2. ARRIVAL IN CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND
We left our house at 3:30 am on Monday and arrived in Christchurch,
New Zealand at 11:30 am on Wednesday.
First we explored the farm where Emily and Doug live. Emily is our friend
from Chicago who now lives in New Zealand.
3. LOUDON FARM
Loudon Farm and Gallery Cows at the farm
Loudon Farm is a working farm with cows, sheep, and
other animals. There are also some really cool
sculptures all over the grounds.
4. CLIMBING MT. HERBERT ON ATVS
On Thursday we rode up Mt. Herbert (a mountain on
the South Island of New Zealand) on All Terrain
Vehicles (ATVs).
5. AT THE SHELTER NEAR THE SUMMIT
There was a shelter near the top of Mt. Herbert. Danny who took
us to the top said that he spent the coldest night of his life in that
shelter. It was really cold up there! We had to climb a fence to
get to the shelter. There were steps on both sides of the fence.
6. MT. HERBERT SUMMIT
At the summit! We made it!
We hardly spent any time here
because it was so cold. We
just took two pictures and left.
7. TIDE…
On Thursday afternoon, we hiked along the bay and
watched the tide roll in. It was pretty amazing.
8. SHE CAFÉ,…YUM!
The She Café is very
yummy,…we had some
delicious hot chocolate and
truffles. I love my chocolate!
9. SHE CAFÉ…
Here is a picture of my dessert. It was very good. My
brother liked his too!
10. PERFORMANCE AT THE OHOKA MARKET
On Friday we went to the Ohoka
Market to watch Emily dance and
Doug play the drums. They are
very talented. I wish I could dance
like her. They dance and play
drums to music that originated in
West Guinea, Africa. They lived
there for a while and learned the
dance and music.
At the market we ate crepes
(yum) and bought apples,
potatoes, carrots, mandarins.
Emily and Doug shop mostly at
Farmer’s Markets and only for
things they don’t grow in their
garden at home.
12. LYTTLETON STORE
We went to the Lyttleton store to buy some
dishwashing soap. It comes in buckets and you have
to bring your own jar to fill it up.
13. EARTHQUAKE IN CHRISTCHURCH (9/2010 - ?)
The earthquakes, and the subsequent aftershocks have
been really devastating to the town. There were empty
lots all over where buildings once stood.
14. LYTTLETON FARMER’S MARKET
We bought honey and yogurt at the Lyttleton market. New
Zealanders are really big on buying local goods. Banana’s are
not popular there because they don’t grow natively. New
Zealanders would be upset if you asked for a banana.
15. PICKING UP WOLFIE
Piglets Wolfie at his new home
On Saturday we went to a farm to pick up a new lamb! While we
were there we saw some really cute piglets (and some really, really,
really ugly pigs). Emily wanted to take home the piglets, but after seeing
the adult pigs she wasn’t so sure. We named the new lamb Wolfie. He’s
so cute! We bottle fed Chicken Little, but Wolfie was already
weaned,…so he just ate grass.
16. DRIVING THROUGH A CLOUD
On Sunday we took a road trip to Okain’sBay and Pigeon
Bay. While driving through the mountains we drove through a
cloud. It was very foggy; we couldn’t see anything!
17. OKAIN’S BAY
Okain’s Bay was really pretty. We picked up a lot of shells.
Unfortunately we forgot them all at Emily and Doug’s house.
18. HILL TOP RESTAURANT VIEW
We had lunch at the Hill Top Restaurant. It is owned by
Lena and Kai who are friends of Emily and Doug. They
have an adorable little pig named Ninja.
19. NINJA THE PIG…
Here’s Ninja! Emily tried to kiss him, and he bit her on the
nose.
21. SOAP STORE
There was a soap store there as well. The owner
makes all her own soap. It smelled so good in there!
22. EMILY AND DOUG’S LIFESTYLE
Emily and Doug live very simply. They grow most of their food in
the garden, gather eggs for breakfast, dry clothes on a line, use
all natural detergents and more. Emily spins her own wool and
then knits her own clothes. It was very neat living with them for a
week.
23. AMAZING MEMORIES!
I can’t wait to go back! I had
an amazing time in New
Zealand, had fun with Emily
and now have a friend for life!
Editor's Notes
Left house at 3:30 am on MondayArrived in Christchurch, New Zealand at 11:30 am on WednesdayFirst we explored the property (the farm) where Emily and Doug live. Emily our friend from Chicago who now lives in New Zealand.
Loudon Farm is a working farm with cows, sheep, and other animals. There are also some really cool sculptures all over the grounds.
On Thursday we rode up Mt. Herbert (a mountain on the South Island of New Zealand on All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs).
There was a shelter near the top of Mt. Herbert. Danny who took us to the top said that he spent the coldest night of his life in that shelter. It was really cold up there! We had to climb a fence to get to the shelter. There were steps on both sides of the fence.
At the summit! We made it! We hardly spent any time here because it was so cold. We just took two pictures and left.
On Thursday afternoon, we hiked along the bay and watched the tide roll in. It was pretty amazing.
The She Café is very yummy,…we had some delicious hot chocolate and truffles. I love my chocolate!
Here is a picture of my dessert. It was very good. My brother liked his too!
On Friday we went to the Ohoka Market to watch Emily dance and Doug play the drums. They are very talented. I wish I could dance like her. They dance and play drums to music that originated in West Guinea, Africa. They lived there for a while and learned the dance and music.At the market we ate crepes (yum) and bought apples, potatoes, carrots, mandarins. Emily and Doug shop mostly at Farmer’s Markets and only for things they don’t grow in their garden at home.
We went to the Lyttleton store to buy some dishwashing soap. It comes in buckets and you have to bring your own jar to fill it up.
The earthquakes, and the subsequent aftershocks have been really devastating to the town. There were empty lots all over where buildings once stood.
We bought honey and yogurt at the Lyttleton market. New Zealanders are really big on buying local goods. Banana’s are not popular there because they don’t grow natively. New Zealanders would be upset if you asked for a banana.
On Saturday we went to a farm to pick up a new lamb! While we were there we saw some really cute piglets (and some really, really, really ugly pigs). Emily wanted to take home the piglets, but after seeing the adult pigs she wasn’t so sure. We named the new lamb Wolfie. He’s so cute! We bottle fed Chicken Little, but Wolfie was already weaned,…so he just ate grass.
On Sunday we took a road trip to Okains Bay and Pigeon Bay. While driving through the mountains we drove through a cloud. It was very foggy; we couldn’t see anything!
Okain’s Bay was really pretty. We picked up a lot of shells. Unfortunately we forgot them all at Emily and Doug’s house.
We had lunch at the Hill Top Restaurant. It is owned by Lena and Kai who are friends of Emily and Doug. They have an adorable little pig named Ninja.
Here’s Ninja! Emily tried to kiss him, and he bit her on the nose.
Saturday afternoon we went to the bird sanctuary. We saw peacocks, cockatiels, myna, kiwis and more.
There was a soap store there as well. The owner makes all her own soap. It smelled so good in there!
Emily and Doug live very simply. They grow most of their food in the garden, gather eggs for breakfast, dry clothes on a line, use all natural detergents and more. Emily spins her own wool and then knits her own clothes. It was very neat living with them for a week.
I can’t wait to go back! I had an amazing time in New Zealand, had fun with Emily and now have a friend for life!
