Our first full day here was spent recovering from our travels, going to the grocery store to fill the fridge and cupboards, and soaking up some summer sun. We went out the back door and watched some cricket being played, and Pop-pop talked to some kiwis (the nickname for New Zealanders, not the bird). We walked around the Lincoln campus and visited the beautiful rose garden and went to the bank to get some of the funny New Zealand money. It comes in lots of different colors like blue, orange, pink and green - and it is made of plastic and has little clear plastic windows in it. Daddy really wanted to have a look at Memorial Hall, which is a beautiful old building on campus that is right next to the beautiful Lincoln University Library. Both of these buildings were built with the same materials and architecture, but the library had just finished an earthquake renovation the last time were visited in 2008. Well, it worked very well because in the big 7.1 earthquake which hit here on our Labor Day weekend last September, the Library sustained no damage, while Memorial Hall was hit quite hard. There are lots of cracks in it, and large concrete moldings and ornamental pieces have fallen off. It is quite sad, but is repairable as long as a major aftershock does not do more damage before repairs can be completed. The day concluded with the welcome dinner for Mommy's group. Pop-pop Neil, Sweet Kate and Uncle Errol were all in attendance. It was great to see them, and Mom-mom and Pop-pop were excited to finally get to meet Miranda's namesake (for her middle name). Unfortunately, Uncle Errol's wife Margaret was unable to attend because she had fallen UP the steps in their house that morning and dislocated her shoulder and broken her arm. We hope she gets better soon, and will be seeing her later in the trip.
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