CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND

                                            A Very English City

     Among the many neat things I did and saw in Christchurch, New Zealand, two unique experiences stand out in my memory.

     One lunch stop was at Mona Vale, a historic mansion perched on the banks of the River Avon. Before lunch we were given a punt ride down the river to a bridge.  A punt is a flat-bottomed long boat wide enough to seat six people two abreast. It is propelled with a long pole by a fellow who stands on the stern, similar to propelling a Venetian gondola. It was a comfortable ride. The fun ride afforded us a chance to view the many mansions  and spectacular gardens along both banks of the river. It was nice to just sit and enjoy the scenery.

     Our formal lunch reminded me of a typical English high tea or a ladies’ lunch. We had smoked salmon, individual quiche, hard boiled eggs and scones. We felt a bit under dressed for the rather formal affair, but we’d not been warned, so our travel clothes just had to do and we just forgot about it. After our leisurely lunch we had plenty of time to  wander the green manicured grounds and flowering gardens, especially the lovely rose garden.

      One evening we walked from the hotel to the corner of the block to catch the restaurant tram. What a unique dining experience!  Similar to  the dining car on a  train, the tram circled the city several times while we enjoyed an excellent lamb meal served with first class service who kept our wine glasses full. The 12 of us were  the only occupants ----our very own dining tram!  It was a different and most enjoyable way to end  a long and exciting day of sightseeing in the most English of New Zealand’s cities.

     With all the English gardens and English street names I had to keep reminding myself that I was Down Under and not in England.

FUN EVENTS DOWN UNDER

                                        Some of Many Surprises

Punt Ride

      My first and only punt ride was on the River Avon in Christchurch, New Zealand. A punt is a flat-bottomed long boat, square on both ends, and wide enough to seat two abreast that is propelled with a long pole. Standing on a platform on the stern of the punt, the pole is placed on the side and pushed from the bottom. Punts are used on shallow rivers and originally were made to transport cargo. Punting is quite a sport in certain parts of the world. Most often a punt can carry six passengers. We leisurely floated down the river admiring the many mansions and beautiful gardens along the way.

It was a new and fun experience.

A Dining Tram   

      I’ve had meals in the dining car of trains but had never had a meal on a tram until I was in New Zealand the second time. We boarded the tram at dinnertime to find the tables set with white linen. As we circled the city several times, tux clad waiters served a delicious lamb meal with all the trimmings, including wine. It was great fun. I’ve heard about similar experiences in a few other cities so if you ever are where one exists it will provide a unique dining experience and  fun time.

Orphaned Kangaroo

      We were surprised when we walked into a store on Kangaroo Island, Australia to see a baby kangaroo swaddled in a sling hanging on a coat rack. The owner told us that Mama had been killed by a car, so they’d been raising the little one. She was wrapped in the sack because it confined her like she was in her mama’s pouch.  We all took turns holding and loving the baby while cameras clicked away.

A Flightless Airline?

      We arrived at Kangaroo Island from Adelaide by ferry over a rather rough channel. But we returned on Emu Airlines---remember the emu does not fly, so why would anyone name an airline after the animal? We didn’t think too much about being weighed with our packs, but it was a little disconcerting to watch the pilot load out packs in the wing and then climb up on it and crawl through a window to his seat! It was a short flight, but I was happy to be on the ground and off the small 6-8 seat plane.

Koalas in the Wild

      While travelling around the island we spotted many koalas up in trees, and  a couple of moms even were carrying a baby in her pouch. It is a bit unusual to see the nocturnal animals during the day. Daytime is when they usually curl up in the fork of tree branches and sleep. We stopped to admire several doing just that when suddenly a baby started crawling down from a tree.  When on the ground the baby walked several feet to where a gal was standing and started to climb up her leg!   

      Her pants were almost the exact color of the tree trunks, and she figured the little koala thought her white shoes were rocks. The driver wiggled him off her leg, but not before he left a puncture wound in her lower leg. What an adventure!

      Lots of fun times down under!