![Click to enlarge](img/th_4762.jpg) | Boarding of the 747 commences at LAX. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4763.jpg) | Getting ready to depart LAX. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4764.jpg) | Meal choices on the flight. I went with the penne for dinner, and the frittata for breakfast. Tasty. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4766.jpg) | Possibly the boringest flight imaginable: 12 hours over the featureless Pacific Ocean. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4767.jpg) | Night from the back of the 747. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4768.jpg) | I get screwed out of having Friday... that always seems to happen. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4770.jpg) | Over the Pacific at dawn. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4771.jpg) | Our first glimpse of land since leaving the USA. |
![Click to play](img/th_4772.jpg) | Flying onto North Island. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4773.jpg) | Landed in Aukland. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4774.jpg) | Final statistics for the flight. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4775.jpg) | Taking off from Aukland bound for Christchurch. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4776.jpg) | The Egmont Volcano (Mt. Taranaki) pokes above the cloud cover. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4777.jpg) | The northern tip of South Island, enshrouded in cloud. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4779.jpg) | A view of South Island. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4780.jpg) | The peaks of the Southern Alps. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4782.jpg) | The peaks of the Southern Alps. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4783.jpg) | The peaks of the Southern Alps. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4784.jpg) | Christchurch in the distance. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4785.jpg) | Sheepies in a field near Christchurch. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4786.jpg) | Marco and Marie wait for the meet-and-greet in Christchurch Airport. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4787.jpg) | Mark waiting in Christchurch Airport. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4788.jpg) | Many other Antarctic Programme participants. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4789.jpg) | In a shuttle van heading out from the airport. Note that I'm sitting in the passenger's seat, on the left hand side of the vehicle. If I squinted, I could pretend I was driving the car using my mind alone. |
![Click to play](img/th_4790.jpg) | Train! |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4791.jpg) | My room at the Grange B and B. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4792.jpg) | The Canterbury Provincial Council Buildings, next to the River Avon. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4793.jpg) | Christ Church in Christchurch. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4794.jpg) | Big chess. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4795.jpg) | Koi in the River Avon. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4796.jpg) | Christ Church from the side. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4797.jpg) | Looking across Cathedral Square at the cathedral. Unfortunately the Wizard of New Zealand has apparently retired, and no longer orates in the Square. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4798.jpg) | The Chalice in Cathedral Square. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4799.jpg) | The base of the Chalice. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4801.jpg) | A large beech tree in the Botanical Gardens. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4804.jpg) | A tall monkey puzzle tree. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4805.jpg) | The Peacock Fountain. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4806.jpg) | Happy Happy. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4807.jpg) | Happy Happy. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4808.jpg) | Ducklings on the bank of the river. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4809.jpg) | Marie checks out some birds hiding under the rhododendrons. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4810.jpg) | A World Peace Bell recently erected in the city. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4811.jpg) | The path to the greenhouses. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4812.jpg) | The sun dial is surprisingly accurate. It's reading approximately 2:24, which is right, considering day light savings time. Added:Gaelen made me realise that I might point out that this sun dial, like all in the southern hemisphere increase anticlockwise, unlike those in the northern hemisphere. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4813.jpg) | Important Notice at the entrance to the greenhouses. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4814.jpg) | Inscriptions at the entrance to the greenhouses. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4816.jpg) | It's a jungle in here. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4817.jpg) | This one's the flower greenhouse. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4818.jpg) | There was a mind bogglingly large number of Solanceae in the flower greenhouse. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4819.jpg) | Here's the cactus greenhouse. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4820.jpg) | And, as far as I can tell, this is the "weird plant" greenhouse. A couple of the weird plants appear to be growing out of the concrete wall. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4821.jpg) | Looking down into the jungle. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4822.jpg) | A helpful sign in the Gardens. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4823.jpg) | An impressive pillar-like lawson cedar. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4825.jpg) | A really bold bird. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4828.jpg) | Two really bold birds. They're acting defensive. We weren't sure whether they were worried about us or each other. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4831.jpg) | The Bridge of Remembrance over the Avon. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4832.jpg) | Another view of the Canterbury Provincial Council Buildings. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4833.jpg) | My plug adapter. It converts a New Zealand socket (a "sad" face) into a North American/Japanese ("surprised" face) or British ("sleeping" face) socket. |