Pastor On Tour

Our hosts in the South Island.. Ross and Pam. A great couple who have known both us and NCC for over 15 years. After years of saying “We must come over…” we did! (so beware all of you who invite us… we may well come!)

South Island is a paradise of Alps, blue sea’s, sheep, seals, sub topical rainforests, sheep, cattle, sea scapes, sheep and generally all things stunning. We tried to spot hobbits… didn’t see one. Were advised by an Aussie not to stand under tree’s, apparently they have “Drop Bears” here, so we are taking no chances.

At Arthurs Pass on the way to the West Coast, we met the beautiful mountain parrot called the “Kea”

This huge bird is the most inquisitive creature that you could meet. You are warned not to leave the car unattended, don’t leave you belongings where they can get them… because they will! They are pretty endearing eh? A nice shot of three birds… The exotic one is mine!

A couple of typical road scenes on the South Island… a roundabout with a railway track going through the middle of it…

…and a bridge that is shared by both cars and trains! NZ is a maze of interesting stuff… it still has that “frontier feel” and its people exhibit that factor. All friendly and kind.

Christchurch High Street. (In Canterbury!) Trams still run here, it has a River Avon… a real touch of home! We wandered around just browsing…

…and eventually came upon one of the oldest building’s in the town… 1850 something. It is a heritage site. It Is a wonderful place.

Another shot of Christchurch, the cathedral this time…

…with it’s backdrop, the stunning Alps. Check out these puppies. Skiing is (apparently) wonderful here, the slopes are about to close as the summer begins to draw in. they are still having snow at the moment, in fact one of the main passes was pretty slowed down a couple of days ago.

A plaque commemorating the first European settlers on South Island. “I saw four ships come sailing in…”

And a shot of Christchurch harbour.

Meanwhile Max is totally getting into the NZ scene. We have been kind of struggling to keep tabs on him of late…. He is really trying to connect in with the local scene…

…chatting to the indigenous populous and all that…

…he insisted on coming to “Hamner Springs” a thermal water bonanza that is heated naturally by the volcanic effects around them. Shelagh found the hairy stowaway just as we got there…

….the burning question to him was “So why can’t a Meer Cat have a go in the pools? Who wrote the rules that say they are not allowed in? eh? eh? Answer me that!”

After hyperventilating awhile thinking about the prospects of a dip, he needed a quick sip of water (boy these sulphery places make a Cat hot) and then…

…time to get changed. It all sounds so easy if you are not a Meer Cat. But when you are a Meer Cat, clearly “Men’s” doesn’t fit, and…

…there is no way that any testosterone fuelled Meer Cat is going to get changed here so therefore what is a Meer Cat to do?

Ahhhh….. As it happens, no problemo! Problem solved as the “family” factor kicks in! Max got a little bit emotional at this point.. He never really got the fact that we are family. (He has not been a Christian for long…) so I have cut out some of the more weepy huggy photo’s .

…after which all that remained was for Max to find a pool that was warm enough for him to enjoy, but not so warm as to make him into Cat soup. Advice was needed… Who to ask?

…after which all that remained was for Max to find a pool that was warm enough for him to enjoy, but not so warm as to make him into Cat soup. Advice was needed… Who to ask?

Ahhhh Enough said Meer heaven!

A quick wrap up and then…

Back to the ranch with the old guys. Well, it’s been a long day, Max reckons he needs a cat nap. So with that in mind it’s time to say “Night night everyone, see you all soon!”