DAYS TWENTY ONE and TWO - Christchurch

Wednesday and Thursday, November 6 and 7

In Christchurch we visited museums, the Arts Centre (a cluster of Victorian Gothic buildings), walked in the Botanic Gardens, and took a tram tour of the city.

The mural above is known as "Rise from Rubble" in recognition of the loss and ongoing reconstruction of the city after an earthquake in 2011.  

The statue above recognizes Robert Scott and honors all Antarctic expeditions. Scott and his entire 1910 expedition team died in their quest to be the first to reach the South Pole.  They actually reached the South Pole but found a Norwegian flag there from another expedition that arrived only days before they did.  The U.S. Antarctic Program has been in Christchurch for many years to support research at its three year-round Antarctic bases.

The Christchurch Historic Tramway has eight restored trams that provide a highlights tour of the city and offer hop on and off transport for the day.  Trams operated in the city and its suburbs from the late 1800s to 1954.  It was a fun way to learn about the city.  We hopped on and off to visit the Botanical Gardens, a museum and historic buildings in the Arts Centre.

In the evening we had dinner at a church that had been converted into a pub.  Then we went to the theater to see the one-actress play Prima Facie.