May 9

Wednesday, May 9

We woke up around 9 this morning and got ready and were out the door around 10:30. We went down to reception to find out the best way to get to the gondola. Easy enough with the driving directions. Yesterday, we got two $1.00 off gondola tickets from the empty concierge desk.

As we drove toward the gondola, I could not believe it! I saw a sign for Denny’s…the Denny’s! We had to go. So, Josh turned around and we went to have some breakfast. The service was ridiculously slow but the food was okay and the coffee was good. The breakfast cost half of what it would have cost us to eat in the hotel restaurant so we were okay with that.

After breakfast, we needed some gas and there was a Pak N Save across the street that had a gas station attached. We bought gas then we went inside to buy some snacks, diet coke, and wine. All the errands taken care of, Josh and I were back on the road toward the gondola.

We reached the gondola and went inside. The parking lot wasn’t that crowded and the inside of the building we were the only ones inside. Josh bought the tickets while I went to the bathroom. Then we talked to a worker girl before hoping into the gondola car, having our photo snapped, and going up the hill.

The view was awesome as we went up the hill. The day had started off cloudy and gray but the sun was starting to peak through the clouds as we were going up the hill. At the top, we had a look around the observation deck and then we went on a time tunnel ride which was pretty cool till we got to the end and it said if you wanted to ride again it was cost $4.

Then, Josh and I wanted to go on one of the walks but we quickly got lost on the crater rim walk and just ended up making a half loop back to the other side of the gondola building. The wind was picking up too.

Josh and I went inside and Josh was like you should have a coffee. Whenever the “Treasurer” in the relationship encourages spending, you have to go with it. So, we bought a mochachino for me (not chocolaty at all) and Josh bought a piece of mousse like cake.

We sat in a corner in the café and enjoyed the snack and the view of the Southern Alps. Then, we went downstairs for a quick look in the gift shop and then we caught the gondola down. The wind was blowing the gondola back and forth just a little bit not much but you could still tell. Then, near the bottom of the hill, the gondola stopped for a short bit.

We reached the bottom and they had a set of photographs and postcards with our image on them for $35. It was a good picture but it was only the one of us so we took a pass. Josh made a good point though…they were just going to throw away all the stuff so why did they go through all the trouble in the first place. Could be a big waste of money on their part.

Leaving the parking lot, we got turned around and went through a tunnel (the longest tunnel ever) into Lyttleton. Then, we went around a roundabout, and did the tunnel again. Man, I hate tunnels.

We reached the hotel around 3:30 with a plan to relax and catch up on the travel journal, update the pictures and relax. So, now that it’s 11:30 at night, we’ve got the photos uploaded, the journal updated, we’ve had some drinks and even ordered a Ceaser Salad and Club sandwich from room service. We are soooo full…too full. Our first room service experience when it wasn’t included in the rate like Mexico. Nice.

We’re off to bed now because we have a long day of driving tomorrow. Like 5 hours of driving across Arthur’s Pass to Greymouth for the Monteith’s brewery tour then another hour south to Hokitika.

Christchurch wasn’t like I expected. There really wasn’t much to it. It was really like a big "so what" kind of place. Not really even a city. I would only recommend it as a starting off point to other sights in New Zealand. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with the place, it’s just lacking anything special or a real reason why you should visit the place.

The hotel has kind of grown on me. The room and bathroom are really spacious and the bed is comfortable. It’s also in a good location. I prefer a more modern décor though in my rooms.