Christchurch Part 2: The Sun and the Shops.

My next encounter with this city was the few hours walking around while I waited for my bus to leave. Luckily, it was hot and sunny, the market was in full swing, and so were the ice cream vendors.


There was a lovely park next to the river, where it seemed like half the city was camped out with their ice creams and books, so I joined them for a while.


There was one awesome shop I found, just a little boutique with a lot of handmade New Zealand things, jewellery, journals, home decor, etc.

And then I hopped on the bus, and wound through these lush, green valleys at sunset.

A stop for dinner in Kaikoura, a tiny town on the coast, known for it's awesome dolphin-spotting. I sat on the rocky beach with crackers and pumpkin-kumara hummus, and had a nice conversation with Joe, from Wales. Meeting people while traveling is different than any other circumstance, it seems like people are more honest and open, and you get to know their life story before you stop and ask "Wait, what's your name?".