I arrived easily in Christchurch where there was a light rain falling. I retrieved my bag and found the city bus to take me to Christchurch City Center. What I  noticed as the bus made it way was the amazing amount of construction.  A closer look showed that it wasn’t all really construction. Much of the scaffolding and fencing was the result of earthquake damage. Walls being propped up, buildings fenced off, roof damage, exposed siding etc. it’s everywhere. Once downtown the evidence is even greater of the damage from the great quakes a few years ago. The most prominent damage is the old cathedral. After 3 years it still sits damaged and unrepaired. 

The downtown area is very cute with small shops and an old trolley that circles the area. 

I grabbed a chicken wrap and some cookies and found my bus stop to continue the journey. It was a 2.5 hour journey through flat farm land with views if mountains in the distance. The sun came out and it was a beautiful day. At 5:00pm the bus pulled into the train station in Timaru where I could see John and Kathleen awaiting my arrival, a welcomed sight. the three/four day journey was over. I had arrived. 

They took me for a pint at a great pub with indoor and outdoor seating. I had a pint of Old Dark, delicious. We then journeyed to their house exchange home. It is a lovely place with big doorways opened on to a small well manicured backyard.

After a dip in the hot tub  Kathleen and John prepared an amazing dinner of  mini lamb roasts, potatoes gratin, salad (fresh from the garden) and bread. It was a feast. 

The nightly ritual is to watch an old movie. The nights selection was Dave. I made about 40 minutes before excusing myself for bed. A pretty good first day.