Good times in Christchurch

I made it to Christchurch, New Zealand on Sunday. You gain almost a day (18 hours) crossing the International Dateline and it takes about 28 hours in the plane, or at the airport to make it to Christchurch from Columbus, Ohio. Once you land, the smell of flowers and overwhelms the plane stink that coats your skin and teeth.

I ran into one person I knew in the airport, Lee, another student working in the McMurdo Dry Valleys with the Long Term Ecological Research Program. On the plane I sat next to another Antarctic-bound woman on the plane (she slept blissfully for the 11 hour LAX to Auckland Leg, while I scratched my eyes into half-sleep on foreign flicks.) You can now zone out the movie of your choice on the plane, Now, I am well-rested (and will post next on the trip to the ice).

The flat characters were particularly helpful, helping me get gear organized at the Bed & Breakfast.
However, the Frankenburg Fish was a bit tired from the lack of water to sleep in on the plane...
While the Gator and Fish took care of things at the B&B, Flat Stan and I took a nice walk through Christchurch. (We stopped at the Botanical Garden.)
& the Arts Centre

We also managed to find the only Texan Restaurant in Christchurch, the Adobe Grille, equipped with a fire in the center of the table (We ate there with 2 other south bound travelers).