Went and did some shopping for some essentials as I've been out of the loop for a while, then I went for an explore. On leaving the hotel I knew immediately that I would love Christchurch. It has all the character that most of the US cities didn't. There's a Cathedral Square, a town crier, botanical gardens, parks with statues and streams meandering through them with punts on, an oasis of serenity where you can sit and watch the world go by. I couldn't sit on a secluded beach all day, but I could sit in this park and watch the old fellas playing chess, the seagulls, the tourists or the bible basher.
There was even an 'evil' Starbucks, but that fitted in tastefully. The panhandler just seemed to add to the character.
It was strange to see people driving on the right side of the road and normal size portions in McDonalds. There was even a shoe repairers. It struck me that I hadn't seen a shoe repairers in the US. It's strange the things you miss. There was no root beer so I've had to go with ginger beer.
I bought a sleep sack today. I think they are more important to bring away than a sleeping bag. A lot of the hostels don't allow sleeping bags, but a sleep sack will keep you off the grotty mattresses.
In the evening I made contact with Hawaiian (farmer's tan) Liz, who very kindly offered me space in her student digs while I'm on the south island. It'll be nice to have a base to explore the island from and I'll get to cook my own food too. Much cheapness required.
