Christchurch - Goodbye to New Zealand

Trip Start Nov 12, 2007
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Trip End Aug 01, 2008


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Monday, March 10, 2008

I have to confess that we have been a little slow updating this site lately and I'm am sitting here on sunday afternoon doing the last three entries before we leave New Zealand tomorrow. I have just watched a full replay of Reading beating Man City on Sky and was going to settle down to watch the Test Match but England had other ideas and at 61 for 7 I could take no more. Emma gave me the choice of doing the laundry or wandering into town to do this and well here I am in a high tech internet cafe that holds over 60 people right in Cathedral Square in the centre of the City. I am hoping that if I type for long enough I will miss the ironing and packing too.

Christchurch is meant to be very "English" and a river runs through the centre and there are several large parks. There is even punting and we spent a very pleasant half hour on friday being "punted?" down the river Akoroa
Akoroa
 . We spent the rest of the day looking round the city enjoying the sunshine as well as going up the inevitable gondola (no.5) for views from the hills behind. No luge this time though.We treated ourselves to fish and chips on the beach for dinner.

On saturday we headed out about 50 miles south to Akaroa a picturesque village/town on a peninsula of scenic valleys and bays.This was where the French landed in about 1840 and if they had been a little earlier or the British had not organised things with the Maoris history might have been very different and it would be Zealand de Neu or something like that. One less team to beat us at Cricket but I guess they would have still had one hell of a Rugby team. Some of the street names in Akaroa are still in French and it is a lovely little place.

This morning we visited the Antarctic Centre. Christchurch is the base for a lot of Antarctic travel etc. There are a mixture of attractions including the little penguins that we saw from a distance in Australia. Here you can see them close up from every angle including underwater and can even take photos. There is also the Antarctic room which is kept at minus eight degrees. You can stay in there as long as you want.(not too long) and every hour they simulate a blizzard to illustrate the wind chill factor (brrrrr). There is plenty to see. An interesting couple of hours.

And that is it for New Zealand. Next stop Fiji and we will update things when we can. Hopefully the ironing and packing is done....... (R)
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