Amazing. (Christchurch)

Base Backpackers. I've never stayed in hostels before, but so far Base has treated me very well. I checked in yesterday, and it's basically dorm life I never had, haha. There are six of us in one room, bunk style. Funny enough, I haven't met anyone who's traveling alone yet. Everyone seems to be pretty paired off - maybe that will change when I get to Queenstown tomorrow. It's safe, it's clean, but it's a little lonely. Can't complain, though - everyone has been nothing but friendly!

Christchurch Gondola. I can't even begin to explain how beautiful this is... I took the local bus to Lytellton, and it dropped me off at the base of the Gondola. For $22 NZD, you can take the Gondola 1500 feet above sea level. From there, you can see all of Christchurch and the surrounding areas. Then, you can either take the Gondola back down, or walk down the Bridal Path (which used to connect Lytellton with Christchurch) - thinking "down is easy!" I decided to trek it. What I didn't know was how steep it was! It was a lot of fun, and I saw some amazing landscapes on my way down that I never would have if I had taken the Gondola back down.



Christchurch Cathedral. This beautiful church is all in Gothic style - very pretty. There was a service going on, but I was still able to light a candle for a sweet little dog and her mom.


Outside of the church is a huge chess board, and anyone can step up and play! I watched two guys for about 5 minutes before the wine tour began. They were incredibly serious about this game:


Wine Tour. Um, this was okay. The countryside was beautiful, but the "tour" was really just me and a retired couple from Queensland going to four different vineyards and sipping 4 or 5 different wines over 4 hours. I learned about wine, and more about what I like and don't like, but I wasn't overly impressed. I thought I'd see some small women crushing grapes in giant vats like in the movies - instead I saw Jim, my 70 year old Californian driver, ask the winemakers to pour us a few samples. So much for "getting sloshed in the rain" haha... I did take some cool photos, though, and Jenny and Don were very nice.

The Burrito Brothers. Yum! I must say, I find it very interesting that Australians and Kiwis don't really have their own "cuisine" - rather, they have a very eclectic mix of restaurants to choose from. I've had Mediterranean, Thai, Mexican... the only local food I had was when I ate lamb yesterday at "Cook'n With Gas" - and then I saw all these little sheep and lamb today on the tours and I felt guilty... then I remembered how delicious it was and I stopped feeling guilty. Kiwis really do love their sheep!

(couldn't take a good one of sheep yet, thanks Google images...) Maybe I'll get one tomorrow when I'm on my way to Mt. Cook!