It's funny, i flew into Auckland (raining) sencing i would be disappointed (still had a great time) but not what i expected, i flew into Christchurch (glorious sunshine), sencing it would be another amazing city. I love Christchuch...... why?. Maybe it's because it has the feel of a British town, only sodden in sunshine, going back in time 50 years. It has the the Avon river, complete with punts and college students dressed in boaters and ties, surrounded by green lush gardens, colourful, tropical plants with the botanical gardens planted right in the centre of the massive park. It reminds me a bit of Stratford upon Avon, character buildings, cafe culture, unusual shops with quality souviners, art gallery's and musuems with the addition of the old tram which adds massive character to the place.

I'm stopping at base Christchurch, same company as in Auckland, i got a place in the penthouse, it's only a couple of dollars more, what do you get?. Well there are three dorms on the roof with it's own kitchen, sky tv, bathroom, balcony, playstation etc. In honesty its a bit of a mess, nothing to do with the guys here now, it just doesn't get cleaned much. Having said that i would really recommend it, great to meet people and it's a really cool area, we all sat around last night with a few beers, watched a movie, talked, it has a really good vibe, shame i could only get 2 nights - great concept.

Today i pretty much followed the walking route of lonely planet - cathedral, tram, river avon, museums, breweries, etc, just read it and follow, it's a full day and well worth the walk.

Christchurch is a city, i would call it a town, it's compact but got everything you would need, there's great shops (excellent value), quirky bars and fab restaurants, to suit all budgets. It's also a great base if you want to do activities such as the alpine train journey, whale watching, lord of the rings tour, white water rafting etc.

So to sum up, i've been here a little over 24 hours but it has made a real impression on me. I aim to move around to another couple of hostels to experience different areas of Christchurch and get out and about around Canterbury enjoying the fabulous activities.

Speak soon