New Zealand
November 5, 2008
I’m in New Zealand, one stop away from Antarctica! My flight from Oregon to San Francisco was delayed, my flight from San Francisco to Los Angeles was delayed, the flight from Los Angeles to Auckland was 12 hours long, and the flight from Auckland to Christchurch went smoothly. After 24 hours en route, I’m settled in my hotel in New Zealand.
I met Katie Dugger and Kirsten Lindquist in LA, just in time to catch our trans-Pacific flight. I will be working with Kirsten at the Cape Crozier antarctic camp for the next three months, while Katie will be stationed at a different penguin colony and will only stay six weeks.
Raytheon Polar Services set me up with my own room at the Windsor B&B in Christchurch (NZ) for the next two days. My next-door room neighbors, Leath and Gus, are headed to the South Pole Station (both general laborers), and we’re on the same flight to McMurdo Station on November 7.
A guy came up to me at the Christchurch airport, and, reading my Oregon State Tennis T-shirt, asked if I played there, then explained that he played for the University of Washington team a few years ago. Small world, I guess.
While others crashed at the hotel, I headed out to wander around Christchurch. It’s the height of spring here, flowers blooming everywhere, birds singing, trees full of green leaves, mostly sunny, not too hot. Very much like spring in Oregon, except six months different.
The Windsor B&B
Downtown Christchurch, NZ
Trolley Car
Cathedral in Cathedral Square
Center of Cathedral Square
Christchurch Art Gallery
New Zealanders call themselves Kiwis, talk like Australians, drive on the wrong side of the road, walk on the wrong side of the sidewalk, and are unbelievably friendly. There are a lot of blonde people here. What else can I say?
Of course, never having visited New Zealand, I set out to find some local birds. Christchurch has a large park only a couple blocks from the Windsor B&B that offers excellent birding. In about an hour there, I saw more kinds of birds than I will see in three months in Antarctica. A pair of Paradise Shelducks marked the 1,600th bird species I have seen in my life.
Paradise Shelduck (Male)
Song Thrush
Chaffinch
Silvereye
New Zealand Pigeon
Blackbird
2 Responses to 'New Zealand'
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Noah: Gladya made it. New Zealand looks gorgeous! And glad you found a new bird to list.
BK
4 Nov 08 at 9:58 pm
Yippee!! Congrats on your 1600th!!!
Keep those pictures a comin’!
Aloha from the library in BOB,
Happy a.
Happy Adventurer
5 Nov 08 at 3:13 am