Road Trip One

I am now the proud owner of a red 1997 Toyota Camry Wagon. The addition of wheels has allowed us to expand our horizons beyond ChCh. So far, Doug is the designated driver with me as the navigator. Driving on the left side of the road, and shifting with your left hand, is a different experience but he has had some practice in Britain, South Africa and here in NZ. I’ll get into the drivers seat at some point. Even walking around you need to remember that this is part of the British commonwealth with walkers and drivers on the left. When crossing streets you need to look right first to keep from getting run over by the cars. Another difference is that shadows from the sun in north make it more challenging to navigate – the sun rises in east and sets in west but is north in the sky. Petrol prices have started to come down – from $2.18/litre to $2.06/litre. Do the math conversion and find that it is very expensive but we still want to see as much of NZ as possible. We should be able to sell the car easily when we leave at the height of summer in January.

Saturday, the weather was sunny even though the water puddle on the patio table was frozen, so we drove 90 minutes north through rolling hills to Hanmer Springs in the foothills. We hiked up a beech-forested valley along Dog Stream. After a gorgeous one hour climb ending in several staircases we arrived at the foot of the 41 metre tall Dog Stream waterfall. A lot of the way we were in snow as the snow level was about 600 metres and the waterfall is at 840 metres. On the way back down we finally got a good look at a native bell bird. They are pretty elusive so no picture but have a beautiful call. We had been hearing them all the way up and down the trail. After the hike we relaxed in the sulphur pools at the thermal resort. Hanmer Springs sits along a fault line so there is a lot of geothermal activity. At 41° C it felt like the hot tub at home. Doug missed his cigar and being alone in the pool. Doug and I are both getting over a cold so the soak felt wonderful except for the crowds of other people.

Sunday it was cloudy with intermittent rain so we stayed closer to home and just drove over to the beach along the eastern edge of ChCh. We did some bird watching on the beach and the marsh and watched surfers from the pier. They looked cold even in full wetsuits. There is a huge storm (very deep low) up on North Island so the waves were pretty big. Storms move in off Tasman Sea from the west and winds circulate clockwise around low pressure areas here in the southern hemisphere.

Daily Life

Our house is quite comfortable with three bedrooms, one bath, eat-in kitchen, sitting room (with TV – eight channels via antennae), sunroom, laundry room (with washer and dryer), and huge two car garage (with no extra stuff stored in it). It is a typical kiwi house with single pane windows, no central heating, and no insulation. There are electric space heaters in each room which we do not use. There is a nightstore heater in the central hallway. Electrical rates are very high during the day but low at night so the hall heater is on and warmed at night and then slowly releases heat during the day. We use that to heat the kitchen/eating area and keep all the other doors closed. The temps in the closed rooms are about 10° C. The heated towel rack in the bathroom is on all the time so the bathroom is not quite as cold. There is a pellet stove in the sitting room which we use in the evenings while reading or watching TV. When the sun is out the sitting room is solar heated nicely. Then we close the drapes at night. Doug wears his ski pants and fleece and uses a quilt to sit in the evening. I wear my Jay Peak fleece vest, a sweatshirt, and my sleeping bag to watch TV. We have a heating pad on our bed which we turn on about 2 hours before going to bed and then off when we get in bed. Warm flannel sheets are great to get into when the air temp is cold. Our visitor will get hot water bottles in her bed when she is here. We are trying to be very energy conscious at home even drying clothes on a rack in the hall.

My days are generally relaxed with mornings starting with reading in bed where it is still warm. The University of Canterbury has a great library with a good selection of fiction. The University also has a wonderful newcomers group that alternates coffee at someone’s house or a walking trip each Wed. morning. There is also a craft group every other Th., so I am going to crochet some baby gifts. I also walk to the grocery store or mall. Shopping in metric is fun to figure out how much of something to buy. The lamb roast I got for dinner tonight was $9.99/kg and 1.6 kg. Is that a good price and how long do I cook it for and at what temperature (the stove is in °C)?. I either take lunch to Doug in his office or he comes home. Afternoons I check email in Doug’s office and play online blogging etc. until he needs to get his lectures done. He teaches T, W, and Th. mornings. He is writing a new course on materials selection so he is spending a lot of time preparing lectures. He will have to tell you more about his students. We got a computer on loan from the Mech. Engineering Dept. to use at home so I can download pictures from my camera, play games, charge my ipod, and write blogs. We do not have internet at home so I transfer everything I need by memory stick to Doug’s office. I rolled the computer and huge old monitor across campus in my suitcase. It only took two trips. I also check out all the guide books and pamphlets at the house to plan places to go over the weekends. Evenings we generally watch TV but we have been out a few times to lectures etc. Last Th. we went out to dinner and then to a concert. One of his colleagues, Susan, sings in an early music group and they were part of an informal get together at the Music Centre. In addition to several vocal groups there were several recorder groups. The student recorder group was fabulous and amazing to watch and listen to. I joined in on the sing-a-long at the end. It was a lot of fun. We then went to Susan’s house for tea and her 17 year-old son pumped us for information about Bunker Hill for a school project.

On clear nights, we have done a little stargazing and love to see the Southern Cross at about 45° above horizon since we are at about 45° south latitude. The moon is also cool to watch as the light moves left to right as it is waxing. Think about looking at the moon upside down from where you are in the Northern hemisphere

Exploring Christchurch

We spent the first week exploring Christchurch. It is a beautiful city which is very easy to traverse on foot or by an excellent metrobus system. The city was established in 1850 and is centered on a cathedral square. It is bordered by the Southern Alps on west, the Port Hills on the south, the Pacific Ocean on east, and the plains of Canterbury on the north. The city itself is flat with many small waterways to drain the original swamps in the area. The city is known for its parks and gardens. Even now in the dead of winter there are flowers blooming everywhere. Within the city there is also a remnant of the original forest that once covered the Canterbury plain. Riccarton (Deans) Bush is protected by a predator-proof fence to provide a haven for native birds among the hundreds of kahikatea trees, New Zealand’s tallest native tree. The Deans family also planted dozens of imported trees on their property in the 1840s. There is also a lively arts scene. The original, downtown campus of the University of Canterbury is now the Arts Center with galleries, workshops, and venues for all manner of performances. The nuclear scientist, Ernest Rutherford began his experiments here in a cloakroom beneath a lecture hall while still a student at the University. Rutherford’s den is now an interactive exhibition which celebrates his achievements. The University relocated to a larger, suburban campus in the 1960s. The Canterbury Museum, between the Arts Center and the Botanic Gardens, is renowned for its displays of New Zealand and Pacific natural history and ethnology. There is also a particularly fine Antarctic exhibit with relics from the expeditions of Scott and Shackleton. Christchurch has always been a jumping off point for Antarctic exploration. The sundial in the center of a rose garden in the Botanic Garden helps to locate Christchurch on the face of the earth.

Four days to go and down to packing. The duffel weighs 48 pounds (just under the 50 pound limit) and the backpack is only at 35 pounds. Went to REI and got airporter covers for the backpacks to protect them enroute. Just a few more last minute things to get and then we will be ready to be on our way. Malia and Ross are helping to get the house in order and make life easier for themselves while we are gone.

Chris and Doug Down South

Hey all - keep checking this site for updates on our adventures down under.