Another Saturday in NZ

I’m going to start my blog today to speak of my travel partners. I couldn’t have asked for a better bunch. They are just my kind…they love to eat, especially they love to eat just about anything. They are all very relaxed, no one is in a hurry. We usually gather in the morning (after everyone leisurely gets up and moves around) make our plan and then off we go. We are all game for just about anything. This morning we were planning on renting a car but Chief decided to join us so we have the luxury of the SFA van. We’ve decided that we will visit Akaroa, a harbor village with a distinctive French heritage that is located on the Banks Peninsula about 80 km from Christchurch. As we drive to Akaroa I really enjoyed the landscape and have to say that it was really neat to see all the livestock. I know this sounds crazy but after living in Japan for over 2 years it reminds me of home and I like seeing all the lush farmland, cows, horses and sheep. Cole and I are always talking about where he will go when he decides to travel abroad…he’s already been to so many places in his life. I believe I will recommend NZ, maybe he will fall in love with it as I have. Although I have had a wonderful “holiday” (TDY) in NZ I am ready to move down to the ice and experience Antarctica. I’ll probably regret that statement in a few days! Our first stop in Akaroa is, of course, lunch! A little waterfront café that was quaint and inviting. After almost 2 hours we weren’t so happy with our choice as we were all starving to death and ready to eat the silverware. I don’t remember the name of the place but it doesn’t matter…I wouldn’t tell anyone to go there! We wandered around the rest of the afternoon and enjoyed the many shops and the lush scenery. The weather today is around 70-80 degrees, a perfect day for a stroll. Akaroa is the South Island’s oldest town. It has a reputation as one of the country’s best preserved historic towns. For my Missouri family/friends, it reminds me a lot of Rocheport. European whalers began frequenting Akaroa Harbour regularly in the 1830’s. The town gained distinction in 1840 as the site of the only attempt to plant an organized French settlement in NZ. People of British and other nationalities soon outnumbered the French but the town continues to celebrate its French origins. I took a lot of pictures here and have tried to narrow it down a bit for my blog. There were many Bed & Breakfast Inns along the harbor, all of them beautiful and bursting with flowers. There was a beautiful old house that had been converted into a Restaurant that was for sale. I couldn’t believe the price of $150,000 (Kiwi) which is $98,000 (USD). We’ve run across some cool rental vans. If you are ever in NZ, they would be fun to rent to travel across the country (wickedcampers.com). They are just like the Toyota vans in Japan. They have all been painted with crazy designs (all different) and usually have something funny written on the back. I’m attaching a couple of these pictures to today’s blog. The trip here was worth it and we all enjoyed a day of exploring. Dinner tonight was back at Merrin Street Café…we’ve returned here because of its close proximity to The Commodore not to mention the good food and friendly staff. Upon our return we find out that we will not fly out on Sunday…apparently this storm continues to blow thru Antarctica. We’ll be in NZ until Monday now. I slept with the balcony door wide open tonight…it’s beautiful Spring weather in NZ.