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.

On The Road Again.....Lake Tekapo and Onward to Christchurch

Last night was our last night at Mount Cook, we decided to drive a bit out of the mountains to a nearby lake. We drove until we saw sun and went and sat down by the water.

This morning we loaded up our car and hit the road, destination being Christchurch. On the way to Christchurch is a town called Lake Tekapo. It was a good place to take a driving break and walk around the lake area. The lakes here are amazingly blue/green and are absolutely gorgeous. They also have a wildflower called Lupins that are purple and pink and are seen everywhere. On the shore of Lake Tekapo is a cute old stone church that would fit about 30 people in it. The window at the front of this tiny church looks right out to the lake...so pretty. On our drive, we also saw a million sheep and got a pretty close peep at a tiny lil lamb-how adorable is he?

We arrived in Christchurch early afternoon and checked into The Heritage...our hotel. It is right in Cathedral Square and is a gorgeous hotel. Right across from us is the Christchurch Cathedral and we are thinking about going over for a church service in the next couple days. The cathedral, along with many areas of the city, are decorated for Christmas so even without snow, it's getting us a little more in the spirit. We bought a Christmas tree ornament today that says NewZealand on it so we can remember it for being our first married Christmas in NZ.
We walked about the city checking it out on foot this eve. It's different from the other places we've been in that it has much more of a city-feel to it with an English vibe. We saw a giant, life-size game of chess going on in the town square which was neat to see, and then also did some shopping. I can't stop looking at baby stuff. NO, not for us but for  my Sis n Eric's Baby Iverson. I wish I knew the gender cuz it would make life easier for me (although i dreamt it was a girl.) Actually, maybe it's good we don't know what it is, else I would have spent way too much money on him/her already. Can't wait to meet the babe! Another thing in life to be thankful for.....