowed down the mountain and froze to form the glacier. Here is the view of the glacier from the helicopter ride than we enjoyed.
Of all the places you could eat Gajar halwa and pista kulfi, would you have even imagined Franz Josef to be one of them? It makes me proud to find Indian restaurants in places where people wouldn't even know where to spot our country on an atlas. And it is quite popular, mind you! The navratan kurma was slightly offbeat but then again if you lived in Franz josef all your life, the true taste of Indian curries becomes hazy after sometime.
More to follow....
