Tuesday 11th December - Christchurch

With the need to feel Christmasy, Charlie suggested we go and see 'the Reverend' tonight. Sarah thought she mean't Reverend and the Makers so off we went .. the Reverend was in fact a real Reverend at the local choir service in Christchurch Cathederal! Full of secondary and primary school kids and gowned teachers, we sat and sang along to an hour of 'oh come all ye faithfull' and other such classics! In true Sarah and Charlie fashion we did get a bit of the giggles when the head of the choir walked in wearing his red and white choir gown, complete with white hair and beard, we did a double take as thought Father Christmas himself had come to pay us a visit from his grotto! Eye contact was avoided for the next 40 mins as we didn't feel it would be right to be banned from a Cathederal! Our singing was beautiful and Sarah didn't realise just how high Charlie's voice could really go :) and unfortunately nor di Charlie's throat as i've been suffering from a sore throat since!

Wednesday 12th December

Explored Christchurch today. The city is a mix match of quaint cottages and new and old architecture, alot resembling good ol blighty. At one point, we felt like we were in Cambridge due to the punting! It is very pretty place and has a nice relaxed feel to it. Considering we are nearing Christmas, the town centre isn't all hussle bussle that you would expect and the tree outside the Cathedral was put up today (12 days before chrimbo) and not in September as per at home! We are getting into the whole 'filling our days without spending much' routine as us travellers do, and also embarking on the cultural side, we visited the Museum and Botanic Gardens - all FREE!! The museum was much bigger than we expected and our tour guide, Phil, was very enthusiastic and great at his job. We went out for a few beers at 'Saints and Sinners', the local backpack pub.. guess which one we were!

Thursday 13th December - Akora
Using Christchurch as a base, we did a day trip to Akora. A french style smaller village filled with boutiques and little cafes. All very quaint. This is where Charlie swam with wild dolphins! As she ventured out into the big blue, Sarah explored land for the day. The dolphin experience was incredible. There were around 10 of us on the boat, taken out for approx 30 mins then waited for them to appear.. the skipper told us that they reacted to singing and especially Elton John tunes believe it or not! So with that, Charlie started the group off with singing 'I'm still standing'! Within a few minutes we we surrounded by beautiful dolphins, who are really either tone deaf or have no taste in music!! (just joking Elton fans). Being wild, we were not allowed to touch them but Charlie saw around 15 dophins and got close to 1 to see close up. Back at base in Christchurch, we had a 'cultured' evening and went to the theatre! $20 (around 8 pound) a ticket gets you an evening with A Very Merry Scriptless. A 'whose line is is anyway' style affair where a group of 4 comedians improv and do an unscripted comedy performance based on Christmas! As we are not shy girls, we somehow got involved in this (sitting in the front row didn't help!), when asked where would you not find Christmas decs, Sarah shouted out 'at a jewish person's house' opps. They used it though, for their sketch! had a very funny night and recommend a visit. We went with a girl called Helen who we met on the Magic bus.

Friday 14th December - Christchurch
Chilling day today, rested at the hostel and made use of 'entertainment' facilities!

Saturday 15th December - Hanmer Springs
Took the coach to Hanmer. Our driver Chris was a very happy chappy and made the journey enjoyable with his chats! Hanmer Springs is inland and set between hills and mountains. The main reason people visit here is for the Thermal Pools and Spa. This day was very tough on us.. just how many thermal pools can you relax in! phew! The hottest pool was 41 degree celcius and it also had a large lane swimming pool which Sarah made the most of.

Sunday 16th December -Christchurch
Went to the Culture district and visited the Art Galleries. Again, FREE! Well worth a visit. Also relaxed in the Botanic Gardens, enjoying the sunshine :)

Monday 17th December - Kaikoura
OH MY GOD! We got up at 5.30 a.m. to catch the 6.45 a.m. bus to Kaikoura. The bus ride took just over 2 hours and we arrived in time for breakfast. The hostel we are staying in is Fabulous! It's called the Dusky Lodge and is as far removed from a hostel as you can get! Swimming pool, bbq, sauna and spa, great food and 3 floors of living areas. All this for 26 dollars (about a tenner each) a night. It was 35 degrees today so we made the most of the pool and spent the day chilling in the sun :)

Tuesday 18th December
Another blissfully hot day and we took a walk along the coast, towards the seal colony. We are starting to amaze ourselves by pointing out all local wildlife (flowers, animals, plants, changes of the scenery) and think we are starting to turn into Michaela Stracchan! In the evening, we saw the most beautiful sunset from the Lodge.

Wednesday 19th December
Little bit cooler today so just took a walk to the shops and chilled out at the Lodge. Got talking to an Irish couple who were celebrating a birthday. The night ended with us singing Beatles songs with them and a Japanese couple in the lounge! We had fun even if it felt a bit surreal! On his I-Pod, he had the Pogues Christmas tune, we finally got to hear a christmas song! Unfortunately there wasn't Mariah Carey for Charlie:( Kaikoura is a beautiful place and would highly recommend a few nights stay here. especially at the Dusky Lodge.