NZ Trip Day Nine - Port Hills

We first lived in Christchurch back in 1997, though our stay didn't last long, as the smog was too heavy for us in the winter, and it was a bit too much like England. Why travel 12,000 k's to live in a place exactly like we'd come from? Anyway, it was nice this morning to come back to the city with Jarvis and try and convert him and his mother from being Auckland Blue's fans, to Canterbury Crusader's.

Our first stop of course was Jade Stadium, home of the MIGHTY CRUSADER'S, the best Super 14 rugby team ever! Actually, the reason for the stop was to go into Champion Sports to buy Jarvis a new winter fleece, as he's outgrown his Kathmandu one. Of course, while back home we decided that we'd buy him an All-Black's fleece, so he can 'represent' back in Sydney.

The shop was great and the woman who served us, typical of all New Zealand retail people, being friendly, chatty, up for a laugh and very, very down to earth. She thought it was funny that our household was made up of one Crusader, two Blue's and one future Warattah's rugby fan. We explained that it made for some very fun viewing come Super 14 season.

From there we drove across town towards Lyttletown for a ride on the Gondola, that take you up top the top of the Port Hills and gives you a wonderful view out to sea and across the Canterbury Plains. Jarvis just loved the ride up and waved at all the people coming down in the other direction. He also reckoned he saw both Superman and Spiderman fly by!

Now Jarvis is having a wee sleep to recharge his batteries, as this afternoon will be full-on as all his cuzzies will be here. There's Riley, Grace, Luke, Kyle and Connor, so it's going to be crazy. But I have to say, that this trip home has made me realise the value of extended whanau, especially for Jarvis, as he gets to play with all his cuzzies, his aunts and uncles and his very special great grandparents Jack and Daphne, who are both just so special to us all.

House Dad.