2015 New Zealand
 

Day 1 - 08/09/2015 Timaru

2015 New Zealand
Day 1 - 40th Anniversary trip to NZ Our 40th anniversary was 3 months ago but we decided against going in July and postponed it until September. We wanted to escape the dead of winter but go when there was still plenty of snow around. We catch the train from Hornsby, a vastly better experience than driving. Day 1 - 40th Anniversary trip to NZ I made the airline bookings but Jenni created the trip plan and made all of the other bookings. Day 1 - 40th Anniversary trip to NZ It is incredibly crowded at the terminal. Customs and Immigration is now called the “Australian Border Force” but thankfully no one has guns and it is all quite civil. Day 1 - 40th Anniversary trip to NZ We’re in the air on an Emirates 777-300ER. It has anywhere between 350 to 427 seats and the flight takes around 3 hours.
Day 1 - 40th Anniversary trip to NZ Leg room is not too bad. We don't know what bad is until our return trip Day 1 - 40th Anniversary trip to NZ On the way in to Christchurch, we cross the magnificent NZ Alps and then the depressing Canterbury Plains. Customs and Immigration in NZ; how civilised. No one is running around with guns shouting at people. No guns anywhere. One officer even jokes with us. Jokes at airports? Compare this with the “Security is no laughing matter” signs at US airports. Day 1 - 40th Anniversary trip to NZ Getting the rental car takes longer than we expect. The car is a Toyota Corolla wagon with 130,000 kms on it; but it runs well and is cheap. Petrol here is a little more expensive at $NZ2.01. Day 1 - 40th Anniversary trip to NZ We head off to Timaru about two hours after landing. For a while the trip is interesting but it’s all farm land – dead flat and boring.
Day 1 - 40th Anniversary trip to NZ A point of interest is the huge hedges that the farmers grow as wind breaks. They plant pine trees about 1 metre apart and they grow very tall and knit together. What’s even more fascinating is that they trim them flat on the sides and at the top. This is probably to encourage them to grow like bushes and knit together. Day 1 - 40th Anniversary trip to NZ It seems like a long drive time wise but we get to our B&B at 6:00PM. It’s very nice and breakfast is included. The B&B is on Caroline Bay opposite the Timaru Port facilities. Day 1 - 40th Anniversary trip to NZ At night, we go almost into Timaru township and have a Japanese meal. It seems a bit cheaper than Sydney: $NZ70 including a beer, wine and extra side dishes like Tempura. Day 1 - 40th Anniversary trip to NZ It’s very cold at the moment; I'm guessing it's about 8°.
Day 2 - 09/09/2015 DunedinNext: Day 2 - 09/09/2015 Dunedin
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