are we there yet?

Today, we arrived in Christchurch, New Zealand after many long hours in four airports and on three planes. We had a couple of delays, which allowed us to meet and have our free dinner with others who were also traveling to New Zealand. During our delays, we stepped out into the crisp night air of Los Angeles and the warm sunshine in Auckland. 

Our first night was spent at the Dorset House in Christchurch, where we felt very comfortable and at home. The city itself was beautiful, as we discovered the morning after our first night of rest. For breakfast we walked to a farmers market and had some pastries and nectarines. On the way back, we found many planted boulevards, vibrant flower beds, useful rain gardens, and narrow streets in Christchurch. These things together looked very nice. This being said, once Alison’s family friends, Karen and John, picked us up, I quickly realized that the roads are not as nice as they seemed. They are narrow, fast, and not very straight! 

The Rakaia Braided River from the plane!