Aotearoa is the Māori name for New Zealand. It means the land of the long white cloud. I am definitely leaving part of my heart in New Zealand, especially the South Island. We have been in Christchurch for a little over two weeks and we leave for Fiji on Friday. Our time here has gone so quickly. For our first visit to Aotearoa I’m really happy we made time to visit both the North and South Island and when we come back we would like to spend at least a month only on the South Island, if that is an indication of how much we have loved it here.
I have been reflecting on everything that has happened since my last post and my decision to stand in my truth and focus on love and joy. I believe that it has helped and one day at a time. I found it so interesting that just the next day after I posted Chapter 62, Bad Bunny had the same message during his performance at the halftime show of the Superbowl. He had written on the jumbotron “the only thing more powerful than hate is love”. Amen.
The transition from Auckland to Christchurch was an interesting one. First of all, a few days before we were supposed to fly we were talking about what time we should plan on going to the airport because we were transitioning on a Wednesday instead of a Saturday like we normally do. I went to my email folder to check what time our flight left and realized we forgot to book our flight!!! Luckily there are several flights to Christchurch each day from Auckland, so we didn’t have any trouble booking one. That being said, we probably paid more than we would have had we booked more ahead of time. Honestly, with all the moving parts that this adventure requires, I’m surprised it hasn’t happened sooner.
The next thing that happened was when we arrived at the airport. We have taken several flights and we always have the same amount of bags. Most airports, especially this leg, you don’t even interact with anyone if you don’t need to. You go to the terminal, print your baggage tags, and then send your bags off all on your own. We’ve never had any trouble. This time one of the employees that is hanging around to help if needed said that what we were planning on carrying on was too much. She said that combined our carry-on and personal items needed to be 7kg, about 15 lbs. Dave carries-on his camera bag and his work backpack. His camera bag alone is 11kgs. So the employee was basically telling us that we had to consolidate 40kgs into 14kg, between the two of us, which is impossible, or we would have to pay to check another bag. A little side note is that I bought a new suitcase when we were in Melbourne and just put my travel backpack inside of it. That is important because we didn’t want to have to go buy another piece of luggage but we had just sent all our bags off on the belt to go on the plane! Luckily we arrived at the airport three hours before our flight so we had time and it was still a little stressful. After about an hour of talking with the baggage people, getting them to pull my luggage which I fortunately noticed the exact weight of because it wasn’t assigned to me, getting the extra bag, shuffling everything around and going back and forth to the scale, all while Dave was working, it all worked out and they didn’t end up charging us for the additional bag which was nice. The biggest discombobulation if there ever was one!
Now I don’t know if we’ve just gotten lucky this entire leg, carrying-on everything that we do but you know that as we’re boarding the plane everyone and their mother had rolling bags and duffels and backpacks that had to weight WAY over 7kg and no one batted an eye at them. We just had to laugh. We were shown many little blessings throughout the entire experience and we are grateful for that. Lets just say the learning curve is still steep and it pays to get to the airport plenty early!
When I shared this whole situation with my friend, I told her I was asking myself what it was about Christchurch and why was it such a challenge to get here, and she said we had to work hard for it and then it is going to be amazing, and I feel like that is pretty much how it turned out.
One thing that we have become more lax about during this leg of the adventure is booking things in advance. We usually have our flight and our Airbnb booked but excursions and tours and things like that we’ve typically waited until we were in the city to book them. It has worked out for the most part everywhere we’ve been, or we just pivoted if it didn’t, but in New Zealand it has kind of bitten us in the ass. I don’t know if it is because it is busier, due to it being summer, or if there are less tour companies and car rentals, or what it is but we have had to work hard to see and do what we wanted to while we are here. We knew ahead of time that we wanted to go to Aoraki Mount Cook National Park so we booked that early but when we were trying to book our tour to Arthur’s Pass the first weekend after we arrived we struggled. Initially I was just going to go by myself because Dave didn’t think he’d have the time off to do a 10 hour tour and then he realized it was President’s Day and he did have it off so he wanted to go too. This was all happening four days before we wanted to take the tour and the tour that I had been looking at was full when we went to book it. So we spent over three hours researching all our options to see if we could still make it happen. First we looked at Viator, Get Your Guide and Klook. We found one tour with zero reviews and a minimum of three people to book. It was the cheapest of the options and we could cancel up to 24 hours in advance so we booked it and kept looking for alternate options. The next thing we tried was renting a car and following the tour agenda on our own. Because it was four days in advance, or there just aren’t a lot of cars available for rent in Christchurch, they quoted us at $400/ day! That was more expensive than paying for three people to take the tour we found so we didn’t do that. Then Dave had the genius idea of going directly to the tour company’s website instead of going through one of the apps. When he did that he found the tour we wanted was still full but they had a waiting list option that you could add your name to in the event someone cancels or more spots open up, so we put our names on that. The Universe came through for us again and two days before the tour, with enough time to cancel our other reservation, they opened up more slots and we were able to join the original tour we wanted to go on! The lesson we learned from all of that is that if you come to Aotearoa in the summer and there is something you know that you for sure want to see or do, book WAY in advance because otherwise it might not work out.
We have seen and done some amazing things during our time in Christchurch and are so grateful to have been able to do each one. The cherry on the cake happened this past Monday. Just by chance our next door neighbors from Saint Paul happened to be in Christchurch at the same time as us and we were able to spend the day together. They had a rental car so we drove to the gorgeous town on the East Coast called Akaroa. Akaroa is New Zealand’s only French settlement, the town features French street names, cafes, and architecture, celebrating its 1840 founding. New Zealand is actually considered the last major landmass to be inhabited by humans. One of the interesting things that we learned on a tour was that the British beat out the French in colonizing New Zealand by only four days! When the French arrived the British were waiting for them and they gave the French this bit of land to settle on. The picturesque harbor is in the crater of three extinct volcanoes which makes for some incredible scenery. We had a delicious breakfast at Aihe Restaurant overlooking the harbor and then we took at tour with Pōhatu Penguins which is “a family- owned and operated eco- tourism business with 30+ years history of advocating and helping to fund the protection of Kororā (Little Penguin) on the family farm in Pōhatu/Flea Bay. Our guides are all conservationists, friends and family – with years of working in penguin conservation, a passion for sharing their stories and a wealth of local knowledge passed down several generations.” It felt really good to take a tour with a company where you know you’re supporting their efforts to protect the Little Blue Penguins which are the smallest penguins in the world. We were able to see a White Flippered penguin in one of their nesting boxes which is the rarest of the Little Blues and only found in Canterbury, which is the largest region in New Zealand’s South Island. It was a truly magical day and it felt incredible to be with people we know again and get some much needed hugs!
Last night I went to my first concert alone. Our Airbnb host’s friend had free tickets to a band I had never heard of, Hothouse Flowers who are from Dublin, and they were playing at the James Hay Theater which was a really cool space with 1970s decor. It didn’t start until 830pm so Dave wasn’t able to go. I thought, well this whole adventure is about being outside of our comfort zone, and I couldn’t remember the last time I had a chance to see live music, so why not. I am so glad I went. The music was great and the venue was cool and I had a wonderful time. I also thought it was perfect that I was already feeling that I was going to leave a piece of my heart in Aotearoa, even though I miss my people at home terribly, that they covered Purple Rain by Prince. My heart is very full.
Things still are challenging in Minneapolis even though some of the ICE agents have left. It is going to take a long time to heal from all the trauma and I don’t know what reparations will look like. I just continue to hold them in my heart.
Time is flying now! We’ve been gone six months already and only have two more months to go until we come home to visit. As I’ve said before I’m not sure when we’ll have a chance to come back to this area of the world so I’m trying to make sure I enjoy every minute. And, we’ll definitely be back.
I hope this finds you happy and well. Wherever you are I am sending you a Universe of love!
♥️Alison
PS Brace yourself for a TON of pictures!
Bad Bunny’s message at the Superbowl.Arriving in Christchurch.Christchurch Airport. First day in Christchurch. Exploring around town. They have a historic tram that drives around the central area of town and shares information about the city. There are tons of amazing murals in Christchurch! “Christchurch’s murals are a post-earthquake (2010–2011) recovery phenomenon, transforming the damaged, grey city into a vibrant, open-air gallery symbolizing hope, resilience, and regeneration. Initially, artists used empty, abandoned buildings as canvases, and the art has now evolved into a key element of the city’s identity.”I’ll be sharing quite a few of them. 😉“The Kākahu (cloak) facade is a striking, award-winning public art installation on the Christchurch Justice and Emergency Services Precinct car park (Tuam St), designed by artist Lonnie Hutchinson. It features 1,116 aluminum “feathers” inspired by the kākāpō and Canterbury rivers, creating a dynamic, shimmering design that reflects cultural heritage.” This is the inside of Riverside Market which quickly became our favorite place to eat and drink because of its many delicious choices. This is a display of “filled licorice” inside of Riverside Market. It is actually quite tasty. This delicious smash burger from Black Burger gave me a feeling of home. It is their Limited-Release Burger called the “Kiwi Snack Stack.” It has a smashed NZ wagyu patty, kiwi onion dip, cheddar, fried onions, green chili, crispy shallots, salt & vinegar chips, pickles and a milk bun. 🤤🤤🤤The Bridge of Remembrance is a war memorial arch dedicated to the soldiers from Canterbury who served and died in WWI and WWII. Punting on the Avon River. This dinosaur, the Therizinosaur, is located in the temporary home of the Canterbury Museum. The original museum was one of the 80% of buildings in the the central area of Christchurch that was either damaged or destroyed in the 2011 earthquake. It is really cool to travel the world and learn about new dinosaurs that you never knew existed. Pounamu, or greenstone, is only found on the South Island of New Zealand. This one carries the mauri (life force) of Canterbury Museum while they occupy this space. Pounamu is similar to jade and is sacred to the Māori people.Roroa or Great Spotted Kiwi. Protoceratops flock.Tarbosaurus skeleton. Because the 2011 earthquake is such a huge part of Canterbury’s history, and we were in Christchurch on the 15th anniversary, we decided to visit Quake City, which is the earthquake museum to learn more about it. They have made a lot of progress rebuilding the city in the past 15 years and one of the tram drivers said it will probably still be another 15 years until it is complete. A summary from Wikipedia, “A major earthquake occurred in Christchurch on Tuesday 22 February 2011 at 12:51 p.m. local time (23:51 UTC, 21 February).[2][11] The Mw6.2 (ML6.3) earthquake struck the Canterbury Region in the South Island, centred 6.7 kilometres (4.2 mi) south-east of the central business district.[12] It caused widespread damage across Christchurch and killed 185 people,[7][8] making it New Zealand’s fifth-deadliest disaster. Scientists classified it as an intraplate earthquake and a potential aftershock of the September 2010 Canterbury earthquake.”From the historic buildings that survived you can tell how beautiful the city must have been before the devastation. This seven meter tall sculpture originally stood on the edge of Philip Carter’s Garden in Clifton. Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre.Christchurch Cathedral “is undergoing a complex, long-delayed, and costly restoration after being devastated by the 2011 Canterbury earthquake. Following years of debates over demolition versus rebuilding, the project began in 2020 but faced massive cost blowouts (growing from $104m to over $248m), causing construction to stall in 2024. A new, more affordable plan was unveiled in late 2025, aiming for a staged reopening by 2030.”“The silver fern (Cyathea dealbata) is a premier symbol of New Zealand, representing strength, resilience and growth, rooted in both Māori tradition and European colonial history. It became a national emblem in the late 19th century, famously adopted by the 1888 rugby team and used on military uniforms. The plant is unique to the country and its silver underside was used by Māori to guide them through dark forests.”More cool murals. Ōtautahi is the Māori name for Christchurch.The inside of Church Pub. Shand’s Emporium is the oldest commercial building in Christchurch dating from 1860.The beautiful Tūranga Library. Where I am working on my blog. 🙂The adorable Regent Street is the city’s only complete heritage streetscape and a premier example of 1930s Spanish Mission architecture. It opened in 1932.There are so many cute streets and alleys to explore in Christchurch with lots of delicious food options. We have yet to have a bad meal in New Zealand. Our Airbnb is about a 25 minute walk from the city center. This is one of the murals on my walk home. And some days you can also get a pretty cool view of the hill you can take the gondola up to get a good view above the town. Which we did the next day because it was the first day since we arrived that we had full sun and knew we had to take advantage of it. The locals have said it has been a cooler and wetter summer this year and that has definitely been our experience. Just spectacular!The view of Lyttelton Harbor. So many sheep. They have a good life in Aotearoa that is for sure!We had such a wonderful time we bought the annual pass where you have unlimited rides for the gondola and tram. It has definitely paid for itself in the two and half weeks that we’ve been here. Another view of Regent Street. So cute right?! I’m on the little balcony of a bar called Gin Gin. If you come definitely get the martini! It is the best one I have ever had. They have a special recipe gin that is distilled locally just for them. The Last Word. Also on Regent Street. We got to try some New Zealand whisky by Pōkeno called Discovery and it was delicious. On the 15th we went to Willowbank Wildlife Reserve and it was awesome. In New Zealand they call eels tuna because that is the Māori word for freshwater eels. I kept thinking about the scene in Princess Bride. Some of them are rather large. The Fallow Deer were SO cute! It kind of reminded me of being in Nara. Emu. Pūkeko or Australian Swamphen.Sebastopol GooseReeves’s Pheasant. Such incredible feathers!Red-Tailed Black Cockatoo.Galahs or Rose-Breasted Cockatoos.Male Golden Pheasant or Chinese Pheasant. GORGEOUS! Cape Barren Goose. SO many birds I’ve never seen before!Blue and Gold Macaw. Seeing a Capybara never gets old, for me. 🙂Asian Small-Clawed Otters. LOVE!Sleepy, cozy, baby ducklings. Capybaras. “The Kea is a species of large parrot in the family Strigopidae that is endemic to the forested and alpine regions of the South Island of New Zealand.” We were hoping to see them on our tour to Arthur’s Pass but we didn’t so we were excited to see one here!Tuatara. Pretty cool that we saw one of these in their natural habitat when we visited Tiritiri Matangi Island. I feel like this Green and Golden Bell Frog looks like a shiny rock. The Kiwi house is very dark because they are nocturnal so this picture isn’t of the highest quality, and I was so excited to finally see one we went inside twice. They truly are the CUTEST! And yes I know I say that about pretty much all animals. The majestic Black Swan. If you’re ever in Christchurch I HIGHLY recommend a visit to Willowbank. It was exceptional!On the 16th, we left the horizontal rain of Christchurch for slightly nicer weather in the West by taking a tour to Arthur’s Pass. Our first stop was Castle Hill. Castle Hill is full of incredible limestone rock formations. This area is where they filmed The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe from the Chronicles of Narnia. It is said that it is also what “Middle Earth” from the Lord of the Rings is based off of. It was AWESOME!Always looking for love in nature. The next stop was Lake Pearson.Then we stopped to get pictures of the Arthur’s Pass sign. Took a peep at the incredible Otira Viaduct. And then we hiked to see the Devil’s Punchbowl Waterfall.Cheeky Kea Tours did a wonderful job and we had a truly incredible day. We’re so grateful that they opened up more spots so that we could go and see some of the beauty outside of Christchurch. I highly recommend taking a tour through them!Chief Post Office located on Cathedral Square. This fountain, Peacock Fountain, marks the entrance to the Christchurch Botanical Garden which is definitely worth a visit. “Cedrus”Punting in the park. World Peace Bell. The Twisted Gum. Rose Garden. Some of the leaves are already starting to turn. Cormorant. The Dahlias outside of the Rose Garden definitely gave the roses a run for their money. They were truly spectacular!They made the bees really happy too. 🙂The murals around town, these ones by The Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora, really help to brighten up all of the construction. We also visited The Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū. This exhibit “Unutai e! Unutai e! harnesses the power of contemporary art to shed light on an urgent environmental crisis: the deteriorating state of fresh water across the Ngāi Tahu takiwā.” This collection is entitled Toxic Taxonomy.He hononga kotuitui ki te taiao, mahinga kai portraits and practices. This exhibition is called He Kapuka Oneone – A Handful of Soil. Exploring the relationship between tākata and whenua – people and land – through Aotearoa New Zealand’s art history. This piece is entitled “Fighting for Sovereignty” and it is by Cora-Allan.“Aorangi (Aoraki Mount Cook)” by Edwyn Temple“Kauri Tree Landscape” by Colin McCahon.“Sista 1” by Lonnie Hutchinson. “Ke moe te whaea i te wai” By Ross Hemera. These are recreations from Māori Rock Art sites that had drawings on the walls and ceilings of the shelters. “The Bridge”in Bill Apple’s critique about this he says “the bridge should be a link between two points not a path in the woods. ““Te Mahara” by Ngataiharuru Taepa. This large scale installation titled Ko Te Kihikihi Taku Ingoa is by Māori artist Shona Rapira Davies. On the 22nd we took our tour to Aoraki Mount Cook National Park and had perfect weather. We spent A LOT of time on the bus and saw some more of the beautiful landscape. The mountain ranges that you see are called the Southern Alps and they traverse the entirety of the Southern Island. Our first stop was Lake Tekapo.It was absolutely gorgeous and the water from the glacier makes the lake so blue!My first peak at Aoraki or Mount Cook from the bus. The next stop was Peter’s Lookout on Lake Pūkaki. Just incredible!Then we finally made it to Aoraki Mount Cook National Park (Te Wahipounamu). The first hike we did was to see the Tasman Glacier. Then we drove to another area of the park to get a better view of Aoraki on the Kea Point Track hike. This hike did not disappoint!On the way back to Christchurch we did one more stop at Lake Tekapo. It was a long day with a lot of driving and I’m glad we went to see and be in nature’s beauty. Magical Monday was spent with our Saint Paul Neighbors and a road trip adventure to Akaroa. Here is one of our first glances of it from the car. Absolutely STUNNING!!!Akaroa Harbor.Such a cute town and beautiful views everywhere you look!After we explored around town a little bit it was time to start our tour with Pōhatu Penguins and take in the view from above. The next stop was the Banks Peninsula Reserve to see where the old lighthouse used to sit. It is the little white dot on the point. The way the glacier water mixes with the ocean water creates a truly beautiful layered effect. You’re really able to tell how Akaroa sits in the crater from above. There are so many cute sheep all over the South Island. Arriving in Pōhatu or Flea Bay. One of the tours offers a three day hike around the area and you can stay in one of the cabins in this area. Can you imagine?Cutie Mc Sheepface. We went down to the shore of Pōhatu and saw a cute little Fur Seal playing in the water. And then we climbed one of the hills around Flea Bay to see if we could spy a Little Blue Penguin in one of the nesting boxes and we did! All the penguins will be gone next month so we got very lucky. I have been wanting to see a penguin this entire leg of the adventure. I’ve never seen one in its natural habitat so this was pretty special. You can tell that the penguin is molting and in the process of growing its new feathers. That is why it isn’t out in the water. Our guide let us feel one of the loose feathers that were in the box. The Little Blue penguin feathers are SO soft! Boletes or “slippery jacks” mushroom. What a truly magical day! And to be able to share it with our friends was priceless. So incredibly grateful. Tuesday was another full day that started out with taking the bus to the Brighton Beach Pier to see the sunrise. It was 100% worth the trip!After the sunrise I checked out the town.Then I walked the beach to Te Karoro Karoro Reserve.Ate some delicious food at Dune Cafe and then took the bus home. It was the perfect way to start the day!I finished my day with a walk along the Avon River. And then I finally got a chance to explore Victoria Square on my way to the James Hay Theater. This sculpture, Mana Motuhake, was created by Ngāi Tahu master carver Fayne Robinson in collaboration with Matapopore. Christchurch Town Hall and the Ferrier Fountain. “Arcades a Transitional Art Installation. I really loved the design inside of the Jame Jay Theater. Hothouse Flowers are from Dublin, Ireland and they put on a phenomenal show! We saw and did A LOT while we were in Christchurch and I loved it all. Even though that is true I am also looking forward to some warmer weather and a slower pace the next two weeks in Fiji. ♥️
