"Well, it's nothing very special. Uh, try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations."

Several surreal moments of the day:

• Riding the bus to the airport at 3:00 AM with the bus driver whistling along to 50’s pop hits.  In a demented, Jeepers-Creepers sort of way.
• Hearing a KFC blasting Mozart opera across the Christchurch City Mall.
• Walking around the City Square and realizing it looks like what would happen if New Orleans and Marble Falls and DC’s Chinatown reproduced.

On the bright side, I am in Christchurch, and it’s a beautiful day, and I’m exhausted, but it’s been very nice to wander around and see the pretty flowers.  The Botanical Gardens are fantastic; I bonded with a lone duckling who apparently said “Forget all you guys, I’m claiming this pond in the name of Duck-hood!” and found a massive tree. 

I wanted to name it Jorge, but got the feeling that wouldn’t go down so well with the groundskeepers, so.  

And apparently Guy Fawkes day is a big deal here (I really should have figured this out sooner) and now I’m wondering if me arriving in Kaikoura tomorrow is going to make things hard for my boss. 

Ah, well.