P & C Tours Present...
By now, some of you may be forming an idea of where you may be taken if you ever come to visit us. Yes, on a fine sunny day, P & C Taxis will take you up to the 'Sign of the Kiwi' in the Port Hills, where you can slurp on an ice cream whilst enjoying the vistas of Christchurch and the distant Southern Alps. Yes, you will be taken out to sample and enjoy (YOU WILL ENJOY. I REPEAT. YOU WILL ENJOY) beers at 'The Twisted Hop' and 'Dux de Lux' microbreweries. And, yes, if you really must, you will visit the cathedral before going punting on the Avon. But where else could you expect to be taken?
Well, one such place that the Chappells (Chris, Tina, Jessica & Alex) were told was a 'must see' was the Antarctic Centre. So last Monday morning, after the postponement of a day's skiing, at Mt Hutt due to poor weather, we duly went along. Now, I have always been sceptical of this place, as I thought it was just a draughty, overpriced hangar containing stuffed penguins; fake snow and old, rusty crampons.
Yes! There were stuffed penguins and rusty pieces of metal on display, but overall I was pleasantly surprised by the exhibits and, more importantly, the Chappells seemed to enjoy it too. However, I do have to question my intellect when I consider the best bit to be the simulated Antarctic storm (otherwise known as standing in a fridge and having cold air blown towards your face). Apparently, the wind chill took the temperature down to -25 degrees so it was just as well we were provided with warm coats. I don't think my 'Element' hoody would have been sufficiently warm! Anyway, we all (kids and kidults) enjoyed the fridge as it had real snow, a snow hole shelter and an ice slide amongst other things.
Talking of real snow (nice link there, Pete), the next day we managed, after some quick thinking and alteration of plans to go skiing at Porter Heights. Originally, Plan A was to go to Mt Hutt, as it has more facilities for intermediates and has buses running there. Plan A consisted of me driving the Chappells up Mt Hutt with Chantal taking the bus and joining us there. However, an early morning call on the Snow Phone revealed that, due to high winds, Mt Hutt was closed again but that Porter Heights was open, although conditions were windy. Plan B was quickly formulated. This enabled the Chappells to sneak in a quick morning visit to the kiwi house in the Square, before another Snow Phone check suggested improving conditions at Porter Heights. Unfortunately, Chantal was unable to come, as there was a lack of room in the car so had to make do with working instead! (Not a bad thing as it means the money she earned can pay for me to go snowboarding again next week). Anyway, we eventually made it on to the slopes and all experienced varying amounts of success.
I was very impressed with Alex, considering he has only had two lessons, but Chris was not so satisfied with his backwards progress. Though, I must admit skiing with ‘clowns’ skis (the last pair left in the rental shop) must have made things difficult. I certainly enjoyed myself and I think everyone else did, particularly considering it was packed due to the school holidays and Mt Hutt being closed.
After seeing flyers depicting smiley people immersed in pools with snowy mountains in the backdrop, and after consulting the 'bible' for the definitive opinion, a place the Chappells wanted to tick off was Hanmer Springs. So last Wednesday, they were duly packed off in the 'honky mobile' to spend their last day wallowing in the thermal pools. Basically, Hanmer Springs is a commercial complex of geothermally heated outdoor pools and private indoor ones... Obviously, the indoor ones are ideal for families! I'm not quite sure what the attraction of slowly cooking oneself in whiffy pools, of ever increasing temperatures is but it certainly attracts the crowds.
On the final evening we were treated to a lovely meal (and an interesting beer flavoured with a hint of blueberries) at the 'Dux de Lux'. Not sure if Chris fully appreciated his veggie curry but future visitors will be taken there for sure! After the meal, we went home and had a little night-cap before retiring relatively early for the night. Well, somebody had booked the flights for 6am, and required the services of a driver, so a late night was out of the question!
We both really enjoyed having Chris, Tina, Jessica & Alex to stay and to take around and I'm sure they enjoyed themselves too. We look forward to receiving and entertaining more visitors, soon, but please consider your chauffeur when booking flight times!
Well, one such place that the Chappells (Chris, Tina, Jessica & Alex) were told was a 'must see' was the Antarctic Centre. So last Monday morning, after the postponement of a day's skiing, at Mt Hutt due to poor weather, we duly went along. Now, I have always been sceptical of this place, as I thought it was just a draughty, overpriced hangar containing stuffed penguins; fake snow and old, rusty crampons.
Yes! There were stuffed penguins and rusty pieces of metal on display, but overall I was pleasantly surprised by the exhibits and, more importantly, the Chappells seemed to enjoy it too. However, I do have to question my intellect when I consider the best bit to be the simulated Antarctic storm (otherwise known as standing in a fridge and having cold air blown towards your face). Apparently, the wind chill took the temperature down to -25 degrees so it was just as well we were provided with warm coats. I don't think my 'Element' hoody would have been sufficiently warm! Anyway, we all (kids and kidults) enjoyed the fridge as it had real snow, a snow hole shelter and an ice slide amongst other things.
Talking of real snow (nice link there, Pete), the next day we managed, after some quick thinking and alteration of plans to go skiing at Porter Heights. Originally, Plan A was to go to Mt Hutt, as it has more facilities for intermediates and has buses running there. Plan A consisted of me driving the Chappells up Mt Hutt with Chantal taking the bus and joining us there. However, an early morning call on the Snow Phone revealed that, due to high winds, Mt Hutt was closed again but that Porter Heights was open, although conditions were windy. Plan B was quickly formulated. This enabled the Chappells to sneak in a quick morning visit to the kiwi house in the Square, before another Snow Phone check suggested improving conditions at Porter Heights. Unfortunately, Chantal was unable to come, as there was a lack of room in the car so had to make do with working instead! (Not a bad thing as it means the money she earned can pay for me to go snowboarding again next week). Anyway, we eventually made it on to the slopes and all experienced varying amounts of success.
I was very impressed with Alex, considering he has only had two lessons, but Chris was not so satisfied with his backwards progress. Though, I must admit skiing with ‘clowns’ skis (the last pair left in the rental shop) must have made things difficult. I certainly enjoyed myself and I think everyone else did, particularly considering it was packed due to the school holidays and Mt Hutt being closed.After seeing flyers depicting smiley people immersed in pools with snowy mountains in the backdrop, and after consulting the 'bible' for the definitive opinion, a place the Chappells wanted to tick off was Hanmer Springs. So last Wednesday, they were duly packed off in the 'honky mobile' to spend their last day wallowing in the thermal pools. Basically, Hanmer Springs is a commercial complex of geothermally heated outdoor pools and private indoor ones... Obviously, the indoor ones are ideal for families! I'm not quite sure what the attraction of slowly cooking oneself in whiffy pools, of ever increasing temperatures is but it certainly attracts the crowds.
On the final evening we were treated to a lovely meal (and an interesting beer flavoured with a hint of blueberries) at the 'Dux de Lux'. Not sure if Chris fully appreciated his veggie curry but future visitors will be taken there for sure! After the meal, we went home and had a little night-cap before retiring relatively early for the night. Well, somebody had booked the flights for 6am, and required the services of a driver, so a late night was out of the question!
We both really enjoyed having Chris, Tina, Jessica & Alex to stay and to take around and I'm sure they enjoyed themselves too. We look forward to receiving and entertaining more visitors, soon, but please consider your chauffeur when booking flight times!posted by pandc at
13.7.06
1 Comments:
Interesting to read things from the hosts perspective. The veggie curry was very pleasant even without a bit of cow and the bluberry beer went down just fine. Your Chantel/ Jess photo is far less blurry can we have a copy pleeease?
By
Tina, at Thursday, July 27, 2006 8:39:00 pm
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