Day 49 Christchurch

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Day 49 Christchurch

Christchurch is our destination today so after packing our bags and tidying the camper van we set off on the short journey of an hour or so to the city. Once entering the city we head straight for our hotel for tonight so we could drop our bags off. We then had to return Camilla the camper to her depot which was near the airport.

The Antarctic Centre is next to the airport so this is where we spend our afternoon. When we arrive we are just in time to catch the end of the blue penguin feeding. The blue penguin is the smallest penguin in the world and lives and breeds on the South Island of New Zealand. Since we had missed seeing them in the wild it was great to see them here before we leave the country.

The penguins looked after here all have disabilities so are well looked after and are very cute! The centre had interesting exhibitions about the Scott Base in the South Pole and all about the people and wildlife that live on and around Antarctica. 70% of all Antarctica expeditions depart from this terminal, each passenger is issued with a standard set of clothing to survive in this very cold place.

Before leaving we go on a Hagglund ride which is a vehicle that is used on the ice and snow on Antarctica. During the man made course it took us up and over hills with metre and a half cravacies, on steep hillsides and floated through water.

It felt strange getting the bus back into the city as we have had our own transport for 3 weeks and have enjoyed the freedom. Thomas Hotel is located on Hereford Street right in the centre of the city so it was a great location to stay at. Most of the main streets in Christchurch are named after English cathedral cities including Worcester, Gloucester, Oxford and we even saw Kendal Street near the airport!

Once settled in our hotel we go in search of a place to eat and end up in a restaurant called Little India for a curry. It was a nice meal and we enjoyed eating in a restaurant for a change.

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