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After a very long flight from Tokyo to Singapore and then Christchurch, i finally arrived in New Zealand. and strangely it felt homely - probably because i came here 5 years ago and i already knew the area!
it was nice just spending time reading my book, having coffees and lots of nice lunches, enjoying the sunny days in the amazing botanic garden or by the river! i would recommend Christchurch to anyone that wants to spend some relaxing time.
on saturday night, i even went to watch a rugby game between the Crusaders and the Western Force from Australia as part of the Super 14 - great game - 53 - 0 for the locals! on another day, i enjoyed a day out at the Antarctic Centre which is a great attraction, voted few times as the best one in NZ! its only a small centre where you would spend 2-3 hours but full of informations on the research in the Antartic! the highlights were the little blue penguins, the Hagglund ride (Antartic all terrain amphibian vehicle, which can cross crevasse of more than 1.5m and can pretty much do anything at any angles!!!), and the custom built polar room where you can experience wid chill of -18C! - not great when you are in shorts...LOL).
during that time, i stayed at the YMCA, which contrary to my belief, is a good hostel and reasonably priced.
While i stayed in Christchurch, i decided to take the bus to go to Akaroa - this is where the first french settlers arrived in 1840. I know, i mention coach, yes, Sylvain does use coach sometimes! LOL
it is a very nice old village that has kept all its charm - i came here for the first time 5 years ago, and wanted to go back as its a really nice place to relax.
i found myself a really good bed and Breakfast called "room with a view" owned by Rosemary - and my room had an amazing view on the harbour indeed!
over the next 2 days, i would spend lots of time talking with Rosemary, over Breakfast / glass of wine and Cheese / cup of tea...it was great as we shared our travel experience for hours on end. Rosemary us around 70 yo and full of enthusiasm and good spirit! i did really enjoy my stay there.
one morning we went to the auction in the local park - despite the rain, it was a busy morning with people buying all the junk on display. Rosemary was looking for some book shelves!
apart from the usual water attractions, one that does attract lots of people is the local fish and chips! just so yummy! they even served scallops or mussels... there are queue of people waiting to be served! i enjoyed my elephant fish and some scallops with plenty of chips..
After 2 quiet day of indulging myself with more coffee and good food, it was time to make my way back to Christchurch as i had a rugby game to attend that saturday evening!
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