New Zealand     January 2010

The hop on / hop off tram.

Arrived safely in NewZealand and we are spending the first four days in Christchurch. It is a fine city with many historic buildings. It was set up for free settlers, so started life as a city to impress. Everything is close by and so it can all be done on foot. We bought tickets for the hop on / hop off tram for the fun of the ride, but we walked the same route many times.

We visited the botanical gardens, art gallery and the museum (which our museum could take a few tips from).

The original university has moved to bigger premises out of the city and the beautiful gothic (revival) buildings have become an arts centre. It also houses a theatre and we went to a fabulous production of Anything Goes. On Tuesday we picked up our car and headed off to the Port Hills for a gondola ride up a hill that gives great views over Christchurch, Lytleton Bay and the distant hills. From there we went to the pretty French settlement Akoroa.

View from the gondola ride.

French settlement of Arokoa.

Wednesday we picked up our bikes and rode around the Avon River, which flows in and out around Christchurch, complete with punters and canoes.

Riding around the Avon River.

One of the punts.