Christchurch and it's a beautiful day!

We were happy to see clear skies this morning as the ship pulled into Lyttelton, the port town just a 30-minute bus ride from Christchurch, our destination for today.

Sunrise as we head towards the port

Christchurch is the largest city on New Zealand's South Island. It was envisioned as a planned community for the Church of England in the 1850's, and many say it is the most English of cities outside of England. Named for the college at Oxford, Christchurch features Gothic Revival architecture, manicured gardens and punting on the river Avon.

The city's focal point is Cathedral Square with a crafts market, food vendors, music and other touristy activities and the site of the landmark Cathedral. This is where the shuttle bus from the port drops everyone off for a day of exploration. We headed over to the river area, where the sidewalk follows the meandering river through downtown. We watched several punts float by on the river. They are small flat-bottomed boats that have no keel.

Cathedral Square

Walking path alongside the river

Punting on the Avon River

The punt is propelled by means of a pole, which is also used to steer. The person who stands at the back of the boat without losing his balance and navigates the boat making sure the passengers enjoy the smooth ride without getting wet, is called a punter.

We noticed some earthquake damage to the old brick and stone buildings in the downtown area. There was a lot of scaffolding present and sidewalks blocked off from pedestrian traffic as the repairs were in progress.

Earthquake damage to the Baptist Church

This 18-meter-tall metal sculpture, the Chalice, commemorates the millennium.

The Chalice--one of many sculptures around the city.

This metal sculpture along the river commemorates Firefighters around the world. These pieces of metal came from the 102nd floor of one of the twin towers and was gifted to Christchurch as a thank you for the help of Christchurch firefighters sent to NYC after 9/11.

The 9/11 Memorial Sculpture

After a walking tour around the downtown area, we hopped on the "Penquin Express" bus to go to the International Antarctic Center, which features many informative displays that depict life and work on the frozen continent.

There is a specially designed "blizzard" room, featuring sub-zero temperatures and wind, a penquin exhibit, and a ride on a Hagglund All-Terrain Snowmobile, which simulates a ride on the rough terrain of Antarctica. This was a lot of fun to go through. Expeditions to the research bases in Antarctica leave from Christchurch. A plane headed there took off just before we arrived at the center, which is next to the airport. This visit brought back memories that a former teacher from our small Montana town went to work at one of the bases in Antarctica several years ago as part of the support group for the research centers. Through these exhibits we saw what life on the bases must be like.

Terry in the simulated blizzard room after the storm.

Joyce testing out the snowmobile

The Hagglund All-Terrain Snowmobile.  Ride was like being on a roller coaster.

It was a great day. Christchurch is a beautiful area, as is all of New Zealand. It would be nice to do a driving tour through New Zealand some day. Might have to put that in our "bucket list". :-)

All the flowering trees and shrubs were in full bloom

This evening we take sail to Port Chalmers, which is the port next to tomorrow's destination....Dunedin.