My Other Trips
Biking across Australia
Biking the Rockies to the Okanagan Valley
Caving in the Canadian Rockies Webpage
My Trip to Fiji and the Beachouse Resort
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En Français
I was in Sumner ( a suburb of Christchurch), New Zealand on the South Island during the summer of 2004. I was there for a total of 2 days. I had come to snowboard on Mount Hutt. My reason for choosing this resort was its distance to a major city (90 minutes from Christchurch)and also the quality of its early season snow, which was supposed to be abundant. When I got to the hotel in Christchurch, the meeting point for the bus trip, to my great surprise, I was told that the ski station was closed due to excessive winds. I replied, "We do not close ski hills in Canada". They told me, "We do because we have lost people and cars previously because of the winds".I was not going to argue. I was really disappointed to come this far from Canada and go home without practicing the sport I like the most.
I decided to go sea fishing instead since I had brought my own fishing equipment. I choose a place called New Brighton a few kilometers away, which had a very long pier and the awesome New Brighton Library facing the ocean. This library is located on one of the most beautiful places in the world. My chances of catching any fish was very slim due to the wind. Some kids were already fishing there but they did not have any luck either. They seemed surprise when I asked them if I needed a license to fish. " Of course not” they told me.The kids there were fishing using chicken as bait, and I had squid. After a few hours, I still did not catch anything but I had fun anyway.
Later on, I decided to go for supper in Sumner so I picked an East Indian restaurant called “Indian Sumner”. The meal and the setting were great. After that meal I fell in love with East Indian food.
In Sumner, I stayed at the Marine Backpacker Hostel and Bar one block away from the center of the village. The owner was quite friendly. I stayed in a single room for about $22.00 NZD. I recommend this place to anyone visiting Sumner.
I really enjoyed the peace and quiet of the town. They have beautiful beaches where you can have great walks. In the far distance you can see the New Zealand Alps. In the area you can also find some small caves. It's pretty quiet in winter when I was there. The water was too cold so I did not dare to go swimming.
Christchurch is a very quaint city. There are many buses from downtown Christchurch to Sumner, a twenty-minute ride. I recommend this area of New Zealand to anyone. One of the low points of my stay was the expensive fee of $25.00 that they charge you upon leaving the airport of Christchurch. This fee is charged to anyone and it doesn't matter how long they decide to stay in the city.
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