For Narnia!!

It's been way too long since we have posted a blog, so I'll keep things short... Maybe not. The last few weeks we've been staying with a series of wonderful families near Christchurch, the first being Tom, Maree, Grace and Annie. Through the workaway program we stay with families and get the homely amenities in exchange for a few hours of work each day. The greatest part about these work exchanges is that we get a great opportunity to experience Kiwi culture. Tom, Maree and company were incredibly gracious, welcoming us into their home, fixing us meals, and asking us plenty of questions about the likes of American politics and environmental awareness. We had a great time with this family.

Stopped at a famous pie shop on the way to our workaway. Apricot chicken an camembert cheese. Yummmmm

Following the Clapham family adventure, we drove out to a small township along the west coast highway called Springfield; donut included. The Milliken with their three young kids have been a bundle of energy that definitely kept us busy. The first day we arrived we drove a little further up into the mountains to an area called Castle Hill. Those of you who have seen the Narnia films would recognize the craggy boulders from the battle scenes in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I also have to express my excitement that the world's best rock climber, Chris Sharma, came here to rock climb. Narnia was breathtaking. We walked around, boulder hoping for several hours, soaking in the sun and exploring the limestone massif. This is definitely a highlight of the trip. Aside from working on various tasks around the cattle and she farm, from stone picking to gardening, we've commandeered a couple bikes to explore the roads around Springfield. The town is tucked alongside the mountains so the views from the saddle are sweet as.

The pictures don't do this place justice.

For Narnia!!

sunset from the farm in Springfield.

more from the farm

Springfield doughnut.

For Thanksgiving, Susan and Rob allowed us to share with their family a piece of our American culture in preparing Thanksgiving dinner. They don't eat a lot of turkey here, so we spent the day making a traditional dinner with chickens as a substitute. Thank you to both of our mothers for the recipes, they were a hit!

We've had the chance to explore Christchurch a couple times. The city is still very much a construction zone following the devastating earthquakes of 2010/2011. However, there are many beautiful pockets. The first jaunt into town we explored the Riccarton farmers' market, a nice combination of great smells and beautiful food. We devoured a scone and some fantastic organic apple juice and then headed to the re:Start mall. After the earthquakes the old shopping center of the city was left in shambles, but the crafty minds of Christchurch devised a plan to build a mall using shipping containers. Great idea. We did some birthday/Christmas shopping and enjoyed a mouth-watering pizza in the warm sun. Overall, despite the construction and somewhat empty-feeling nature to the city, there is much to be enjoyed in Christchurch.

The cathedral was badly damaged in the quake. The city Is in a big debate whether they want to spend the money to rebuild or not.

re: start mall

such a good pizza! Kumar, mozzarella, sunflower seeds

Today is Caroline's birthday, so we had a little lunch celebration including a cake and a present I sneakily put together with the help of Susan and Rob. It was two years ago today that I had the guts to actually talk to Caroline, wishing her a happy birthday at the end of our chemistry lecture as she was leaving. Seriously, you'd think I would have said more to her as she had been at my group table for the last two weeks... Needless to say, it was worth it and I have been blessed with two more birthdays with this wonderful adventure buddy. I can't express how grateful I am for her companionship.

birthday girl

Tomorrow we head to our third and final workaway, and hope to plan out the remaining five weeks of our trip here on the south island!

Cheers,
Blake