Day 34 Christmas Day A day off in lovely Christchurch. Warm and sunny. We spent the morning in the Antarctic Centre. Interesting and informative. Then lunch and a stroll in the botanical gardens. Christchurch is known as the garden city. It is very green and pretty and just about the right size. Then to Sarah and Pete who had kindly invited us to join their Christmas dinner. We felt a bit like underdressed gatecrashers but were made to feel so very welcome. And...

Day 33 Greta Valley to Christchurch 83km We had started to hear accounts of the earthquake yesterday but it wasn't until we neared Christchurch that we started to see the full impact. We set off in a fierce norwesterly which nearly blew us off the road twice. A lovely woman in a pickup stopped and gave us a ride 10km into Amberley. Coffee and breakfast consumed, we set off again. The final stretch of SH1 is motorway, so bikes aren't allowed and I'm told the p...