Weasel Trek

Kjell spent weeks and weeks on a tramp steamer, finally arriving in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Kjell in front of Christchurch Cathedral, held by strange man with bandaged leg (ferret bite?). The annual floral festival is on.

Taking a more leisurely look around Cathedral Square with the other tourists, the next day. The Christchurch Cathedral, the Anglican church pictured above, stands in the very center of the city. Christchurch's founders succeeded in making their new city feel very much like the English towns they modeled it on, laying it out with spacious parks and tree-lined streams throughout, and building the Cathedral, a boy's school (modelled on English colleges such as Eton and Westminster), and a university (now moved out to Ilam, with the Arts Centre occupying the original buildings) all in the center of the city. The city itself is even named after an Oxford college.

By the big chalice sculpture, installed around the turn of the millennium to celebrate the 150^th anniversary of the founding of Christchurch. Although Christchurch retains it's gentle English feeling, today it shows also more modern cultural influences and a more expressive arts scene.

On the tram (literally!). The electric tram service in Christchurch was started in 1905 and lasted until 1954. A few tram cars were preserved by a local historical society, and in 1995 the trams were brought back to the city centre as a tourist attraction.

Playing giant chess in the square. The chess set is left out in the day whenever the weather is fine enough to play and tourists and locals alike enjoy playing. (Man did we get some funny looks taking this photo.)

Watching kitesurfers off the beach near New Brighton (another place named after home by the English settlers).

Eating the rapidly diminishing pile of brandy snaps at a BBQ (quite possibly the best part of Kiwi summers).

Next stop for Kjell should be Canberra, Australia.