The hostel we stayed at was a decent place and actually had unlimited free wifi. The building we stayed in was called the stable, and I’m pretty sure it once was used as such. The toilet was in a little closet that when you sat down could barely fit because of the wall maybe two or three inches in front. Brekkie was also free, but it was basically toast and cereal on milk that was slightly suspect. We saw the guy just add water after we were done. So I’m not sure what I really put on my Wheetabix. We knew it was a long drive back so we pushed on through the morning not making too many stops. There were some spectacular views as we made our way up into the mountains and went through Arthur’s Pass. If there is one thing that New Zealand does exceptionally well it is valleys with rivers running through bordered by majestic mountains. It was another clear, blue sky day. The air was crisp and fresh. It’s always difficult to say goodbye to the mountains. 

There was a foot bridge we stopped at that crossed a river towards a couple of long walks. I have seen a few of these on paths here and these bridges are not like many ones I have seen before. They are cable ones with wooden planks that are quite springy and shaky when walked on. They also don’t allow more than a few people at any one time. I’m not sure why they didn’t build more stable and stronger ones at the time. 

One of the big stops we had was at Castle Hill. About half a mile from the main road there are a couple of hills with massive stones poking out of the ground. As the name says it looks like a castle or a crown of stones on the top of the hills. Many are quite large, and all of them are rounded with no sharp edges. The whole place is like a playground for bouldering or hiding. There are small caves, an arch, some shaped like a giant’s head, others like a dinosaur bone. We could have spent the whole afternoon exploring the different stones. 

We had one more stop we wanted to make before heading back into Christchurch. Down the inland scenic route there is a small hill that was a filming location for The Lord of the Rings. Edoras, the seat for the king of Rohan, was situated on the top of Mt. Sunday. We knew it was a long drive into the interior of the island. We decided to not take any chances and fuel up prior to heading over. The place we stopped at had one fuel pump randomly placed right by the street. You park on the street to fill up and I’m pretty sure the pump was older than I am. 

The inland scenic route was another gorgeous drive through the countryside. You are often surprised coming around a turn at a view that looks down from a high elevation onto valleys, gorges, rivers, and lakes. It never gets old or boring seeing this. We didn’t know this ahead of time but the last twenty-four kilometers or so are a dirt road. The poor little Yaris did not appreciate this. It also took us a lot longer to get there as a result. Arriving at Mt Sunday made up for the detour immediately. This is another one of the huge flat areas with rivers running through as mountains keep watch. In the middle of the plain was Mt Sunday rising up a solitary stone hill. One of the rivers was giving off a hazy mist almost like steam. It is an easy walk along a well defined path. At the top you get an amazing panoramic view of the countryside. It was also probably one of the windiest places we had been making it a short stay on the summit. 

We finished what may be our last little adventure and drove back to Canterbury. For dinner we went to the town center and ate at Cafe One. It felt kind of like a hipster coffee shop. The food was very good though and it had a fun atmosphere. We were amazed walking around how much of the devastation from the hurricanes is still visible. Cranes all over rebuilding, many ruins yet to be torn down, and more than a few buildings covered with scaffolding as they are repaired. Only one day left here. Sleep now so we can enjoy what’s left of our time.