Braemar Lodge Christchurch

... given to me - I preferred the sweet part of the combo J.

Wine time! It took about an hour and a half to get back down to Blenheim. I tried to hit up wineries, for the most part, that do not ship wines to the US. I went to Herzog, Auntsfield, and Fromm. I did also go to Cloudy Bay, even though it is pretty common in the US. This part of NZ is known for its Sauvignon Blancs and Pinot Noirs, and I tasted some really good ones and the odd really bad one. All in ...

... The weather is nice and sunny about 18degrees but has a cold breeze. Christchurch is lovely, I can't believe how flat the land is here, so walking is nice and easy :-).

I'm just waiting for my friend to arrive on 02 December to start the travels. So a nice couple of weeks to relax for me.

Well you know me, i'll be looking for jobs aswell, haha.

I'm going out for a few drinks tonight, so i'll fill you in shortly on the nightlife of Christchurch.

... We checked out the local architecture before having a yummy seafood dinner and then had a drink at Speight’s Brewery (New Zealand’s pride of the south). The next day, we went to the Cadbury factory for a chocolate-making tour (yes, I loved it…Bre, you must go!) and had our fill of sugar, saw 1 ton of liquid chocolate waterfall, checked out some more old buildings, and then took off for the evening’s wildlife tour on the nearby Otago ...

... light for my palette.

So, after all that it was back into Christchurch to drop off my trusty chariot at Hertz for the last time and then to find my way to a great local micro-brewery and bar, The Twisted Hop which is hidden away down an alley and where the post-work Friday night drinks are for my two generous hosts. A good night of chatter and ale was had and we all made it home in a taxi slightly worse for wear but happy as a sandbag.

... enjoying the fairy kingdom scenery outside the
train.



We passed though Rolleston (the Town of the future) where harness racing horses are trained; Sheffield, where the first coal mine was opened in 1864 (it used to be called Melbourne), to Springfield where we had a 4 minute stop to pick up freshly baked muffins and satisfy the urges of the smokers on the train who all got out and puffed away while the rest of us snapped
photos of the magnificent Ka Tiritiri ...

... students, and apparently many of the students who come are Japanese. I have been trying to go one Tuesday night, but it hasn't worked out with our schedule, so we stopped by tonight so I could see what the house was like. Currently everyone living in the house are Korean, and we enjoyed some chocolate and tea while talking.

... out since being here which was fantastic. I have never danced so much in my life, eventually arriving home at 5.30am with very sore feet!! We have both been running and im doing a 5km run on sunday and we are both doing a 10km run on 31st May which will be a first for both of us!! So we will have to wait and see how that goes!! So, thats the update from Chch!! Hope everyone is well xxxxx

Well a new country and a complete new adventure! I land into Christ Church and explore the city, the first thing that grabs me about is how English Christ Church feels. The whole area of Canterbury is based on a English country so that is why I guess. I spend a few days just exploring the city before I head out to the west coast for my first Helping experience, can't wait..

... dehydrated from the night before and ended up with bad leg cramps from time to time. my little baby calves werent built from powerswimming, and none of us looked like allstars when the 12year old girl caught the biggest wave and we struggled to hit the small ones. i can still bet her at an arm wrestle though. im pretty sure. that night was 2 for 1 jagerbombs, which was bad news for tyler. i think i ended up having close to ...

... dream' and not to strenuous. I did at one stage get out of breath laying down which is a little concerning as I'd hoped to be super fit by this stage. Amongst other things I bought a inflatable pillow because I'm maybe not as good at roughing it was I thought. Hannah though is toughing it out and still using her never dirty jumper.