Botanical Gardens and Sumner

Hello all

I am officially over my jet-leg and began my official exploration of some popular New Zealand sites.  I went to the central part of Christchurch to see the beautiful Botanical Garden along the Avon River.  The gardens have a large collection of flora and fauna found in New Zealand, I especially enjoyed the central rose garden and the Townend House as seen pictured here:

The Botanical Gardens are open to the public, and seemed a popular place for Kiwis to walk through during their lunch breaks.  Although the day was a bit overcast when I went, the gardens were still magnificent.  The weather here in general is rather mild and rainy with the exception of yesterday, definitely not similar to the hot and humid Minnesota summers.  I was also able to take a trip with a few friends to Sumner, which is a coastal outer suburb of Christchurch.  It was only about 25 minutes from the university, but I felt as though I had stepped into another country.  Due to the hot and sunny weather the beach was full of people, and some of their dogs as well.  The waters were very clear and blue, a bit too cold for me to swim in.  Here are some pictures I took of the Sumner beach:

Even looking at these pictures now, I still can't believe that I am living in such a magnificent place.  I think with classes starting this week, everything will start to sink in completely.  I am feeling excited to be a student again, especially at the postgraduate level.  There are some classes I am taking which I have studied before, and a couple that are new to me.  I am also learning a lot outside of the university setting, especially some differences I have noticed between the United States and New Zealand.  Certain items are very expensive here, including some of my food favorites, cheese, cereal, and candy (a regular sized candy bar is almost 2 USD!) .  Also cell phones are very pricey here as well, around $60-70 per month for 1 hour per month.  I am learning also to be saying that these products are "dear", which is the kiwi equivalent for expensive.  Kiwis are also very environmentally conscious, and recycling is much more efficient and widely practiced (although a bit more complicated) in comparison to the US.  Many Kiwis don't uses dishwashers or clothes dryers and there is also no central heat, and you use a "heat pump" instead (I guess I figured that one out when winter rolls around).  That is all I can think of for now, I will try to keep an updated list of "Kiwi/American differences" I come across.  I am also planning a trip to Kaikoura (on the east coast of the south island) on the 7-9 of March, so I will have more pictures then!  Whale watching and swimming with the dolphins is are popular activities in Kaikoura, so perhaps the set of pictures will include me watching a whale while swimming with a dolphin.  I can't make any promises, but you never know!