After Auckland, I had made an executive decision. We were going to do something a little more adventurous in Christchurch, NZ. I had had enough of looking around. I needed a little adrenaline rush. After perusing the guidebooks we picked up in Auckland, we had an Alpine Jet Boat tour booked.

The Waimak River was a little outside of Christchurch, but the ride was nice. We went through the Canterbury Plains, which is the largest area of flat land in New Zealand. This then became their main farm and grazing lands. The area had fleeting moments of Arkansas, scenically, aside from all of the sheep and hedges (think Harry Potter Goblet of Fire Triwizard hedges). After a little while, we had arrived at the foot of the NZ Southern Alps. The TranzAlpine train travels along the river we were headed to; the scenic train ride is ranked 6th in the world of train trips.

Got to the boat house. But first we had a pit stop at the restroom, next to some sheep. They had their picture taken. Everyone has heard that south of the equator toilets flush in the opposite directions. Well, every toilet that I had come across didn't really flush. They just kind of filled up and emptied, without a swirl motion. First time in the southern hemisphere, I had to see this phenomenon. So, the sink had a plug. After filling it up, I can confirm that it swirls in the opposite direction.

Enough toilet humor, back to the real story. The river ride was amazing. Thought it would be a little cold due to it being overcast, but the sun popped out 2/3's up the river. Sandy bundled up for the trip though. The water was so aqua blue, the pictures don't do it justice. The river bends were huge; they basically circled back around 300 degrees. The main river channel was along the outer edges along the bluffs, but water trickled over the vast inner rock fields. Kind of like sections of the Buffalo, but tripled in size. The 360 Hamilton spins were fun, especially with a private tour. No one was in the boat with us, so we went sliding around our empty row of seats. It was really good to get out and do something exciting, get away from the old people city tours.

We were away from the ship all day, so lunch was on our own. What did we eat? The real question is what can you find all around the world? Pringles and Coca-Cola. We sat in Cathedral Square eating our snack. And of course there were birds, so we had to feed the birds. At least here we (okay, Sandy) wasn't told to stop by security guards. I can't remember if we told you that this happened in San Fran.   

We did do a little shopping in Christchurch too. I had to get my kiwi souvenirs. Love those flightless birds. Didn't get to see one; they are rarely seen in the wild. 

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