Travels through Small Town New Zealand

I found this whilst travelling in British Columbia too, but you can totally gauge the culture differences between countries by having a look at their small towns.

Similarly to stumbling across the rather intimidating "Country and Western Capital of Canada", Merritt, in B.C., today I came across Omarama whilst on the Intercity bus from Queenstown to Christchurch. Across the road from the much more conventional cafe/store combo that I've found rather prevalent in N.Z. was the Totara Peak Gallery containing a variety of rather nifty antique jewellry pieces, costumes from Xena: Warrior Princess, Cleopatra and Hercules, and a cabinet of creepy-as-hell doll's faces. I'm not sure what else can be said on this one.

I think I sort of enjoyed the bus trip as opposed to another flight, because I did see a lot of the countryside that I otherwise wouldn't have, but it was over 8 hours, and the bus driver did feel the need to fill those hours with a whole raft of inane stories that made me want to clamber over the other passengers and rip his voice box out.

Having safely made it to Christchurch without having a criminal record or an arrest warrant issued, I'm sort of disappointed with the place. It's possible that I'm tired from travelling, and the fact that it's pissing with rain and my hostel's a bitova dump probably don't help. I'm off to Kaikoura for my whale-watching trip (must stop calling it whaling trip, else they won't let me on) tomorrow, and there until Sunday. So hopefully that'll brighten my spirits and maybe the weather, then I'll be much more open to appreciate a city that has taken a beating of late, and deserves a second chance.