Oceania: Day 16: 7-19-94: Christchurch

I awoke at 6:00 a.m., grabbed my daypack (I stored my two big bags until my return) and caught the airport limo to the ANZ domestic terminal where I sought out Mt. Cook Airlines (a subsidiary of Air New Zealand). My plane was small and far from top of the line, but the service was was still as good as (if not better than) that found on a typical US flight -- it lived up to the high quality I'd come to expect of ANZ. I had coffee and biscuits on the first leg of my journey and a full lunch (including sandwich, fruit, cheese & crackers, juice and a wafer thin mint) on the second leg. As Dawn and Eve had mentioned (for they, too, had taken a Mt. Cook flight), the compact, propeller-powered plane was able to fly at a relatively low altitude -- an advantage for seeing the beautiful New Zealand countryside.

I landed in Christchurch at 11:00 a.m. and had a full 10 hours before my 9:45 p.m. bus to Queenstown. This gave me the day to explore Christchurch and its environs at my leisure. I tried to keep it cheap, though I still spent more money than I would have liked. First I walked to the Canterbury Museum (which was blessedly free), where I learned a lot about the natives of New Zealand who first arrived on the scene about 1,000 years ago. These people were called "The Moa Hunters" -- an apt name, when you consider that they hunted the native Moa bird (a large, tame bird related to the ostrich) to extinction. During my time at the museum, I also had the chance to see my first glimpse of the national bird of NZ -- that's right, a gen-you-ine kiwi bird (albeit it, stuffed). I finished my self-guided tour at the Maori craftwork exhibit (the Maori are descendants of the Moa hunters which still exist in small numbers today), where I saw tools, clothes, jewelry, weapons and boats. I was most impressed with the Maori woodwork and greenstone jewelry. I really wanted to purchase a piece of the latter, but it was way too expensive (sigh).

Next I was off on a brief stroll through the Christchurch Botanical Gardens (VERY brief -- I was getting really cold and hungry, and most of the flowers were dead anyway) and nearby Art Instititute. I entered the Catholic Church which gave the town its architecturally impressive focal point (and, I assume, its name).



----------------------------The Christchurch Church------------------------

Upon exiting the church, I watched an outdoor game of oversized chess (the players lugged around giant pieces on a 12' by 12' board painted on the sidewalk) and then looked for an affordable midday munch. I eventually settled on a hearty loaf of fresh focaccia bread from the local bakery -- it was tasty, filling and cheap ($1.50).

-------------------------------Monster Chess-----------------------------------

After lunch, I decided to hop on a bus and go to Mount Cavendish on the outskirts of the city, where they offered a gondola ride up the steep sheep-strewn slope. The ride was pleasant enough, but hardly worth the $9 fee. The view at the summit was just okay -- I've been to so many scenic locales, I guess I've become somewhat desensitized (it's sad in a way, but Nature has to work a little harder to impress me these days). Actually, the most enjoyable part of the day's excursion was watching three corpulent chickens attempt to move their tourist-fed grotesqueness around.

---------------------------------Monster Chicken-------------------------------

Next it was back to the city, where I still had a good deal of time to kill. I bought some more postcards and six(!) rolls of film (I started out comparison shopping and somehow ended up buying them all). I walked around town for another hour or so and silently payed witness to the eldritch experience of a city shutting down completely for the night -- virtually every kiosk, store and even restaurant closed its doors, and it was only 6:00 p.m. I started to feel like The Omega Man walking deserted, post-apocalyptic streets. I did manage to find one bar that was still open, where I grabbed another lasagna dinner (redundant, but satisfying), washed down with one of New Zealand's fine Export Draughts. After dinner, I gambled at the bar's slot machines (and quickly lost $4) and then sat down and wrote the words you're currently reading -- which means that I'm officially caught up ("Hi there! It's me in the present tense!").

Now all that awaits me is an 8-hour bus ride to Queenstown (I should arrive between 5:00 and 6:00 a.m.), during which I'll attempt to get some sleep (I'll need my rest -- tomorrow promises to be quite an adrenaline-pumping day!).