New Zealand Christchurch March 25 - April 2

We arrived into Christchurch, New Zealand on March 25th ...back to civilization! We stayed at the Stonehurst backpackers lodge for the first 5 days. It was incredibly well organized, clean, and had everything a backpacker might want - and more! The place was a bargain at $60.00 NZ$ per night for a double room with refrigerator, hair dryer, TV, etc.. The exchange rate is approximately 0.42 NZ = $1.00 USD...great for Americans!! They also had a nice bar with very cheap happy hour specials...so all the backpackers could meet each other.

We had an interesting Kiwi welcome to Christchurch. Our first evening in the center square, we were wandering around, and came upon a 'goddess' ceremony. This ceremony had about 50 women dressed in strange costumes...some had antlers, some had torches, some in peasant costumes. Basically, they were celebrating womanhood and the earth. The pictures speak for themselves.

We found some really "quaint" places on New Regents Street...we had the greasiest breakfast at a place called "Accent on Living" (of all names)! There was a Cuban Cigar shop right across the way. I thought my Dad might want to get hooked up, but the prices are VERY high for Cuban cigars ...and he shouldn't smoke anyway.

This city has some beautiful gothic buildings (some with nice stained glass) and a nice central square where people tend to congregate. Lon ended up playing a game of chess on the cathedral square. It was funny to watch as the crowd grew bigger and bigger ... and of course, everyone has their opinion on what the next move should be...and they love to share their opinions! Lon kept his cool, stuck it out, and WON!

Also on the Cathedral square, is the infamous Wizard. It's an old guy that dresses up in funny costumes and shares his philosophy on life. We listened for about 30 seconds, then left.

This is a wonderful town for walking. It's easy to get around and very scenic. The Avon river runs throughout the city...it makes for some very picturesque spots. We took a short gondola ride on the Avon. We discovered the Botanic Gardens and spent a nice half day just walking around enjoying the flowers. We found a neat sundial in the center of the gardens. We've been very lucky with the weather!! It's been warm and sunny during the days, but getting cooler in the evenings (thanks to Jim for the thermal underwear!).

On Saturdays and Sundays, there is an Arts and Crafts Festival on the Arts Center campus. They have some unique stands that sell beautiful blown glass, Maori design jewelry, hand-made paper, soaps made from regional herbs, etc.. They have great food stands and street entertainers. It's easy to make a full day of it...and we did!

I get the feeling that New Zealand is a very different country...kind of funky - in a very endearing way. They have some really odd combinations ...like the feta cheese, dill, and hot pepper muffins (delicious!)...the pineapple and rosemary bread...the diagonal street crossings...driving on the opposite side of the street, etc..

We took a Gondola ride to the top of Mt. Cavendish. It was very windy up there! There were beautiful views of Christchurch and Lyttleton. We ended up mountain biking down. Since everything here is reversed, we really had to watch ourselves...even the brakes on our bikes were reversed (front brake on the right handle bar)...Lon learned the hard way (there wasn't too much blood, but it was a scary fall). We came across a cute, unidentified animal on the trail...anyone know what this is? It looks like a baby porcupine.

After talking to a lot of other backpackers, we ended up buying a car. It's Lon's New Zealand "Porsche". Actually, it's a 1986 Toyota Corona ...we bought it for $300.00 USD. Hopefully, this baby will get us around New Zealand for the next 6 - 8 weeks!

We have found Christchurch to be very inexpensive - high quality lodging for cheap...and the food! Lamb, lamb, lamb...we're eating so much lamb, we'll probably grow wool. It's a very cheap meat here. We switched over to Foley Towers Lodge - just to try something else. It's a Victorian style home with beautiful gardens.

region	lodging	$US / night	rating	notes
Christchurch	Stonehurst	$24.6		outstanding!
	Foley Towers	$18.04		pretty gardens