This was another stop where we dock in a smaller town and get a shuttle – sometimes free- to the main attraction. Our docking for Christchurch was the town of Lyttelton and we paid $15 each to go to the city after our first adventure.

The Gondola – It seemed like a good idea to ride a Gondola to enjoy the views of Christchurch (and Lyttelton) and the scenery was beautiful. There were various trails along the top and I enjoyed walking as far as a could until I made Dirk too nervous. After about 45 minutes we were done, took the gondola back down and got a ride into Christchurch (we had to return to the boat first but it was quick).

Christchurch suffered a massive earthquake in the center of the city in February 2011 causing many buildings to collapse and the loss of 185 lives. The business district was cordoned off for more than two years and more than half the buildings had to be demolished. Now the center of the city contains new, very modern looking buildings with occasional buildings still needing to be repaired or replaced. A river runs through the city with parks, gardens and walks all along each side.

We walked to an active city center with the original gate still intact and found a market area and enjoyed a Vietnamese lunch while we shared a table and chatted with a young family visiting relatives in the area.

We continued our walk along the small river until it was time to find the shuttle to our ship.