Christchurch

We had to head to Christchurch to pick up our camper van!!!! We flew there from Auckland.

Our hostel was interesting to say the very least. We were housed in a 38 person dorm and had a cubby whole with three beds in it. The room was split in cubicles. It was so odd.

We found the most adorable cafe- it was called Swiss cafe. The nicest man owned and operated the one man show. The food was heavenly; the best scrambled eggs I have ever had. You could taste the butter and milk he used in it! In NZ they also serve American Bacon and not the Aussie ham version they try to pass off as bacon- it's just different!

I also have to mention that we got delivery one night. I ordered a paste with some sort of tomato based sauce. An hour later the food finally arrived to starving bellies! They got my order wrong and sent over a cream sauce to this lactarded girl! I was too hungry to care, after a minor hissy fit of course, and I ate it. This brings me to the question: am I big liar?! I had no reaction, much like after eating the ice cream in Argentina, and the eggs at the Swiss Cafe... nothing. Am I really lactose intolerant? I am still too scared to test it... but maybe it is just in the US?! That is reason enough to move! bring on the cheese... got to love the fat man's candy!

We also had a great meal at an Indian restaurant. It was some of the best I have had- cooked in 1500 year old clay pots- or something like that. Yes Ben, i am not sure I believe it either!

Before picking up our camper van we realized we would have no heat for the next few weeks for bed time... and we were heading further south! Yikes! We went to the second hand shop and picked up some of the tackiest ski suits you ever would see! I went for a one piece- black with a red stripe. I look like a big poof ball in it. I of course had to get a matching knit hat that decoratively has a Bourbon brand patch on it! Celia went for a purple number with flowers on it and a Firestone racing jacket. Lottie, being our driver, went for purple cankle giving bottoms and a BMW dark purple pull over. Pictures to come, I promise! No heat, but warmth!!!!

We picked up our van. It is spray painted all hippy camper van like. I must say we got the best of the lot. Our has some cool flowers on it. The other choices were either a tacky Maori art one or a Bob Marley one- and there was no way I was driving in that thing, I had to draw the line somewhere!