Arrived in Christchurch at Last

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Sunday 19th June 2011
Adelaide, South Australia - Christchurch, New Zealand



Well, what a day. Up at 4.30am, get to the airport, catch a flight to Melbourne in order to get the 1200 flight to Christchurch, New Zealand. When I woke up I had a temperature of 39.2 degrees, according to my thermometer.... I actually felt quite unwell and wanted to go back to bed, but hey, you can't miss the plane can you? So, I dosed up on panadol and headed off on my new adventure :/ Sometimes I wonder whether the stress of traveling is really worth it....ask me tomorrow and I'll tell you that it most definitely is!

Arriving in Melbourne this morning to see my son made it all ok. As a mum of an adult son who moved away from home ages ago... I still miss him dreadfully, so it is so great to see him when I can. Our time together wasn't long enough though cos I had to go and check in for my international flight which took ages (might have helped if I had gotten into the right queue in the first place haha) and by the time that was done, we only had 15 minutes or so before he had to go and save his car from the car parking fiasco & utter ripoff that it is at Melbourne Airport. I loved seeing him though, even if it wasn't for long.

The flight from Melbourne was delayed for just over an hour, and I sensed a collective sigh of relief once the plane lifted off the ground. Considering the delays and cancellations that have occurred this week due to the volcanic ash floating around I was certainly grateful when we took off.When traveling, I love it when the realisation hits me that I'm not in my home country anymore. Sometimes it can be so hectic & stressful just getting on the right plane at the right time that I briefly forget the whole point of it - being a world explorer! So, after an uneventful couple of hours flying, it hit me. As I looked out the window I noticed that it had become darker. It was still only 1500 in Adelaide but I was moving 'forward' in time (weird feeling of traveling into the future - seriously!) and it would be around 1730 in NZ. Within minutes out of the mist came mountain peaks....with snow on them! It didn't even occur to me that I would be flying over the Southern Alps today or that I'd actually be able to see them. They were quite close and I could even see a couple of what looked to be glaciers as we flew over them with the sun setting behind them. I haven't ever seen a sight like this before - it really was stunning and unexpected. It's the unexpected that make traveling memorable - the good unexpected and the bad unexpected!Once we landed it was all smooth sailing through customs etc. The airport in Christchurch is quite small and therefore easy to negotiate. I found a money machine and extracted what I thought I would need over the next couple of days, bought a bottle of water and ventured outside to find the shuttle buses. The Lonely Planet guidebook stated that they were running every 20 minutes or so. So, I waited for 20 minutes, then 30, then 40, then I caught a taxi :/ I'm not sure whether the lack of shuttle buses was a result of the earthquakes they've been having here but after standing in the cold & rain for that long, I could feel my temperature coming back with a vengeance! The taxi cost NZ$50 (AUS$38.25) but the luxury of being taken to my guest house with all my luggage, instead of traipsing around on buses, was so worth it. The guest house is 'ho-hum' to say the least. No-one seems to speak any English (at all) so my idea of staying somewhere where I could meet people hasn't quite worked out as I had planned. Most of the guests are asian so i kind of feel at home even though I can't understand them, oh, apart from Mark who is from the UK. The rooms are tiny, my bed a 'hair' in it and the furniture is about 103 years old. I hope that there are no more earthquakes as I'm not sure what is holding the walls up here :/Anyway.... it's all part of the adventure. The funny thing about landing in a new environment is that there are some fundamentals I need to deal with before I can feel vaguely comfortable. They are as follows; 1. Find money machines, 2. Find water (bottled variety), 3. Find accommodation, 4. Check out room, security etc., and the big one, 5. FIND FOOD! It's in finding the food that I suddenly relax and know that all is well with the world, wherever I am! There must be something in that maybe - haha. So, an oasis called Bealeys Ale House happens to be camped right alongside my guest house. Praise the Lord! Upon venturing inside it occurred to me that I was on my own and that that is a little bit uncomfortable....dining all by myself :/ So, I convinced myself that it's normal and that no-one will even raise an eyebrow. Mmmm..... not quite! The waitress I met once inside asked me if the 'rist' of my party were still coming in..."um, no" I mumbled. "Oh" she said, "you're by yourself then?". "Um, yes" I mumbled. "So you want a table for ONE then?". "Um"... you get the picture! An awkward 10 minutes or so ensued. Once I'd ordered I actually had plenty to keep me occupied. I learnt that my sms messages to Australia were working and that Facebook was still accessible on my mobile. Yay! As a food lover, the meal was amazing. Main course was a Thai Chicken Burger & Salad - so big I couldn't eat it all, and dessert (I know, I couldn't resist comfort eating!) was probably the most amazing dessert I'd had in a really long time - Banana & Hot Chocolate Pudding drizzled with a thick home made caramel sauce with a serving of butterscotch ice-cream on the side (Divine!). A great first meal in New Zealand and end to a busy & tiring day.So, I'm going to take this body to my hair infested bed (i will be using my silk sheet liner tonight) for some well earnt rest and we'll see what tomorrow brings. Goodnight all 😊

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