We finally made it to Christchurch after a one hour flight delay, but it sounds like we were lucky to get in. It’s raining and windy, and the inbound flight was pretty bumpy, but once on the ground it was a short drive to our hotel, The George. The hotel seems quite nice and our room is a small suite with a kitchenette if we are inclined to have any food or snacks in. Given I’m the cook and on vacation, we will see. But the unit is fully equipped so it is like having a small apartment.

Oddly, I flipped on the TV, something I rarely do even at home, and its chock-a-block with familiar U.S. shows. Jeopardy is currently on in the background. Just the Kiwi-accented commercials are a reminder we aren’t in Kansas anymore. And Comcast Universal’s acquisition of Sky TV hasn’t even closed yet. Just wait.

Many readers know that the spark for this journey was to visit our niece, Casey Lebo, who is now at the end of her first semester studying at Canterbury University in Christchurch. We were able to meet in the evening for a soggy stroll around the campus, and then briefly into the center of the city. By that point we had been on the go for about 36 hours and were starting to fade. But we both remarked that we actually felt pretty good, better than we have felt on some trips to Europe. Most likely it was because the flight was so long that it forces even so-so sleepers like us to get some shuteye. (A half of an Ambien helped.) We wound up at a restaurant that featured of all things Cuban cuisine. It was large and comfortable and the food was good. Had a single guy with a guitar and to Pat’s appreciation, a couple of fireplaces. Temps were into the upper 30s, but this morning brings sunshine and warmer temps. Later we go pick up our rental car and begin the adventure of, egad, driving on the left.