Museum Day

Monday saw us walking through the park again - trying to find the most direct route to the Museum of Canterbury (the region Christchurch is in, like a province). We did get a little off on the wrong side of the river Avon and there are just 2 or 3 bridges so it took us maybe 20 minutes longer than we though it would. 

Once we got to the Botanic gardens we were all ready for a latte so we stopped at a cute little place between the duck ponds and the kids play area and wading pools called Duck Duck. We decided it was one of the best coffees we have had. We had fun watching a little guy about 2 yrs old chase gulls and ducks around trying to feed them some duck tucker (food).

We all spent about an hour and a half at the museum. It's free and lots of great dioramas of early Maori and white settler life. Then a street scene that we could wander through of early Christchurch, much like the one in the BC Museum and the Manitoba museum. I loved the toy store on the street because there was a tiny sewing machine, a replica of the one I bought in France in September. Cool!!

Christchurch was destined to be settled by the English gentry and not the convicts who were sent off from England, so it is suppose to be very much in the English style.

We headed off to follow up on one of Pam's suggestions for lunch and decided she has very good ideas! We went to the Hummingbird Cafe in a container at the Restart Mall.  Each of us had something avocado but each one quite different.

Below: Judy's avocado and bacon on a bagel

Middle: Wendy's smashed avocado on toast

Bottom: Marion's bacon and avocado on Rosti

Nummy!!

Upstairs in the cafe.

After lunch we headed across the street to our second museum, "Quake City". This museum is everything about the earthquakes over the years in Christchurch. It is a special exhibit of the Canterbury museum. It was very interesting and it included a seventy-five minute movie of a number of personal accounts by some residents who had been deeply affected by the two quakes. Very sobering and moving. It really made all three of us think about how Victoria would fare given the same circumstances which are totally out of anyone's control.

We headed home again to have showers and then out for dinner at a restaurant down at the end of our street, Trevinos, for a great pasta dinner. First pasta we have had in New Zealand. Super tired tonight so off to bed early. We all need to get home from our holiday to get some rest!!!