Christchurch, NZ

So it's been over a week since we have been in NZ and maybe we are finally getting on a more normal sleep schedule. We actually slept later than 0630 today which was nice for a change. It had been in the mid-50's this morning and a little breezy but quickly warmed up to the mid-60's and it has been a pretty comfortable day weather-wise here.

Christchurch is known as "The Garden City" for it's parks and gardens. We went up to Hagley Park today and walked around a rather large park area with the Avon River running through it. It's a short walk from City Center where we are staying and is very peaceful. There are gondola's going up and down the river and a huge rose garden that we were able to walk around. The Christchurch Hospital is also on the edge of the Garden's with a Nurse's Memorial

Chapel on site which of course I had to go and check out. I think I need to show my manager the photos and see if she can slip that into St Paul Childrens Hospital's building plans. What a great place to escape for a bit when a rough day on the job is getting you down.

It has been so nice outside that we took our camera and the books we've been reading and went and laid down by the river for awhile. We are thinkin we will grab dinner now and maybe catch a gondola ride down the river. Christchurch is definitely very "city" and I am super excited for tomorrow when we will go out to Akaroa which is an hour drive from here. It's a little town on the coast and we have some fun plans for tomorrow. There are definitely some cool aspects to this city but we both favor the quaint smaller towns and the character that comes with them.