Landed in cold weather but we were put on a train just outside the port so not far to walk-The rail trip was amazing with fantastic views,commentary & volunteers feeding us morning tea & lunch-could not fault the old train - great trip!!
We actually stopped at Akaroa which is about 80 klms from Christchurch but the pier was still damaged from the earthquake so we went to shore on the lifeboats which were well organized & only took about 15mins to go ashore. Quaint little village-not much to do but one of the girls I met went on a swimming with the dolphins tour & had a ball so there were lots of options available.
Before Auckland we stopped at Napier & Tauranga(not on the list to choose from) which were both excellent plus the weather was getting better each port. Auckland was so close to the city-I went on the bridge climb which is half as high as The Sydney Harbour Bridge but trust me it was high enough & a great experience. I also walked up to the Sky Tower & the view was brilliant.....
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