Christchurch, NZ

Jan 31 – we weren’t sure what we wanted to do today so we just took the shuttle into downtown Christchurch. We talked briefly with a local tour guide and saw an ad for a bike rental store….so we decided to check it out. We both got e-bikes and took off on a route recommended by the bike shop manager. While it was a great tour, we had to pedal up a very steep hill to get to the top of a mountain. Once we started climbing, it was a 3 mile ride uphill on a twisty mountain road. That 3 miles also included 1115 feet of elevation to the top. I was still fighting my cold so by the time got to the top, I was completely exhausted. But as the shop owner told us, once we got to the top, there was a great little coffee shop/cafe called the “Sign of the Kiwi” where we could relax and have a cold drink. Speaking for myself, I’m not sure the cafe was nice enough to make that climb worth it! Once we were rested, we headed back downhill towards a nice shopping area called “The Tannery”. This shopping district includes lots of owner operated specialty shops. They also had a great brew pub called Cassel Brewing Company where we enjoyed pizza and cold beers. This brewery is one of the few breweries in the world that uses glacial water to create award winning beers. Then we finished our ride back to town, returned the bikes, and walked to the downtown stores and monuments. The bike ride ended up being just over 18 miles. We walked back to the city centre, did a little shopping, got Gelatos, and caught the bus back to the ship. It was a great day.