we said goodby to Rosie after breakfast and headed off for Christchurch to visit Robert and Beth Winn-Wiliams, also friends from our days in Guelph. We had two options--a coastal route through Marlborough and wine country or a mountain route through the interior. We opted for the mountain route and suggestions from Rosie for a coffee stop mid-morning and a lunch stop in Hammer Springs, a ski and thermal springs resort town about 2/3 of the way to Christchurch. The scenery was striking with many snow capped peaks not far off as we drove through mountain passes alternating with relatively flat sections with large sheep and dairy herds. We stopped for gas in Lewis Pass, a small village about halfway along. We are used to NZ gas prices, $209 per liter which is just about double what we pay in the US. In Lewis Pass, an hour from the nearest competition, that price jumps to $2.34. I opted to leave the tank half full which caused concern in the back seat, and would most certainly not been endorsed by Bob Welsh, but we rolled into Christchurch with plenty to spare.
Beth and Robert have a very nice property within the city limits, but outside the urban district. We sat in the back yard, sipping wine and chatting for a few hours until our dinner feast of barbecued lamb and roasted vegetables. This morning we head out for a bus tour of the devastated downtown, a walk though the. Botanical gardens and a visit to the Antartica exhibit.
