Christchurch - Day 4

So Monday was our last full day in Christchurch and we headed off exploring on foot instead of in the car.  We wandered into Hagley Park to find the botanical gardens, which when we found them were pretty cool.  I could easily imagine spending some time reading a book under a tree or something if I was there for longer.  Had a wonderful photographer with me, thanks mum hehe, and we had fun taking some photos as well.  Sorry some of them are a bit dark, it wasn't the sunniest day.  

After splitting up (mum was going to visit a friend and I wanted to check out Chch central) we both managed to get rather lost trying to find where we were trying to go.  I ended up on the complete wrong side of the park and then had to backtrack to find where I was going.  Super glad I had GoogleMaps on my phone cos the park signs were just confusing me.  I did eventually find where I was headed first, which was the museum.  Had a good wander through the Museum, mostly enjoyed it... mostly cos I didn't really stop in many of the exhibitions, nothing took my fancy till I found the Antartica Exhibition, that was real cool.  And then on the way out I came across the olden days street, made a coupe of friends and wandered into some different shops hehe.

Then from there it was into the main area of Chch central.  It was rather quiet in town, which surprised me, but I still had fun wandering.  I was vaguely looking for somewhere for lunch then I saw this cool painting on the side of a building, or buildings, and I wanted a good photo so kept wandering till got one.  Then when I was closer the building itself looked pretty interesting so in I went.... and there were the people lol.  It was the Riverside Market and was full of food eating places and refreshments and all sorts.  It did help that when I walked in someone offered me a wine tasting yum yum hehe.  While I was browsing and deciding what I wanted I saw a cake/sweet type place, and there was a sign that said all the righthand side was gluten free and celiac friendly.  Of course I had to doublecheck that as there were a lot of yummy looking stuff on the righthand side.... the sign was accurate, and the baker man laughed when I said that I had to check cos I don't often get so much choice.  I ended up getting two things (wanted so many more though) and let me just say, they were even yummier than they looked, nom nom nom.

After the Riverside Market I wandered back to the motel via Hagley Park, and planning to find the cricket ground to find Nastle's statue (hehe, and yes I know there is unlikely to actually be one but a girl can dream lol) however, guess who got lost again.... Pretty sure the cricket ground is not actually in Hagley Park, am sure I covered almost all of it at stages in the day and I never saw it.  

Overall it was a very good day, and I enjoyed our holiday.  Christchurch is a very nice place for a long wknd, probably a very nice place for a longer holiday as well :)

Hagley Park and Botanical Gardens

Christchurch Museum, Kiwiana

Christchurch Museum, Antartica

Christchurch Museum, Olden Days Street

Things of interest around town

This is the side of the Riverside Markets, the side of the building is flat.... 

All the yummies I could have <3

Hagley Park, round two

Christchurch - days 1-3

So we have been in Chch since Thursday evening (it's not counted as a day cos we didn't do anything other than find food and learn that our rental car turns corners very well), we are staying at Camelot and it is lovely.  We have a very spacious unit thing, I am up in the loft area which is great, and mum is downstairs.  I do think I need to find a way to get a loft in my next house.... somehow..... 

On Friday we went to Christchurch Helicopters so I could go for my first ever (but def not my last if I have any say in it) helicopter flight. This was meant to be done last year in Tassie but we never got over there, for some reason, the reason is currently escaping my mind but I'm sure it was a good one lol.  It was BRILLIANT (look at that, it was so good I didn't even use the word awesome hehe).  So amazing, and so cool seeing everything from above but not so high like planes go.  The copter didn't go very fast, well it didn't feel like it did but I'm sure it went fast than I thought it did... I can also say I am not a fan of 4 point seatbelts, I mean I don't even like normal car ones so adding in another strap wasn't ever gonna make me happy happy, but it was worth it to be able to sit in the front.

Then we went to Dressmart, cos we could.  We barely spent anything though, the shops were a bit blah overall.  Except for the Chuck Taylor's shop, that one was real good.  Got me two new pairs (they are shoes for all you confused ppl), and not only was one pair on special it was also on 50% off woot woot, so I basically saved money by buying them hehe.

Saturday we went to New Brighton, I fell in love with the library there, it was so well set out and super cosy feeling.  Also loved the pier, the market was only so-so though and that is what we technically went for.  We would have gone anyhow but we went ystdy cos of the market.  Am a total grown up (stop laughing, I am) cos all I got at the market was a dusting mitt lol.  We then drove out to Lyttleton much to the annoyance of Ben (Mum's GPS thing) who kept telling us to take the next right then turn right, or to do a u-turn, or to turn left then left lol.  We didn't reset him from New Brighton so he was trying to take us back there.  Turns out robots aren't smart at all lol.

Today we went to the Airforce Museum, which is still as cool as it was when bro and I went all those years ago.  This time they also had a POW area, and I got caught and became a POW, but don't fret I found the secret passageway and I escaped YAY :D 

We then went for a drive to Mayfield to check out Overflow which is a big secondhand shop.  It was amazing!! If I lived closer I think I would spend a bit of money there, but sadly we are flying home so we saved our pennies.  We wandered down the road from there to Panthers Rock for lunch and I just wanna say they are awesome for celiacs <3 They talked me through the menu and what I could eat and couldn't eat, and then said if there wasn't anything on there I wanted they would be happy to create me a made to order meal, so kind of them,  I had the roast of the day though and it was yum yum yum.

We then drove back to Chch via the Inland Scenic Route which was much nicer than the straight boring roads on the plains, just saying.  We had a couple photo stops along the Rakaia Gorge, other than that it was just a nice trip back to our accomodation. A very nice day :)

Tomorrow we are planning to go and check out Hagley Park, I am sure that they will have a big as statue of Nastle there for his 222...... surely...... lol.  And yes, every time we go through his old suburb I say 'Hi Nastle' just in case he is still there and hears me hehe.  Anyhow I know you are just wanting the photos so here you go, some photos for you :)

Christchurch Helicopters

New Brighton Pier

Random cool as tree at New Brighton Pier

Airforce Museum

Rakaia Gorge

You would think it's been a slow year....

Well based on how many blog posts I have done you would.  You might even be sitting there thinking I am not doing much and just chilling and that is.  But you would be wrong, yes you would :)

The reason I have not been doing many posts is that I have been rather busy.  More busy than I expected to be really.  I have been doing some sewing, some painting, some other crafting.  Lots of theatre hanging out, not so much theatre doing stuff though lol.  Lots of friends hanging out and just having fun.  Oh and a teeny tiny bit of study, but nowhere as much of that as I should have been doing.

Dad and I (aka Dad with my supervision) made me a bed base in the wknd just gone, it looks pretty good if I may say so myself :) bit higher than I am used to but that is ok, am sure I will get used to it in no time, fingers crossed.  Glenny likes it too which is an impt thing lol.

I have been doing sewing and craft things for the WI arts and crafts festival which is getting closer.  Not sure which things, if any, will get placings but I am hoping atlst a couple of things do as I am quite proud of them.  Some others I'm not so bothered about because they are just so-so in my mind.  I shall put up photos after the event, after all I can't be giving my mum inside knowledge as she might then make stuff to beat mine lol.

Work is going well, mostly.  There are some things that I don't like about being a manager but they are unavoidable really.  Mostly things are just the same though, and its only the odd day that I am thinking grrrr thoughts.  Had a zui (zoom hui) this morning with the other managers, which was a tad yawn-ish till one of their cats turned up demanding hugs and smooches and that made it way more entertaining hehe.  There are a few of us that work from home a day or few a week now so sometimes our zui's are more entertaining than others.  Atlst this time I didn't have Ken sitting opposite me pulling faces while I try not to laugh lol.

Have been hanging out with Jenny a bit, we are both on the Board at Theatre HB which is how we met.  We get along really well, and she has 3 cats who are super cute.  I would say they have all warmed to me except Moo sometimes is a bit skittish but he is skittish with them as well some days so it's not that unusual really.  Bucket (Charlie Bucket) and Starr are the other two.  Since she also works from home on Friday afternoons I often go round to hers to use her internet and also to hang out and catch up on our weeks.  I work from home Friday arvos, and morning if I am not needed in the studios.  Its quite nice to be able to take my time, have a bit of a lie in and just chill my way through work.  Not that I was working super hard and stressing before but still, being at home is nice.

Have changed my place around, again lol.  Nothing major this time but have the trestle table up in the spare room and only the dining table up in the lounge, table-wise.  I can also get to the sewing cabinet without having to move everything in front of it which is progress :) woot woot.  And except for the fact that all the extra stuff from the lounge and spare room is on the couch in the spare room or in front of it, I would say it looks good lol.  It shall be cleared by Wednesday though, as mum is coming over and on Thursday we head to Christchurch :D so excited.  Am sure I will update you with some of our happenings down there, whether it is while we are there or when we get back I am not sure, but some time I will :)