Jan 7

  

Today was a free afternoon after Mommy was finished with classes.  We decided to go to Sumner Beach for lunch where we ate at this nice little restaurant with outside seating right on the beach.  After we ate I got to swim in the Pacific Ocean and climb on a large pinnacle of lava rock at the water's edge called Cave Rock.  There is a giant cave at the bottom of this rock that you can walk through when the tide is out.  We explored the cave and took some pictures then went for a ride in the van through the Port Hills.  The Port Hills are on the southeast side of Christchurch and are so-called because on the other side of them is the port town of Lyttleton.  Lyttleton is called the 'Gateway to Christchurch' because it is the nearest deep water port to the city.  Christchurch (Chch) is situated right on the coast, but is at the edge of a giant alluvial plain (the Canterbury Plains) and so is socked in by shallow mud flats.  The port hills are comprised of several calderas (collapsed volcano craters) that were flooded by the sea and provide the opportunity for a deep water port.  The closest is Lyttleton, which is connected to Chch via a large highway and train tunnel.  In the past, goods had to be shipped over the mountain through Dyers Pass.  We drove up to top of the hills and traversed along the Summit Rd. which is a hair raising drive right along the crater rim. 

The views are spectacular - allowing alternate vistas of both sides - out over Chch and the Canterbury Plains, and down into the port and seaside towns and villages.  It is very beautiful, but a bit daunting considering that these winding, narrow roads that travel right along the  edges of the cliff faces seldom have any type of guardrail.  The few times that a guard rail makes an appearance, they are often little more than half rotten 2x6's on wooden posts, or perhaps a couple of strands of rusty barbed wire.  Pop-pop's imagination got away from him and he became very uncomfortable on this drive.  He kept saying that if we were to go over the edge, we would roll all the way back to Christchurch.  Once we came to Dyers Pass (about 1/3 of the way around the ridge) he had enough and wanted to go down.