Christchurch and the Journey Home

After returning from dropping off the rental car, we walked into town for dinner. We found an Italian place and got in just before they closed early on the holiday. New Zealand is not a 24-hour society like the the United States and everything closes down by nine and even earlier on a holiday. We had a nice meal and then returned to the B&B.

Tuesday was our last full day in New Zealand and we spent it walking around Christchurch. We walked to the nearby botanical gardens and strolled down the River Avon. We had seen winter in the mountains, but spring was in full bloom in Christchurch. They had many large old trees and budding rhodendras. We walked through to reach the Canterbury Museum, the city museum about the region. They had a few exhibits similar to the others I had visited, but the highlight was their Antarctica exhibit. Christchurch is the staging point for many of the scientific trips to Antarctica. The Canterbury Museum had on display the original Camp Hallett buildings, one of the original bases constructed in the 1950s. It was nothing more than a few ramshackle wood huts and to spoke to the heartiness of the people who lived in Antarctica at the time. They also had exhibits on the early Antarctica explores like Scott and Shackleton.

We next walked down to Cathedral Square and made our way around looking at shops. We had a small lunch before going to the Christchurch Art Gallery. They had a nice collection of 19th Century New Zealand artists who painted landscapes and what life was like in the early colonial period. Their other collections were smaller, but still interesting including an Antarctica photo exhibit. For dinner, we went to a nearby grill and ate more of the livestock we drove by on our travels. We went to a nearby indie filmhouse and saw "Black Book" about a a Jewish woman who was a resistance fighter in Holland.

Wednesday morning we had a fine breakfast and then packed up our bags. We walked around Cathedral Square once last time before catching a shuttle to the airport. After checking in for our flight and dropping off our luggage, we left the airport and walked to the nearby International Antarctic Centre. At the Centre, they have a large indoor exhibit about international scientific research projects in Antarctica. The rest of the International Antarctic Centre is the staging area for New Zealand, United States, Australian, and other nations' scientific missions. There were large US Air Force planes on the nearby runway ready to load up with supplies for the upcoming summer season. At the Centre, we learned about what life is like for the scientists and technicians living in Antarctica. They had a room filled with snow where we bundled up and went in to experience a simulated storm in Antarctica. I've experienced colder temperatures before, but my thin blood did not enjoy the cold. They also had about a dozen small blue penguins on display. It was a very interesting exhibit and well worth a few hours times before our flight.

The first plane trip was from Christchurch to Auckland. Despite high winds in NZ, the ride was fairly smooth and we arrived on time. We transferred over to the international terminal and boarded our next flight from Auckland to Los Angeles. It was a twelve hour flight, but Qantas does a great job on customer service and we had the exit row so it was bearable. In LA, we retrieved our bags and went through customs before rechecking the bags. Dad and I split up to take different carriers back to Detroit. I flew first to Chicago and made it on time. Like many, I've experienced delay problems at O'Hare, but this time everything went smoothly and I arrived in Detroit on time. I met up with Mom and an hour later picked up my father and drove home. It was a long and tiring travel home, but it went as smoothly and safely as possible.

New Zealand is an absolutely gorgeous country and I had an amazing time touring both islands. The scenery was so unbelievably stunning it almost looked unreal as if we had stepped into a movie set. I had some great experiences and I am really happy my Dad was able to join me and share in the adventure. If I could only go back to either Australia or New Zealand, I would choose New Zealand. It was a lot of plane and car travel, but it was all worth it in the end.

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