Day 16 – Australia/New Zealand Adventure – Christchurch and other sights

(Saturday, March 22, 2025) by Ann Silverthorn with Jim DeDad

If you’ll recall from Day 12, about half of the people in our tour group did not receive their luggage when we arrived in New Zealand. It had been taken off the plane in Melbourne, because the aircraft was too heavy. We were informed four days later that all bags had been delivered to their owners. Everyone affected by this glitch had pretty good attitudes. I can’t say I would have. . . 

At 8:30, we headed off for Christchurch, also known as the Garden City, and visited several interesting places along the way.

The first stop was Lake Tekapo township. It’s part of the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, and the town is very conscientious about light pollution, so they can preserve their view of the night sky. The University of Canterbury Mt. John Observatory is located there. If only we had visited at night!

Lake Tekapo, itself, is fed by rivers that have their sources in the Southern Alps. Glacial silt from the alps’ meltwater gives the lake its distinctive color.

We all walked from where the bus left us off at town center, across a bridge, and down to a point where a the Church of the Good Shepherd sits. It’s an old stone structure, built in 1935, and still hosts services and weddings. 

The next stop, at around 11:00 a.m., was Geraldine (what a cute name!), about two hours before Christchurch. We bought some ice cream and a jelly donut from The Berry Barn Bakery and Cafe. We also took a quick look around a gift shop, knowing we didn’t have much room in our bags. We decided that on the next trip, we will bring larger suitcases, so we can fit more souvenirs in them. As it is, our checked bags are quite a bit below the limit of 50 pounds; we just don’t have much room in them. 

Back on the bus to Christchurch, we traveled through the alluvial plain where there are at least 1,500 farms, with many black and white Holstein dairy cows. There are also corn crops or as they call it, maize. They also grow cereal crops like wheat and barley. This is used as livestock feed. 

As we cruised along on our journey to Christchurch, there were no more tall mountains to be seen.  

Just outside of Christchurch, we stopped at the Willowbank Wildlife Reserve, which is a leader in the conservation of New Zealand species, specifically, the “Big 5.” Those are the kiwi (national bird), kea (parrot), tuatara (reptile), kaka (intelligent parrot that mimics human speech), and takahe (flightless bird).

Finally, we arrived in Christchurch, and after a tour around the city on the bus, we were treated to the Distinction Hotel  in the center of the city. This is the nicest hotel we’ve stayed in by far. Collette is smart in that they bookend the trip with the nicest accommodations. My sensitive self felt right at home in this room. . . It was like the old days when my business travel included fancy hotels I could never afford in real life.

After checking in to our hotel, we walked around a bit. Across from our hotel and our window, we could see The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, a Catholic church, which was damaged in the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes. The diocese has gone back and forth between demolition and reconstruction. I can’t say for certain where they landed.

In the evening we were split up into small groups and picked up by our host families for dinner. Our group was only four people, and we were happy to spend time with another couple, who seemed very nice, but whom the hadn’t had the chance to visit with yet. I cannot remember their names, but I think they might be from Pittsburgh. 

Our host was named Cheryl, and she is a widow who lives in the suburbs of Christchurch. She is retired and has three kids and 10 grandchildren!

Cheryl treated us to an adult beverage when we arrived at her home, and we visited a little while in her living room. Then, while she started getting the first course ready, she shooed us outside to enjoy her beautiful gardens. 

Dinner was lovely with salads, potatoes, green beans, and lamb. We had pavlova for dessert. This meringue-based treat is named after Anna Pavlova, a Russian Ballerina from long ago who was very light on her feet.

The time flew by conversing with Cheryl and the other couple, and soon it was time to return to the hotel. She drove us back and we thanked her for an enjoyable evening. Tomorrow–a free day!

5,401 steps 

Bits ’n Bobs from Cam (and Ann)

• The southern hemisphere has Aurora australis vs. our Aurora borealis
• Māori have a significant influence in government.
• New Zealand is big into dairy farming, and they export a lot of dairy products. 
• New Zealand was once all forested, but the English came along and established farms. 
• New Zealand gets winds from Antarctica in the winter. They have shelter belts (lines of trees) that break the winds. 
• Christchurch is the most English city in New Zealand. Named after Christchurch college in England.
• Christchurch had big earthquakes in 2010 and 2011. They are still rebuilding.
• Most new buildings in Christchurch aren’t more than five stories now, because people are uneasy with taller buildings ever since the earthquakes.