Flying over NZ is retarded. RETARDED. the mtns are nuts. arrived in NZ on time; no probs with customs. Got work permits for one year. But tina lost the blueberry honey that she brought from pasadena to give to shane and raph in Dunedin. Caught city bus to downtown. Neighbourhoods here are lovely! Clean, well kept, quaint but not the annoyingly cute quaint. People v friendly – they thank the bus driver, etc.

Drive thru downtown Christchurch is v cool! Kinda like boston, but newer and more happening. Clean, tons of shops, restaurants, pubs, museums, churches, market in main square. Got bus transfer at central station to our cs host who lives in suburb called Lincoln (we didn’t realize when requesting that his place wasnt in the city). 30 min bus ride, 1.5 km walk to Lincoln Univ. Dairy Farm. First impression is countryside is kinda like nova scotia. Farms, trees, smells, friendly people.
Get to cs place and met sean, our host and his flatmate mirth. We are handed cold beers as soon as we walk in =). House is owned by Univ. and used by agriculture grad students. Sit and chat with sean – he talks A LOT and is so full of shit. Haha. Our kind of people! 36 yr old environ. sci. grad who works for cell phone company. Mirth has phd in ag. Sean gives us map of nz and shows us must-see places. Tons to see!
E and i hang around garden for a bit, then sean gives us driving tour of area. First to beauty little beach with iron sand. So soft. Houses all along hill and cliffsides; looks bit like south coast of NL but not so rocky. Then to Lyttleton, 12 km from CC. Site of old volcano, used to be booming port but no more. Drive down to harbour was spectacular; high cliffs overlooking infertile, grassy hills and aqua blue waters of Diamond Harbour.

In lyttleton, went to The Wunderbar, a retro pub overlooking harbour where sean and his band play occasionally. It’s transvestite nite, and the young blond man with dreads and long, scraggly beard looks quite lovely in his 4”red pumps, fishnet stockings, and velvet red and black skirt and boustier. His little dog with the pink leopard print collar is cute, too. We have nz wheat beer; tina tips bartender and gets weird looks, same as when tipped cabbie in Fiji. Appar tipping is a NA thing so we should get used to not doing it.
Sean cracks us up the whole time. Never stops talking or goofing around. Head home around 2000 h. Stopped at grocery store in Lincoln to get din and bf supplies. Home at 2100 h – have hummus and hang with mirth and sean who offer us more beer. We do tea =). Get more travel advice, esp on aus from both. To bed at 2200 h. Erin and i share twin bed in room in basement. Plan for tomo is head back into city, stay at hostel, call wwoofing farms and do internet stuff.
Roger that,
t
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