42 Wallaby Way, SYDNEY.......

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G'day Bro!
So we made it to Sydney no problems. Our Flight arrived just before 5 and then we caught a shuttle into the city and to our hostel The Blue Parrot in a bustling area called Potts Point. Had a much needed sleep catch up last night and now are off for a wonder and an explore!
The internet is free in our hostel but as such it seems usually busy so far, so just snatching this time now to quickly update on our last few days.
From the end of the last blog- we made our way up to Christchurch from Oamaru on the saturday. We were staying with Howard and Anne, friends of Katies parents, in a suburb called Sumner- so we made our way there stopping for a short walk on some beaches along the way (Jinks was looking for Kite surfers as he wanted a lesson but no luck....)
Sumner is a really nice area and the weather was holding up for us too! There are always people surfing just off the beach, and there are great views up and down the coast.
That night our hosts cooked us a fantastic roast and we had a very relaxing evening. (Howard and Anne if youre reading this, a huge thankyou once again!).
Sunday we had an early start- drove up to KaiKoura (north of Christchurch) an area which is famous for whale watching. We had a trip booked and caught our boat in the afternoon. Its all very professionally done and big business. They take you out a few km off shore where there is a sub-aquatic shelf meaning the ocean floor drops away suddenly into a massive crater. This makes for perfect whale territory! They track the whales to monitor when they will appear on the surface of the water after diving for food for around 45minutes. After waiting for at least 20 mins we got a result and a sperm whale could be spotted fairly near the boat, and you could see him breathing every ten or so seconds. It was pretty cool but hard to appreciate really how huge they are under the surface as obviously you are only seeing a tiny proportion! He also gave us a quick flick of the tail before diving down again. We also saw another in a different spot which was actually sleeping, which you can tell because the breathing is less frequent. So all in all we were glad we did it, but i think some other times of the year it can be more spectacular when there are orcas in the area too.
For the rest of the day we had a walk along the front in KaiKoura, drove along the coast to look at a seal colony and also up to the top of a cliff to yet another viewpoint! Stayed in a little Hostel in KaiKoura that night with nice views of the ocean.
The next day it was an early start again to make our way back down to Christchurch. Along the way we stopped in a beautiful building that has a cafe and a small arts centre, to have some elevenses. We admired the building as it was one built by Anne's brother.
Jinks was hoping to kite surf that afternoon as he had found a company- but unfortunately the wind they needed wasnt there so we all decided to go down to a small port south of Christchurch for the rest of the day. Akaroa is very picturesque with a sheltered bay/pier etc within some stunning mountain scenery, we had a leisurely walk around. It was oeiginally discovered by the French and there are some nods to this in the french street names and some of the architecture. On the way back we drove throught Lyttleton- an important port in the history of links with the antarctic as many of the cargo ships left from that area.
And so, we got to our last day in New Zealand. We said goodbye to our trusty hire car and made our way over to a nearby Christchurch attraction called The Antarctic Centre- does what it says on the tin! They have simulations on arctic storms where you borrow over shoes and coats, go into a sealed room and they have turbines sending the temperatures right down. They also have lots of information on life at the antarctic for the research people there, a ride round a course on a Hagglund vehicle (the same ones used for travel across the ice) that goes down a 7 metre drop, through 3 metres of water and round almost on its side! We also watched them feed their colony of rescued penguins.
All in all an interesting way to spend the morning. After that we caught the bus into the city to have a look around. We also managed to meet up with and old friend of ours Roxanne, who went to school with us but moved to NZ 8 years ago, she is doing her medical training and has a pretty hectic schedule so we caught up with her at the hospital (any Grammar people reading this, she is doing really well and says hello to everyone!).
We also saw some of the botanical gardens and we round some really nice shops in the arts and crafts centre. That evening we went back to Sumner and Howard drove us round to the next bay so see the house that they are having built (also by Anne's brother). It looks like it will be gorgeous when its finished - more great views of the sea and a lovely green area. There are even some very friendly donkeys as neighbours!
Loved Christchurch and have had a wonderful time. Thanks again Howard and Anne! Our month in NZ flew by and we definately want to go back again one day!
Now we are off to start looking round Sydney- will let you all know what we find!
Love to all at home
Iz and Kt
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(p.s. Jinks if youre reading this- have a good trip home and thanks again for doing NZ with us- Sweet as Bro!)

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