February 5th: We woke up early, got in the vans, and began our 6 hour journey to Christchurch! I was sad to leave Queenstown. But once we got to Christchurch, we unloaded all our bags into the motel, Gothic Heights, which was really nice! I loved it! Ian, the owner, takes pride in his motel. He was a really nice guy. He and his wife and just one other lady take care of it. Anyway, the BYU girls stayed here the last time Dr. J was the director, so he knew it would be nice for us :) I wish I had taken a picture too...it was really cute on the outside and felt like a little town. Anyway, that's not really important! haha. But after we dropped off all our stuff, we headed over to a market in the city, which I LOVED! I got a few souvenirs for my family that I'm excited about :) And it's so much more fun to say that I got them from an authentic market rather than some souvenir shop in Auckland! But also at the market there was this crepe stand, and I got a cheese and tomato crepe that was delicious! We were at the market til about 4pm, and drove back to the motel. We all decided to just order pizza for the night, and so Katie and I shared two pizzas and were able to save the extra for lunch on Monday. It definitely saved us some money too! It's amazing how much you can spend on food...and after all the money we spent in Queenstown, we were trying to do our best to save money. I hate thinking about how hard it is to earn money, and how easy it is to spend. But I worked really hard to be here, and I knew that I would spend a lot in Queenstown, so that is ok with me :) And I know that the money will not matter when I look back on all my experiences while being here in New Zealand.
Before we ate pizza, I went for a run with Allie through Hagley Park, a really pretty park right across the street from our motel. Once again, I wish I would have thought to take a picture! But that's ok. When we got back, Ian knocked on our door and told us about Classical Sparks, a Waitangi Day celebration that was going on that night next to the botanic gardens. So we all followed the crowds, and it was so fun to sit and watch the program! Waitangi Day is like their Fourth of July for America. They are celebrating the signing of the Waitangi Treaty. So we sat on the grass together and watched performances of the Christchurch Orchestra and choir, the New Zealand Army band, and many other performance groups. I loved it! And it totally felt like a kind of July 4th celebration! They even ended it with fireworks :)
There were thousands of people there!
On Sunday, we got to go to church in Christchurch. It was testimony meeting, so it was neat hearing the testimonies of a lot of the local church members there. I just love Sundays! During Sunday school, some of the leaders came in to get volunteers to help in the nursery, and also they needed a pianist in the Primary. So I got to help out playing the piano again this week! I loved it though. After church, we went on a drive to Lyttleton, a town next to Christchurch. We drove up into the mountains to overlook Lyttleton and Christchurch. It was so incredibly hot that day! Even the breeze was hot. And it was Fast Sunday, so we were all hot, hungry, and thirsty! But the drive and the views were beautiful!
When we got back, everyone helped get dinner ready. Afterward, Katie and I were just laying on top of our beds, so hot and sticky and didn't even know what to do with ourselves! haha. I don't know if I have ever felt that hot before...our motel didn't have air conditioning by the way...but somehow I fell asleep and got a little Sunday nap in :) That night we all watched My Best Friend's Wedding, which I had never seen before!
On Monday, we woke up to rain and freezing cold weather...do not ask me how in the world that happens...I have never experienced such extremes before! But we were supposed to go to the beach, which obviously wasn't happening anymore. Dr. J and James drove us to Akarowa, a really cute French town about an hour outside Christchurch where we shopped around. I love going into the little authentic shops and boutiques, so I was totally content! Afterward we went to the Canterbury Museum back in Christchurch which was really fun too! We all decided that we would save money and just go get dinner to make again for everyone. Nancy, Katie and I volunteered to be the 'officials' and went to the store with Dr. J. We got stuff for spaghetti, salad, and garlic bread, and ended up having a delicious dinner again with everyone! We got way too much pasta, so we did the same thing the next night :) haha. But it was so good! Monday night James taught us all about the history of the church in New Zealand. It was so interesting, and such a neat experience to hear his experiences with the church. He worked 16 years for the Church Education System with Seminary and Institutes throughout New Zealand. I loved learning from him! Then he taught us the dice game Greedy- SO fun :) He is so funny- he and Johnny played with us, and they are just entertaining!
Tuesday was another of my favorite days! BEACH DAY! From 10-4, we relaxed at New Brighton beach in Christchurch, and it was just perfect. Here are a few pictures:
Wednesday was also a wonderful day, even though it was our last day in the south island. I woke up that morning and Allie and I went running together through Hagley Park again. I am so happy I am able to still go running while I am here! Anyway, we all got dropped off in the city and had from 10:30 to 3:30 to do whatever we wanted. We first headed over to the Christchurch cathedral, which is absolutely beautiful. We had a tour by this cute little old man who was so funny! Afterward, Christine, Allie and I paid the $3 to walk the 134 steps to the top of the Cathedral, which was kinda fun!
Cathedral Square!
After the Cathedral, we headed back towards the Christchurch Botanic Gardens. Diana, Katie, Hannah and I took the Caterpillar guided tour first, and got to see all of the Gardens, then we were able to walk through and see everything that we wanted to see again. We spent 2 1/2 hours walking through the gardens, and I think I could have spent my whole day there! Everything was SO beautiful. I have so many pictures!
The Hydrangea garden was one of my favorites! And they reminded me of mom, so I loved them even more! haha. But I never knew there could be so many different colors of Hydrangeas!
The gardens were just beautiful! After leaving, we went to Denny's for a late lunch/early dinner, and then headed to the airport. By the way, their Denny's here is WAY nicer than ours! We got to the airport a little early and hung out by our gate together. Our flight was at 8:20, and got in around 9:45. Katie and I were the first to be picked up, and the last to be dropped off. So we didn't get home until around 11.
My trip to the south island was unforgettable! I love our group, I love Dr. Jacobs and his wife Linda, and I am just so thankful to be here!
1 comments:
Awwwwww!!! I love our cookie you made us! I made mom's cookies too! but mine didn't have cute writing on them. xoxo
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