CONTINENT 7 (KIND OF) - CHRISTCHURCH & AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - DAY 13
After dinner last night, Ashley had a bottle of wine that needed to be taken care of before our flight the next day, so we split the bottle three ways...I had a little less though- Just a glass-and-a-half. With this tonic, we all slept HARD, and I was able to sleep all the way through the night until 8:40AM. All those sleepless nights for nearly two whole weeks finally caught up with me. It felt good to be so well rested.
We inhale a free breakfast of delicious, still warm, bakery made toast at the hostel, and check out. (The toast was so good, I had three helpings, lathered in butter and jam). Today was sunny, and it was nice to take in all of Christchurch without it being dark and raining. Autumn is officially here. It’s not too cold, only brisk, and the leaves are beautiful colors of red, yellow and orange. It reminded me of Milwaukee actually with Grandma and Grandpa. We’re in a sleepy, quiet, little suburb, and walked through the park. Lo and behold, there’s a rugby pitch and a golf course on it. It’s so charming.
Aside from the suburb and park areas, a lot of Christchurch also reminds me of an old English town. It has a lot of similar mannerisms, architecture, Anglican religion, and personality that parallel England. We also learn that pizza seems to be a delicacy here, and that the city / suburb has various memorials for the devastating earthquake that occurred in 2011. Throughout, Christchurch has very many contemporary houses mixed with old ones stacked next to each other. The houses are surrounded by various “normal” trees and leaves, mixed with tropical palms. Very quirky and interesting- It always tricks my eye, and I have look twice.
We grab coffee and tea, and stride through a free street art gallery. We chat with a local, wearing a crocodile Dundee hat, who supported this endeavor, and was amazed to
see tourists interested in it! He was very nice. Him and his wife were headed to Sydney to see their daughter, and to enjoy the slightly warmer weather.
We back track, and head for some lunch. We pop into this very funky pop culture restaurant mixed with fandoms and arcade games. It is here, where we reminisce over the incredible, life altering trip we’ve just had, and cement the promise of coming back here. ...I also promise to do the 300ft. Nevis Swing with Rachel.
After lunch, we grab the car and make way for the Antartica museum to learn about the Little Blue Penguins. Apparently NZ is a gateway to Continent 7, and they are caretakers for these injured little guys. It’s funny, even in a city, we keep searching for nature. First the park, and now this.
At the museum I learn that South America is actually closer to Antarctica, but NZ I believe is the second closest location. They have a base there, called Scott’s Base. The first expedition to Antarctica was over 100 years ago. Now, it is a main hub for scientists and laboratories with various countries holding hubs there as well for study. Come to think of it, this must be the only continent with multiple nations on it to coincide peacefully together. This makes me happy knowing it’s for the sake of science. America has three year round bases, and Sweden of course, only goes during the summertime.
Later, we watch the penguins feed, and ride a Hagglund (designed by the Swedes) through a fun obstacle course. The Hagglund ride was a trip! It appears clunky and clumsy, but originally built for the military, it's a BEAST. It's really like a felxible, and more versatile tank. I REALLY want to learn how to drive one. After the ride, Rachel, Ashley and I and take turns standing on North and South Pole water vials. So TECHNICALLY, since I’ve stood on this, I’ve touched all seven continents by 25. Pretty neat! We attend two 4D movie experiences about Scott’s Base in Antarctica, and watch another film that has BEAUTIFUL cinematography about this continent’s landscape. It’s all really fascinating. It’s a kid’s museum, but they did a really good job with it. I learned so much. It's another stark reminder that life, (except for humans), can find a way to survive and thrive anywhere. As humans, we're so much more sensitive to changes in our environment and ecosystem. Mother Earth doesn't need us, and she's never have, but we truly need her.
After this, we take the car and hit the coast. We just want to see it- More nature. It’s cold and windy, but beautiful all the same. We were there just as the sun was setting and the moon was really close. It was lit so that it looked like a finger nail clipping. I grab a very cheap but delicious chicken burger here, and am down to $1.50NZD from the ENTIRE NZ trip- Not bad for only pulling cash once. I resolve to getting more cash once we get to the airport.
We drive, gas up, clean the car, drop the car, and quickly and easily move through our airport check-in. The girls grab dinner and beers here. I only want to try NZ’s famous, Speights beer- Finally. I order one, and it’s quite good. The girls explain that it’s a red ale...Something I really don’t know much about. I just know what flavors I like, and that I generally prefer light beer. It still doesn’t top my love for Jupiler, Oczusko, or Guinness directly from Ireland, but it’s still tasty and light- And really, it’s a different beer, so it’s like comparing apples to oranges. The girls take a sip and agree, it’s a good one.
We board, take off, and everything is a piece of cake.
*Flying from Christchurch to Auckland*
We’re in Auckland now, and did our late check-in to the hostel. We have a full day of Hobbiton tomorrow, which according to Instagram, Kay has just done today haha! She's still on her pre-med trip. I’m hoping to meet up tomorrow night for drinks as it’s our last night in NZ, and it would be super cool to see Kay in yet ANOTHER foreign country.
I regret not paying more for our Hobbiton ticket to see the glow worms caves as well. I wanted to film and photograph, but it’s forbidden, and that was the primary reason to go. It looked amazing when my friend Michael did a documentary piece on it for Great Big Story. Ashely and I have heard from multiple locals that it’s a magnificent sight and not one to miss. Oh well. Perhaps there will be a “next time”, and especially so with mine and the girls’ promise to each other over lunch. What a blessing.
-eM
