About the Cover Shot

The photo that I am using on the title page for the blog was taken from the front seat of the bus during the tour of Christchurch on day 1. The picture is looking out onto the inlet to Lyttleton Harbor from the Port Hills. Christchurch has no direct access to the ocean, even though they are located right on the pacific coast. The problem was that the waters were too shallow for ships to make it to shore because the city is located at the edge of an alluvial plain. At the south side of the city is a volcanic feature called Banks Peninsula. In and around the peninsula their are deep inlets in which ships could navigate, but the land is very rugged and would make transport of goods to the city nearly impossible. Lyttleton Harbor was the closest that they could get, but the Port Hills (so named because the surrounded the sea port) were still very rugged so they dug a tunnel through them to the city. This tunnel has been modernized and now a steady stream of truck traffic runs back and forth from Lyttleton Harbor to Christchurch through the tunnel.

A note on how YouDee (that's the University of Delaware Mascot) ended up in the picture. After nine years, coming to New Zealand now is as much about seeing friends as it is about seeing things. A lot of our kiwi friends tell us that we have seen and done more in their country than they have in a lifetime! My point is, that even if we don't see and do something new, we are always happy to come because this really is like a second home to us and we have lifelong friends to visit with. Since our last visit, one of our great friends - Robin Kelso - sold his bus company and went into retirement. We had used Robin's company for every trip and had become great friends with him - he often drove us himself when we would go on long overnight trips, and he was always driving the bus that picked up the group at the airport and the one that dropped them off. Robin and his wife Maureen came to visit us in the states the summer before last, they are two of the four kiwis who had already met Aidan prior to our arrival here. Susan had talked about how different it was going to be on this trip to not see Robin all of the time. We still booked everything with Travlon coaches, but we don't really know the new owner at all. She said it was going to be kind of sad. Well, to her great surprise - when they disembarked from the plane in Christchurch - there stood a beaming Robin - in his old uniform, holding a big sign that said University of Delaware! He came out of retirement, squeezed into his old uniform, and drove a bus for the new owner just to make our welcome the same as it had always been. He has been driving the bus for several of our excursions since we have been here too, and it is not because he needs the money I assure you. YouDee was a gift to Robin from the students of one of our previous trips, and he not only kept that silly little stuffed animal, but thought of it when it came time to surprise our group at the airport. Robin's wife and another dear friend, Kate Gow were also at the airport to meet the group.