Our first day in New Zealand

Our flight arrived 15 minutes early so we were through the customs and aboard the Airport Shuttle by 12.15 (after midnight) and the first thing we did when we dragged out a few things from our cases was to put the kettle on! There is nothing like a cup of tea to make you feel normal again!
A hugely expensive taxi ride took us to where we collected the hire car. We were able to hire a GPS at the same time (that costs as much as buying one!) because our own GPS would not find the satellite – I had purchased the NZ update for it before we left and it doesn’t work! Sigh! Ah well, if that is all that will go wrong I don’t mind!
Since picking up the car we have been everywhere! Cathedral Square was the first port of call and I had fun in and around the Cathedral.
My first picture is of Colin outside the Cathedral.

1/80 sec F/8 ISO 100

I really don’t know why I have this luck but every time I visit an old building it is covered with scaffolding and every time I use the video camera there is someone using a mower or chainsaw!
I even took two shots inside the building - without the flash. I held the camera on the back of a seat and held my breathe and the results are quite surprising. I will share only one of them, the other shot is very similar. I did try to take on of the rose window but that turned out quite blurred from movement.

2 secs F/9 ISO 100 (should have increased ISO)

Outside the Cathedral is a tall ice-cream cone of a sculpture, I remember it from the last time I was in Christchurch in 2004 and it still looks just as good! Sometimes city artworks become ugly with rust but not this!

1/125 sec F/8 ISO 100

After a city tram ride that took us to lots of different and interesting places we disembarked to visit the Art Gallery. What an amazing building. The face of the building is walls of glass at many different angles. Rather than show the outside I have selected a shot I took inside the building – fantastic! Of course you are not allowed to take photographs of the artworks that are in the galleries but I was given permission to take as many shots as I wanted of the foyer – so I had a ball!

1/100 sec f/8 ISO 200

We also spent lots of time in the Botanic Gardens. Our absolute favourite place in the gardens would have to be the begonia house! I have NEVER seen such huge flowers! They were stunning. Every colour under the rainbow and all flowers about 30cm across. I would love to be able to grow begonias like that – but they like the cool and hate the humidity so they are not the plant for the subtropics! 1/60 sec f/8 ISO 100

Today was a warm and very pleasant day – we even took out fleeces off and wandered around in short sleeves! Fingers crossed that tomorrow is a good day too! I somehow have my doubts. We can but hope.
AJ