Christ Church was a pleasant city with the Avon River meandering through and punters giving people a ride along it. There were lots of historic buildings, monuments, parks and gardens, and some nice public spaces. We walked into the old Canturbury Provincial Council Building and were amazed at the stained glass, painted, ornate wood and seating in the public gallery with its stone balcony overlooking the council proceedings. The Council chambers held the Speaker’s huge leather, high-backed chair at the front, with long leather benches with armrests around. We watched an informative video, then rejoined the present and had some sausages at an open market nearby. There were beers at Dux Delux and a walk throught he Botanic Gardens before we had to pick up our campervan.

The van was nicer than we’d expected! There’s enough space to spread out a bit, and little extras to make us comfortable. Best of all, everything is so clean! It seems the van was newly outfitted for our trip, with new bedding, pristine dishes, dish towels, etc. We’re officially off to explore the South Island at our leisure.