Christchurch - The City of constant Sweet Peadness

Hey all. I have a new friend that I'd like you all to meet. This is Larry. And the man I'm handing the money too, is Phillip. Phillip could've been a good friend, as he was interested in Mountaineering, and climbing and hiking, but he was leaving New Zealand the next day. But Phillip did introduce me to Larry for a mere sum of cash. Larry is my "new" 1986 Subaru Station wagon, and he is going to help me get around the south island. Larry is nice. He has fold down seats so that one can sleep inside him, he starts up just fine, and he has decent petrol consumption! Hopefully, If I apply the golden rule and I am good to him, he'll be good back to me! So from this point on, Larry will be part of my stories!

Now that you've met Larry, he came to the Airport with Linnea and I to pick up my Mom, who is now travelling with us. The three of us have more or less been getting our bearings straight for the past day or so, but in the meantime we've seen some good sites around the Christchurch area.

First of all, the Center of Christchurch is around this Cathedral, and the square that surrounds it. Aptly named, Cathedral square. Cathedral square is where the tourists combine with the locals in one place. They have everything here, and one could more or less hang out here for days on end. This is where "Sweet Pea in Christchurch" happens. You constantly have vendors, bands, shows, and street performers here. The street performers though, aren't necessarily the best. They more or less make you feel guilty for not giving them money. The one we watched today took an hour to build up a crowd so that he could perform an escape from 20 meters of chain. It was a good escape, but not worth an hour of him attempting to get the crowd he had to cheer so that more people would come.

Another thing they have in Cathedral Square is this Chess Board. It is entirely free to use, and the only cost is you know that about 15 people will be watching your game. So you better play well if you play on this board. But, I really think we should get Bozeman to add this type of board in a park somewhere. It is really fun to play on! In fact, the first game that I played, I (luckily) won! The second game I got slaughtered though.

Well, from there, my mom, Linnea, and I went to the botanical gardens in Christchurch. Something I've noticed about NZ is that all the large cities have the most beautiful Botanical Gardens with Hamiltons being the best still though. But the ones in Christchurch were not lacking at all!

Oh yeah, and how could I forget! With the help from Larry, and the coolerbox that came with him, we were able to shop for food! (Or should I say my Mom and Linnea) And when I say shop, that's what I mean! We went wild! We are going to be able to eat like kings for the next two weeks, and I'm NOT complaining one bit! I mean, look at the picture on the left! I would never contemplate what type of cheese to buy! Except if I was looking at Kraft Macaroni and Cheese! Hmm, do I want spirals, or the family box? ;) So, yeah, I'm looking forward to the next two weeks! And, on the left you can see what will be on the menu for the next two weeks!

Miss you All! (Except My Mom and Linnea of course, considering they are both sitting about 2 feet away from me right now. . . .) Keep on keepin' on!