If it’s Sunday; its Time to Go to (Christ) Church

Ever since our eldest Brad, came home from his bike tour of NZ with a picture of the Church of the Good Shepherd on Lake Tekapo, we have been smitten. Our route from TeAnau via Queenstown, first led us to Lake Pukaki. Absolutely stunning with its blue green waters and a backdrop of snow tipped mountains. The portrait was complete with deep blue skies, dotted with puffy cumulus clouds. Lake Tekapo did not disappoint as it too was magnificent. We spotted the Church of the Good Shepherd with its infinite photo opportunities, Mission accomplished!! It was a relatively short drive the following day to Christchurch and ironically it was on a Sunday. Since our last visit 11 years ago, following the devastating earthquake 3 years prior, Christchurch has been completely transformed. It is a vibrant modern city, though traces of the destruction are still quite apparent. It was lots of fun travelling around with Sue and Eric on the Hop On Hop Off tram. Canada had just beaten the US the night before in the Four Nations Cup final. I felt it my duty to make a public service announcement on the tram's public addresss system highlighting the Canadian triumph over the Americans. I did ask the conductor for permission. Go Canada GO!! CA..NA..DA, CA..NA..DA!! Four Americans got up and left the tram LOL. As all good things must come to an end, we said our farewells to Sue and Eric that evening. They were on their way home the following day after their month long tour of Australia and New Zealand. We opted to stay an extra night while we relived some old memories and created some new ones. It was up early the next morning to catch our 07:00 train north to Picton following the Pacific Coastal Route. The service was wonderful, the food amazing and the scenery outstanding. Its hard to beat a firstclass train journey on an iconic, scenic route. The train is definitely one of my favorite modes of transportation. We met up with our ferry for the return journey, sailing once again across the Cook Strait en route to Wellington. One more night with Tyler, Rachel and the girls, then another early rise for our three flights to get to Bali, Indonesia via Auckland, and Singapore. Nau Mai!!

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