Spring Break, Part V

So. Christchurch. The final stop on our epic journey before our return to Picton and our subsequent ferry ride to Wellington. The last place we slept on the south island. The site of all of my remaining pictures. I warn you, though, they're more arty than touristy.

First, to get this out of the way: I saw a kiwi! The aquarium had a "kiwi house" attached, and I got to watch a kiwi poking about in the dark. No photos, though - they're sensitive little creatures and don't like the sound or the light. Sorry!

And now, the aquarium.










There was one flounder that refused to camp out on the bottom and just swam all over the tank, because it could. Seriously.


Cute little guy, though.


There were seahorses! They were surprisingly photogenic.






After the aquarium, I walked down to the botanic gardens and the Canterbury Museum, which is the site of Alan Curnow's moa skeleton, a really fabulous Antarctica exhibit, and the biggest quartz crystals I've ever seen.


















The front crystal is wider than my handspan, which is C4 to F5 on a standard piano.
Aaaaaaaaand I'm finally done posting pictures from my trip, since I didn't take any on the ferry! Hooray!

Apologies for the posting overload - I probably won't put up anything for a week or so now, as I haven't taken any pictures in the last several days and I have another GEOL 202 field trip this weekend. Should be interesting, at the very least.

Kia ora!

- Becky

Spring Break, Part IV

The morning we woke up in Queenstown, the weather was pretty lousy. We went for a walk to the gardens anyway. (Perhaps Wellington has made us less sensitive to rain and wind.)









The roses were all in bloom, covered in droplets from the morning's rain, so...it was pretty-things-I-must-take-pictures-now time.















Continuing on.









The next morning, we got on a different bus and headed north, making a few quick stops...







...on the way to Christchurch.











I'll save the last little pile of pictures from Christchurch for tomorrow. Expect aquatic life.



Kia ora!

- Becky

Spring Break, Part III

Barrytown is legendary among Stray-goers for its wild parties. If you know me at all, however, you'll understand why my experience in Barrytown can be best summed up in one picture:


As a non-partier, Barrytown was a little too small, a little too empty, a little too far out of the way. It had a beach, though, and I got some rad serpentine and quartz bits (because I am a nerd and I like rocks). When the tides are right, some great greenstone (nephrite jade, for my fellow rock nerds) can be found there.


Sheep trees!







We stopped at a lake on the way out of Barrytown. Our bus driver tried to convince us there were dolphins in it. Much like the weka that wasn't a kiwi, the lake appeared to lack dolphins.


And then we went to Franz Josef Glacier. Which is hidden behind a temperate rainforest. I am still absolutely not kidding.










This is real. Seriously.






Oh, and there were waterfalls all along the valley that the glacier had carved.


Loads of waterfalls.


The sprawling beast itself.







If you ever go to Franz Josef, stay at Montrose Backpackers. They had free internet, great facilities, and the best customer service of any hostel we stayed at this trip.



The next day, we all piled back onto the bus and headed toward Queenstown, with a few stops along the way. The weather finally turned on us and it seemed that the last days of our trip were fated to be spent soggy and wet.






Fox Glacier.




This sign should look familiar to the IFSA kids...




Bruce Bay.



Little did we know, New Zealand was just taking a little break...



Kia ora!

- Becky