10/6: Christchurch

This morning turned out to be quite an adventure for me. Wells Fargo has been doing maintenance and I think it might have something to do with my card not working for me, even though I'm nowhere near my credit line or anything. So after getting up with Nicole to get some gas for the car, I went to the aiport to return it.

But I didn't have any cash on me like I thought I did, and my card wouldn't work, and my phone is out of credit until I recharge it tomorrow in Brisbane. So I ended up heading off and taking an urban hike back to the city. Christchurch isn't all that big- about 400,000 people, but I still saw more of it than I thought I would. After about 2 hours I made it back, and we headed out into the city. We went to Cathedral Square, the focal point of the town, and headed to the Arts Centre from there. We saw a bunch of shops and galleries with all kinds of art and food and books and such.

This is a very old feeling town- lots of stone churches and colleges, even though its really only about 130 years old or so- about as old as Denver. It has a distinctly English feel about it. Its known as the Garden City, and its evident- especially right now in the heart of spring, with tulips and daffodils in full swing. They're very pretty.

We also tried a famous NZ Meat Pie. We went to a bakery that is one of the best in the country- they were the bakery of the year in 2002. We had steak pies that were absolutely delicious. There's a store in Vail that sells them and they're expanding to Denver- I'm pretty excited.

Tonight we meet up with Leslie and Brittany for dinner and a drink (Three Boys Pils- a local brew and the best I've had in the southern hemisphere) before going to bed and getting up for our 3:30am shuttle to the airport for our 6:15am flight. At least we have the whole day once we're back in Brisbane?

All in all this has been an absolutely incredible trip- the weather worked out absolutely perfectly, our itinerary packed a lot into the 7 days, and we saw some of the most breathtaking scenery on earth. I'm already plotting my return, or several. Perhaps we'll invest in property here down the road- I wouldn't mind coming here once a year. The exchange rate is favorable, the people friendly, the crowds nonexistent, and landscape unlike any other. I can't wait to see the North Island as well. One day...