Anne, Ed, and I have deployed as SPIDER’s first wave. Yesterday was our regularly-scheduled full day in Christchurch. This starts with a trip to the clothing distribution center (CDC) to get our extreme cold weather (ECW) clothing.
Afterwards, we wandered around and explored Christchurch. Starting at the botanical gardens, we got what might be out last dose of flora for a while. Then we went into town and had some great food and drinks. Along the way, we bumped into fellow Antarctic travellers. Christchurch was devastated by an earthquake in early 2011. While there is much still to do, repairs and new construction have progressed remarkably.

So many parkas
At the CDC, behind the scenes

Mmm, lamb
We share a large pile of lamb (and potatoes) for lunch, from across the street from the hotel

At the Botanical Gardens
Enjoying what might be out last day around plants

Ed is quizzical
Test photo after I suffer spontaneous camera damage. (Thankfully a UV filter was the only casualty)

Spring time!
In the southern hemisphere

Big red hippo butt
Hogging the bench

Wandering around the gardens

Ed poses

Anne poses

Cool flowers

More flowers
Apologies, but I need to enjoy plants while I can

Re:START container mall

Cathedral front

Colourful flags
There was a lot of colourful art around cathedral square. It feels like a combination of memorial and celebration for the future.

The Cathedral
For a stone structure, far more intact than I expected

Ed attemps decorative sheep tipping
And fails
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