Feb 12th-13th Wellington & Christchurch, NZ

NZ  continues to impress. Te Papa, the National Museum of New Zealand was a great interactive experience for kids as well as adults who love hands-on learning. The "Storm Coast" running south of the Wellington city limits is spotted with steep hills with grazing sheep and goats. The harbor all along is graced with beautiful beaches. We were surprised to find housing quite expensive, considering that salaries are a bit depressed and the recession has been felt. NZ loses 7,000 people a week to emigration...mostly to Australia, whose wages are higher. The government here is putting in place new tax incentives and credits for employers to stem this population drain.

 Christchurch and its little neighbor Lyttelton where we docked, were charming. The gardens and parks in Christchurch were indescribably enjoyable. There's no grafitti, no rubbish lying around. Everyone seems like minded in maintaining the beauty. There was evidence here and there from the 7.1 earthquake last September...but as you can surmise, the intelligent design of the area prevented any loss of life....or really, quality of life.