It was my last day in Christchurch today, and my Great Aunty Margaret and Great Uncle Rob decided they'd take me to the Antarctic Centre as a treat. I think they also wanted to spend some time with me before I left too so they kindly paid for me which was really nice!
I didn't have too much stuff to pack as I was pretty much living out of a suitcase during the whole week. While we were waiting around before leaving, Great Uncle Rob was just telling me about their canary and other things.
We finally got going and even though the Antarctic Centre was near the airport on the other side of the city, as Great Uncle Rob told me, nothing's far away in Christchurch!
The Antarctic Centre was pretty interesting. There were displays on the wall and models of the Antarctic land. Once we paid and went in, we had to rush past a few displays as we were told the penguin feeding was about to begin. I wasn't able to see much since everyone had gathered in front of the window, but I did manage to get a glimpse of some penguins!
After it was over, my great aunt and uncle and I went downstairs to see the penguin tank from below water level, and we could see some penguins swimming!
We went back to the beginning to check out some of the displays we had missed. There was a room where people could go in and experience an Antarctic storm. I didn't think my great aunt and uncle would be up for it, but surprisingly they were! We all went in and took a few photos before the wind started to pick and up freeze us!
Once that was over, we carried on, checking out some stuffed animals, watching a movie on a giant screen about Antarctica, and ending in the gift shop. While my great aunt and uncle went to the toilet, I managed to get a photo with the wolf and penguin mascots of the Antarctic Centre! They also asked if I wanted to buy the photo of me with my great aunt and uncle that got taken at the beginning. I ended up buying it!
We were meant to meet Great Aunty Margaret and Great Uncle Rob's daughter Alison and her family for lunch at 12, so we left a bit early to get there on time. They didn't live too far away though, so that was good!
We arrived at their house early though, but luckily they got home from church not too soon after. After I introduced myself to Aunty Alison and her husband, daughter and her daughter's boyfriend, we all had lunch. I have to say it was quite European! I haven't experienced something like that in a while! We held hands as Aunty Alison prayed before we ate. We then got a choice between tomato and chicken soup, and had some bread and muffins that we could eat. It was quite nice to experience something different!
My flight was leaving at 2.50pm, so I had to get to the airport by 2.20pm. Originally my Aunty Sally was going to take me there, but there was a change of plans and instead Aunty Alison would be taking me instead.
When we got to the airport I checked to make sure I had a seat on the plane, which I did. I didn't get much time before I had to board the flight! I gave a hug to my aunty and said goodbye to my aunty and uncle before I had to go off and catch my flight.
Once again I had to leave good weather for terrible weather. We had to keep our seatbelts on throughout the whole flight because of turbulence. I got a bit freaked out by some mechanical sounds during the flight, but by the end of the flight I realised it was just from the plane wing flaps moving up and down!
I was relieved to be on the ground when we landed, and had to wait a little while at the airport before my parents came to pick me up. They had been over at The Warehouse shopping while waiting for me to arrive.
And that marked the end of my one week experience in Christchurch. It was good to get out of Auckland for once and check out the hospitals down there, meet my relatives for the first time, and check out the sights with an old friend. However I think it was just the right time for me to come home!
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