SaturdayOct25...
Awoke again to the sound of birds tweeting in the trees directly behind the van.
Today was Christchurch day, we were going in to explore some of the city.
Nice plate…
Drove into the city, finding parking this beast tough in the tight confines of narrow streets. Ended up parking near a hospital and following a small tree-lined creek through the city center toward our goal of the square.
Found the town Center, known as Cathedral Square. Wonder why…..
Buskers and street vendors out in force, sunny mid morning, people playing chess…
Since we were in New Zealand, I thought we should try to see a kiwi, that odd, flightless nocturnal bird.
There’s a kiwi enclosure in a local aquarium, in a corner of the square. The ticket taker says there’s no guarantee we’ll actually see the thing, but recommends we spend time in the aquarium before entering the kiwi house, as it’ll allow your eyes to adjust to the near-dark conditions. They’ve messed with the birds here, altering their schedule so that when they’re active in their dim space it’s actually the middle of the day.
Spent some time cruising among the various tanks, many had odd-shaped sides so you could get close to and even under some of the fish.
We sat in the waiting area, a guide ran us through the rules and then led us into the dark habitat. At first, I saw nothing but the dark stumps and wet fake forest floor, but soon saw some motion behind a stump. A long beak jabbed out several times, searching for food. Roughly 5-6 inches long, it was surprisingly thin.
Sorry, no pics allowed. The bird eventually shuffled around, a roughly volleyball shaped and sized held 8 inches off the ground by two relatively thick legs. Dark brown fur covered the thing as it shuffled around.
O.K. Saw a kiwi. Now I understand why all the other predators and competitors are pushing it toward extinction..
Back into the bright sunlight, we strolled through the square and nearby streets .
Getting hungry, we headed toward my pick of bars, the “Twisted Hop”. Unfortunately the kitchen had closed, we only got a couple of plates of fries to go with our beers. Nice setting, old brick buildings all around, but very poorly populated and odd hours. Actually, most of the bars/restaurants have odd hours and are often deserted when we arrive. Maybe it’s just a little early in tourist season to be in full swing, but. Not great beer either.
Walked back to the camper, Noticed it getting extremely cold and windy. Looking up, we saw two opposing banks of dark clouds, set to converge over our heads in the not-too-distant future. We increased the pace.
Refueling on the way back to the campsite, it clicked that their “supreme” gas is 98 octane, not the 93-94 stuff here in Seattle. Add a little ignition timing and compression and there’s a little boost in power for you. Diesel’s still about $1.30-$1.35 per liter.
Another thing. Smokers. Much more prevalent than the U.S. Seems the industry still has a hold, or the 80’s influence is strong here in more ways than musical.
Awoke again to the sound of birds tweeting in the trees directly behind the van.
Today was Christchurch day, we were going in to explore some of the city.
Nice plate…
Drove into the city, finding parking this beast tough in the tight confines of narrow streets. Ended up parking near a hospital and following a small tree-lined creek through the city center toward our goal of the square.
Found the town Center, known as Cathedral Square. Wonder why…..
Buskers and street vendors out in force, sunny mid morning, people playing chess…
Since we were in New Zealand, I thought we should try to see a kiwi, that odd, flightless nocturnal bird.
There’s a kiwi enclosure in a local aquarium, in a corner of the square. The ticket taker says there’s no guarantee we’ll actually see the thing, but recommends we spend time in the aquarium before entering the kiwi house, as it’ll allow your eyes to adjust to the near-dark conditions. They’ve messed with the birds here, altering their schedule so that when they’re active in their dim space it’s actually the middle of the day.
Spent some time cruising among the various tanks, many had odd-shaped sides so you could get close to and even under some of the fish.
We sat in the waiting area, a guide ran us through the rules and then led us into the dark habitat. At first, I saw nothing but the dark stumps and wet fake forest floor, but soon saw some motion behind a stump. A long beak jabbed out several times, searching for food. Roughly 5-6 inches long, it was surprisingly thin.
Sorry, no pics allowed. The bird eventually shuffled around, a roughly volleyball shaped and sized held 8 inches off the ground by two relatively thick legs. Dark brown fur covered the thing as it shuffled around.
O.K. Saw a kiwi. Now I understand why all the other predators and competitors are pushing it toward extinction..
Back into the bright sunlight, we strolled through the square and nearby streets .
Getting hungry, we headed toward my pick of bars, the “Twisted Hop”. Unfortunately the kitchen had closed, we only got a couple of plates of fries to go with our beers. Nice setting, old brick buildings all around, but very poorly populated and odd hours. Actually, most of the bars/restaurants have odd hours and are often deserted when we arrive. Maybe it’s just a little early in tourist season to be in full swing, but. Not great beer either.
Walked back to the camper, Noticed it getting extremely cold and windy. Looking up, we saw two opposing banks of dark clouds, set to converge over our heads in the not-too-distant future. We increased the pace.
Refueling on the way back to the campsite, it clicked that their “supreme” gas is 98 octane, not the 93-94 stuff here in Seattle. Add a little ignition timing and compression and there’s a little boost in power for you. Diesel’s still about $1.30-$1.35 per liter.
Another thing. Smokers. Much more prevalent than the U.S. Seems the industry still has a hold, or the 80’s influence is strong here in more ways than musical.
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