Christchurch

From there we headed back to Auckland to catch the LATE flight (picture red eyes here). We had reservations for a small B&B here – turns out this one is located right next to English Park. This particular place was definitely eco-friendly and caters to vegetarians. It was really great to find a place like that – though I must admit I felt quite guilty coming in so late on Christmas Day.
Boxing Day (news flash…it used to be St. Stephen’s Day in Britain. Long ago there was a practice of giving cash or durable goods to the ‘lower classes”, the day after Christmas) we had a chance to catch up with Peter, a friend of Tim’s – and another bicycle enthusiast. He took us on a tour out to Lyttleton – a cute little village nestled on the coast overlooking one of the many bays. Had a great time visiting, talking and touring!
From there we headed down to Ian and Rosie’s. Oh my gosh, their home is absolutely fabulous. We arrived in the early afternoon and had a spectacular time visiting. Their home is situated on a triple lot and it's gorgeous! There are olive trees interspersed between the lavender lending a heavenly smell. The middle lot is where their home is, nestled in an English Garden - a riot of color cascading through the grass. In the evening we even go to see a hedgehog trundling through the flowers, though he did the freeze thing the minute he saw us around. I got to "pet" him, if that's what you call attempting to stroke a bunch of prickly things. The back section of the lot has a wonderful vegetable garden that is producing everything they need and more. They also have 2 beautiful alpacas in the back. We had a wonderful time talking and visiting and enjoying the fresh air – laced, of course, with rain and lots of wind.