Omaru to Christchurch — 19 February 2001

We took a fine guided tour of a whitestone quarry, the seaside and...the Moeraki Boulders! We spent an hour wandering along the boulders. Along a riverbank we saw several Royal Spoonbills and a couple of White-faced Herons.

In the afternoon, we caught a train to Christchurch. We packed lunch — triple cream and brie cheeses, with crackers and wine. Yum! Alan (proprietor of the Highway Lodge) picked us up at the train station — good thing he had a sign, even if my name was spelled creatively. We ate dinner at Little India, which was OK, though not superior to the Indian food in Pittsburgh.

On the banks of the Avon, Jen just about got knocked upside the head by some startled ducks. We also saw our hybrid duck friend from our earlier stay in the city and two adolescent NZ scaups with their mum, who chased away a male who got too close to the flock. Christchurch has almost as many ducks as New Zealand has sheep.