Ginger Without Borders

We have made our last airplane flight until we head back to the US in December. And of course, at the Sydney airport was when the Australian version of the TSA literally took everything out of Dawn’s two carry-on items. She had left a bottle with a little water in the bottom of one but the other had to go through their scanner three times because the kiddy scissors (blunt end that have been through European and US TSA checks for years and through Australian scanners at least four times on this trip alone) were determined to be a threat. She was allowed to keep them but was asked that they not be brought into Australia again in carry-on luggage.

And that was just the beginning. While the plane was late to our gate in Sydney, the pilot said we made up the time with a good headwind into Christchurch. Unfortunately, two other airlines also departed from Sydney for Christchurch at approximately the same time (7:15pm Sydney time), so we all got to Christchurch at the same time (12:15am at an otherwise empty airport). I mean, who decides these things? New Zealand had a bank of 15 mechanical scanners for our entry documents (just like the ones used in Australia), so I had vague hopes we could be at the hotel by 1am. Then we saw that there were just three customs agents and they were interviewing each person. So we stood in line for 40 minutes until we could clear the customs agents. Then New Zealand decided we needed to have our bags scanned one more time.

Unlike our experiences in Australia, when we finally exited into the public area, the shuttle arranged by the travel agent was nowhere to be found. I had a telephone number to call if we were not met by an agent, but I only had my Australian sim card. But like in Australia, a guy at a car rental desk was very helpful and called the shuttle service. Apparently, our shuttle driver was tied up with some folks who had misbooked and needed a room for the night. So 15 minutes later, he arrived. By then, there were a couple of other folks who also needed a shuttle ride into Christchurch, but we were the first ones dropped off (it was now 2am). Dawn got the room number from a note on the reception door (they were closed for the night), but the room number was above a sliding glass door. I tried a couple of adjacent doors but they were all locked, so I tried the sliding glass door and sure enough, it was the door to our very small room. Apparently the travel agent decided that in New Zealand, we needed smaller rooms than the resorts that had selected for us in Australia. We have been in bigger rooms at a Days Inn (and there was no A/C).

Luckily, it was a cool night, sleep is sleep and the bed was comfortable. Dawn was still asleep at 9am, so I checked us in with reception and walked to the corner cafe. I bought some bacon and eggs pies (we have learned to like pies) and a flat white (as in Australia, it is half coffee and half milk but the milk is not frothed like in a cappuccino). The room had no place to eat but there was a small table under the staircase just outside our room, so I ate there.

After Dawn arose and ate her breakfast pie, we headed downtown to get our bearings, buy a simcard and get some TimTams (we made sure that New Zealand had TimTams before we left Australia without any). Within the four blocks it took to walk to the CBD, we were reminded by the empty lots that much of Christchurch had been destroyed by an earthquake in 2011. The central cathedral now has a roof again but is under repair.

We were assisted by some locals in finding the Vodafone store where we purchased a sim card (without having to show our passport). After some confusion with the paper map, our google map steered us toward the Botanical Gardens (are you really surprised that we went to the Botanical Gardens?). We stopped for some afternoon refreshment at brand new arcade (what we would call a food court) where we also bought sheep’s milk ice cream and cow’s milk blue cheese (both made by local farmers and excellent).

We had a great 20 minute conversation with one of the garden workers (who gave us a tip on where to buy the best New Zealand bird and plant guides) as we strolled through the Botanical Gardens. The Avon River (all of two to three feet deep) winds along the side of the Gardens and through the town. We saw a number of ducks gliding along in its water but we did not see any punters. Punting (that very English activity of poling a flat bottom boat along a stream) is a heavily advertised pastime for tourists.

But it was early to bed because we had to be up at 7:15am to catch the TransAlpine Railroad to the New Zealand alps the next day.

PS., Lena, we apparently are now being careful with your inheritance when it come to hotel rooms. While Dawn and I are not pleased, it is not because of an issue with each other. We have asked the travel agent to find us some larger accomodations (this time with A/C – Christchurch is quite warm) when we return to the area in a week, so maybe we will spend it then.