Christchurch Downtown, Botanic Gardens, New Brighton Pier
Thursday Nov 26th, 2009
This morning before w
e headed out for the day, we had a duck knocking at our door. It was a mother duck with 
ten very new little ducklings. I fed the
m a slice of bread but had to stop when the main flock arrived. The ducklings were so cute.
Christchurch is NZ’s garden city. Their Botanic Gardens are the country’s most prominent gardens.
We spent over three hours wandering through them. The rose garden was at its very best and both Alan and I loved it. I loved all the little birds that came in hopes that I would feed them. They were quite pretty.
The downtown is quite pretty with streets blocked o
ff to regular traffic only allowing the trams to pass through. We had a look around Ballantynes Department store. They are quite like the Bay and Sears at Christmas with an amazing food section containing treats from all over the world
. Their Christmas displays are not quite what we are used to, but they do have a small Christmas section. I didn’t find anything to bring home there. 
We drove to New Brighton and the pier. This pier is very lon
g. We saw fishermen at the end of it, as well, there were men catching crabs. It was quite fun. I couldn’t believe how long the beach was…quite impressive. Many people were out trying to surf, but the waves weren’t co-operating!
Tomorrow maybe we will go on the crater drive.
Thursday Nov 26th, 2009
This morning before w
e headed out for the day, we had a duck knocking at our door. It was a mother duck with 
ten very new little ducklings. I fed the
m a slice of bread but had to stop when the main flock arrived. The ducklings were so cute.Christchurch is NZ’s garden city. Their Botanic Gardens are the country’s most prominent gardens.
We spent over three hours wandering through them. The rose garden was at its very best and both Alan and I loved it. I loved all the little birds that came in hopes that I would feed them. They were quite pretty.The downtown is quite pretty with streets blocked o
ff to regular traffic only allowing the trams to pass through. We had a look around Ballantynes Department store. They are quite like the Bay and Sears at Christmas with an amazing food section containing treats from all over the world
. Their Christmas displays are not quite what we are used to, but they do have a small Christmas section. I didn’t find anything to bring home there. 
We drove to New Brighton and the pier. This pier is very lon
g. We saw fishermen at the end of it, as well, there were men catching crabs. It was quite fun. I couldn’t believe how long the beach was…quite impressive. Many people were out trying to surf, but the waves weren’t co-operating!Tomorrow maybe we will go on the crater drive.
Christchurch, Antarctic Display
Wednesday Nov 25th, 2009
We visited the Antarctic Display. It was quite an interesting stop. You first enter a room that takes you through the cycles of time when in the Antarctic. Though it didn’t snow and it wasn’t too cold. Next was the snow room. Here you put on proper Antarctic snow gear and go into a room that is very cold. You can see the snow and ice. They even have an ice slide to play on.
Next we went into an area that was multi-technical. Lots of great information on the expeditions and the technology from pas t to present. I particularly enjoyed the daily pictures that are posted to their computer – fascinating.
Wednesday Nov 25th, 2009
We visited the Antarctic Display. It was quite an interesting stop. You first enter a room that takes you through the cycles of time when in the Antarctic. Though it didn’t snow and it wasn’t too cold. Next was the snow room. Here you put on proper Antarctic snow gear and go into a room that is very cold. You can see the snow and ice. They even have an ice slide to play on.Next we went into an area that was multi-technical. Lots of great information on the expeditions and the technology from pas t to present. I particularly enjoyed the daily pictures that are posted to their computer – fascinating.
Also they have a simulated sun and earth that can be hand turned to show how the sun hits the earth. A school group went through at that time and loved this.
They have a blue penguin viewing, outdoor, indoor, underwater and inside the nests. We watched them feed the penguins. These penguins have all been rescued, many have wings or that no longer work, one is blind…they were still cute.
Finally, there is a movie of the Antarctic that had beautiful footage of the ice, the rock formations and the stations past and present. Alan and I thoroughly enjoyed this visit.
Oh, I forgot, we finished with a ride on a Hagglund. We rode in the back of the caboose. Well that certainly turned out to be the highlight of the trip.
Seat belted in, we had hand straps to clutch from the ceiling. This is a water tight vehicle. We went through a course that would rival any rollercoaster in Wonderland. My stomach was left behind…everyone was shrieking. It even traversed a three foot gap between two hills. The last segment of the trip was through a three meter deep pool of water. This vehicle can float and its tracks can propel it forward in the water. That was quite exciting.
They have a blue penguin viewing, outdoor, indoor, underwater and inside the nests. We watched them feed the penguins. These penguins have all been rescued, many have wings or that no longer work, one is blind…they were still cute.
Finally, there is a movie of the Antarctic that had beautiful footage of the ice, the rock formations and the stations past and present. Alan and I thoroughly enjoyed this visit.Oh, I forgot, we finished with a ride on a Hagglund. We rode in the back of the caboose. Well that certainly turned out to be the highlight of the trip.
Seat belted in, we had hand straps to clutch from the ceiling. This is a water tight vehicle. We went through a course that would rival any rollercoaster in Wonderland. My stomach was left behind…everyone was shrieking. It even traversed a three foot gap between two hills. The last segment of the trip was through a three meter deep pool of water. This vehicle can float and its tracks can propel it forward in the water. That was quite exciting.
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