Day Five – Chasing the Clouds

Sitting in the Auckland airport was a precursor to Christchurch. A plane delay for over an hour because of storms and once in the air the cloud dodging bumps were excellent training for rodeo bronc-busting or riding the bull at Gilles in Austin, Texas. For an hour we put up with the pilot who obviously missed his fighter pilot days as he banked the 757 around, over and under every cloud he could find. But good news awaited us in Christchurch. My percolating fears about long distance car rental arrangements over the internet proved groundless. The car was waiting for us at the front door and the folks were exceedingly pleasant. The car, a White Toyota Something I’ve Never Heard Of, was much newer than expected. This Toyota Platz would soon come to be known by another name however. Kristine is quite susceptible to motion sickness and if one adds up several conditions we were to encounter, short wheelbase, narrow curvy roads and a total lack of flat, level ground on these Islands, her sensitive tummy tolerance was tested hourly. Our Toyota Platz was affectionately re-named the Toyota Puke as we flew over the top of a hill and bottomed out while sinking into the valleys. But I get ahead of myself. Car rental prices in NZ are partially based on their age and mileage and so RK expected a 1962 Corvair based on the low price I paid. When asked if I had any experience with driving on the left (wrong) side of the road, I pooh-poohed their concerns citing my extensive touring in Ireland and Scotland. I promptly drove out of their driveway in the wrong lane. I was unable to see their reactions but did hear some distant laughter. Maybe I should have taken out more insurance?

Actually it all came back easily and the 10 mile drive into the center of Christchurch amidst a driving rainstorm was uneventful. Our hotel was adjacent to the City Centre and when Kris pleaded poverty they not only reduced the rate but also gave her a room on the twelfth floor with a view of Christchurch’s famous Cathedral. Wow! Got to love her negotiation skills. Drawing open the curtains in the room revealed a stunning view… of the twelve-story building next door. But wait… yes, there it was… just above their roof, a tiny 15 foot section of the Cathedral’s tallest spire was clearly in view. Kiwi sense of humor no doubt. However, we were able to walk to the various sites labeled as “Do Not Miss” by our Eyewitness guidebook giving our raingear a decent baptism. 5:18 PM this day is Kris’s actual birthday and we were seated for her birthday dinner with strong drink in hand at the appointed hour and minute. Don’t remember her grouper plate but I had a deliciously tasty and tender Lamb Rump roasted rare over spinach and green beans smothered with a Chipotle sauce next to a side of crusted sweetbreads. YESSSSS… lamb not mutton. Screw all you Saudis who fed me mutton for all those “lamb” dinners I was forced to attend in the Middle East. The news talks about flooding in the southern lowlands due to the first of the winter blasts up from Antarctica. Remembering how altitude decreases temperatures, I idly think about crossing the Southern Alps here in a day or so but dismiss any great concerns. After all this is their fall. Real winter is still a month or two away. I sleep soundly but dream of narrow roads, single lane bridges, and icy mountain passes.