We Start in Christchurch

Our room last night was hot! Help from the maintanence man and opening the window helped, but Ron and I were both sluggish this morning after a poor sleep. We're beginning to feel a little crispy. Ron's stomach isn't right but he soldiers on and we set off for central Chirstchurch and the very impressive Anglican Catherdral there. En route, we pass over the River Avon which I think must be as charming as its namsake. I would love to go punting down the river - a 30-minute ride - but Ron's not keen, poor thing. We visit the cathedral and then on to the public gardens which are stunning. The rhododendrons are riotous and brilliant and other bloomers are equally beautiful. It's sping and I cannot believe how vibrant alll the colors are here. We go into the rose garden which will soon be in full bloom, but even now there are some stunners. The swifly flowing Avon boarders the entire garden. Then back to the car for a frustrating hour of trying to find the proper road to take us south. I told one poor shopkeeper that I was near tears after so many erroneous attempts and she looked so stricken. As it turned out, she won the prize for the most cogent instructions and we were off. New Zealanders are not a curt or hasty people. They enjoy conversation and aren't much for the short response. Disucssion always seems to be savored and if there are 2 of them, even more so. We are off, stopping in Ashburton for lunch and notice that the entire town is bustling, and there are no motel vacancies. People are streaming into one area of town and when we ask, we are never able to find out why except that these are "Ashburton Days". Indeed. We traveled today on the coast and inland over one of the few flat plains areas on New Zealand's south island. We're spending the night in Oamarhu - also bustling - so it took us awhile to find a place. we landed in a brand-new motel that opened the day before and we were obviously the first ones to use the room. We even had a French press for our morning coffee. Happy travelers. Very chillly here. I broke out my big wool scarf and hat to walk to dinner.