We've spent five days in Christchurch exploring the city and getting prepared for our SE Asia trip. It was a nice break from our roadtrip and camping, since we stayed in the same hostel every night (with a bed every night and a shower every morning!!).
During our stay we met a nice couple, Lisa and Lewis, who taught us card games. We spent two nights staying up late drinking and playing "Nominations". We did go out one night with L & L when they invited us to join them for the International Busker Festival. At the Busker Festival there was lovely outdoor seating and a pretty good comedy show (only NZ$2).
A few days have been spent in the city center around Cathedral Square and the Botanic Gardens. The weather has been cooperative so we've managed a nap in the park and drinks in the cafes near the Arts Center. Christchurch is a large city, but the central area is big and open so there's enough to do without being overwhelming.
We've taken care of the practical things necessary before flying out to Bangkok, including purchasing two smaller (35 liter) backpacks to carry on instead of checking our large hiking packs. We have about 2 changes of clothes each and a few little bottles with shampoo, bug repellent, and sunscreen. Lisa and Lewis think we're a bit crazy, but we are looking forward to carrying the lighter loads.
Our flight flies out of ChCh (that's Christchurch) at 6:15 am tomorrow, which means check in time is 4:00. Therefore, we are spending the night at the airport. Maybe if we're exhausted when we arrive in Bangkok we'll adjust to the time change more quickly...
The Nissan is being stored for a few dollars a day while we're gone so that we have the car to drive around in when we return to New Zealand on March 22.
For now, we're killing time before our airport overnighter begins!
