Christchurch, New Zealand February11,2011

We have now arrived on the south island of New Zealand and it is getting colder every day , as we get closer and closer to Antarctica.  I’ve started to wear short sleeved pullovers and a shell jacket when going ashore.   I’m certain that I shall soon graduate into the long sleeved pullovers.

Today’s tour took us on a bus ride through the countryside which here is not as lush and green.  It is hilly and looks a lot more arid.  We went again to a farm where we saw sheep sheering, this one not quite as prosperous as the last, but this one had a swimming pool – unheated.  The owners said that it is too costly to heat it.  They only use it for a couple of months a year.  The two of them live alone there and with the help of their dogs, they do all the work.  They were very friendly and welcoming as are all the people we have met here so far.

Upon leaving there, we returned to the city of Christchurch ( the largest city on South Island) for a tour.  The city looks more English than England in its architecture.  Almost all the streets, parks and buildings have very British names.  The University there is huge and has a lot of foreign students.  The Hagley Park in the city, is the third largest in the world.  (Stanley Park in Vancouver is the largest, followed by Central Park in New York, we were told).  We were allowed time to go into the museum to browse around and that was quite interesting.  I was particularly taken by the tableaus of the life of the Mauries during ancient times.  There were several of their canoes on display—some of them woven with reeds and tree materials.  I was also in the section where clothing of the settlers from various time periods were shown.  Some of  the gowns were exquisite but most of the clothing looked very uncomfortable.  We are fortunate in this day and age to have such comfortable clothing to wear.

We returned to the ship around 2:00 p.m.  After having a delicious hamburger, I went to my room to wash and curl my hair.  After 6 days of touring around with a sun hat on, I felt the need for this.  People here in New Zealand are very careful to wear hats and  make sure the young children wear them – we were told that there is no ozone layer here and that the sun rays are very damaging.