Akaroa Village Inn

... first trial drive to the shopping mall for our groceries. We set off to go the Banks Peninsula which is about an hour and a half from Christchurch along windy roads. Akoroa is a picturesgue town rather similar to Woolfgang(nb to Carol and Bob) We are now on the top of a hill overlooking the inlet.Awesome views!! The motorhome park is very well equipped so enjoying ...

... our nails done at one of the salons in town as a way to waste time, but neither one was open. I think we walked from one end of town to the other at least 3 times. But overall it was a quiet, relaxing day, and we did get to see the gorgeous volcanic landscape! The bus picked us up later in the day and we got back to Christchurch in time to go out for dinner. We wanted to try one of the restaurants that was advertised as serving "New Zealand cuisine ...

... s creek, and stopped at the aileron roadhouse, home to a giant sculpture of an aboriginal warrior. here, at the roadhouse, were swarms of aboriginal men, women and children huddled under trees. i didn't think much of the scenario at the time, but a little further down the road, we passed signs at the entrances of several aboriginal communities, acknowledging the prohibition of alcohol and pornography. sean understood that perhaps all these aboriginal folk were hanging ...

... to do something mad - Queenstown is THE place to go, Options included bungee jumps, canyon swings, shotover jet boat trips, canyoning, whitewater rafting - we opted for skydiving. We were given a safety briefing and then it was straight off to the jump site. We had to wait for about 45 minutes for our turn (there are only two planes) so we got to watch some other people doing their jumps and luckily most came down smiling. Then we got called through and kitted up ...

... Tracy Tuschling and her family in Tuesday night. They've settled in really well and love Christchurch. Unfortunately with the recession Percy hasn't found a job but Tracy is doing a course at Uni and is going to be working part-time for Women's Aid. Both girls have settled in really well and both love their new schools. Tara (the eldest) has lots of new friends and has a part time job but she misses the Scottish accent! It was really nice to see them all so happy! (for ...

... into the small town (a two minuter drive) for a late lunch at Ma Maison. Oh, forgot to mention that Akaroa has a big French connection - and lots of fantastic places to eat. As it was pouring with rain, we stayed in our cosy studio (cottage) for the rest of the afternoon and watched a DVD (Drew Barrymore in Happy Ever After). In the evening, we decided to go back into the town for dinner and ...

... looking caravans and we arrived at the office to sign our lives away. Within minutes we were in the most unattractive babygrows ... mine made me look like a tellietubby and after some brief instructions (and I mean brief) we were bundled into a tiny plane strapped to our dive masters CJ and Laslow. Lois was first jumper so she was positioned next to a transparent plastic door which was only secured by a thin metal rod OMG!!! It provided her with a great view of ...

... see all this couple is doing for these birds. The next day we were supposed to swim with dolphins, but the weather was not so favorable for it, and we decided to wait and do it in Kaikoura (it ended up being the right decision. We later met those that went on the trip anyway, and they saw dolphins, but did not get to swim with them) After stopping at Barry's Cheese Factory to pick up some delicious cheese, we left Akaroa and traveled to Kaikoura to try and find those dolphins.

... off....a cliff on my bike, my hour in heaven atop Temple Basin in Arthurs Pass, being asked out by a girl closer to my sons age, Queenstown, Michelle, dolphins and a little church on a lake, are high up there. Yes, there were down moments, but they will be forgotten while the good times will stay with me always. Above all I DID IT!!!! Little old me made it to his fantasy destination and took it on all on his own. I feel kinda proud of myself :-) So what now for Deano ...

... randomly placed modern art. The highlight of my few brief days in Christchurch however layed across the pacific ocean. Step up president Barack Obama, i spent a whole day pinned to the live election results and it was worth every second, and not just because he is the right man for the job but also to see a frankly gutted Sarah Palin, it was as much relief that she won't ...