Christchurch - in the afternoon, on my way to Hamner Springs, I passed through - just wanted to see how the earthquake that happened almost 3 years to the day earlier, had affected the city. I was shocked at how much damage there still was. - Check out my photos. There is still an eerie air of loss however; the people here seem to be coping well; evident by the colorful graffiti on the walls of buildings damaged everywhere. It was sad.

Hamner Hot Springs - arrived late in afternoon - enough time to have a lovely soak in the natural sulpher hot pools; smelly but oh so good. Had a nice swim in the cold pool so felt great after a long day of driving. Lovely dinner at a Bistro on the street - accommodations in NZ have been outstanding for the price. Mostly I have used Booking.com, some Expedia, Hotels.com or local sites. Amazingly, it is rather easy to book hotels and flights on short notice with the internet.