I flew from Los Angeles to Christchurch via Auckland. The time difference is only 3 hours, and the flight was overnight and I got some sleep, so the jet lag shouldn't be too bad. The flights (Qantas) were on time, and quite comfortable - I had an exit row seat on the long flight. My Bike Friday, on which the trip depends, arrived safely in its suitcase. You have to declare bikes on the entry form - they do not want seeds of non-native plants or maybe plant diseases imported on the mud, I suppose, but after I told them mine was a road bike not a mountain bike, they didn't ask to inspect it. I had just put new tires on, and cleaned it, so it should have passed anyway. I used a city bus to get from the airport, since the bus stop is only a block from the hotel. They jack the price up from NZ$2 to NZ$7 for the airport stop, but it is cheaper than the shuttles or a taxi, and I like to support public transportation.
I'm staying at the Windsor Bed and Breakfast Hotel. This is quite large, indeed more like a mini-hotel than a B&B. It has the feel of a English guest house, with stately high ceiling rooms, a comfortable lounge, and tea and biscuits always available. The other guests seem to be mainly from England too. A modern touch is free WiFi internet, which is nice. The staff is exceedingly helpful and friendly. They are happy to hold the suitcase for my Bike Friday until I return in a month. The hotel is on a rather busy street, and the tourist tram stops just outside and clangs its bell, but the walls seem reasonably thick and the noise isn't bad.
I put together my Bike Friday, and took it for a short ride to test it out - everything seems to be working fine. I'm impressed at how well the packing and unpacking always goes, without any finicky adjustments being needed. I went to the AA office and picked up some road maps using my US AAA card - yes, that works. I have the planned route loaded on my GPS, but it's good to have paper maps too. The AA maps are a good scale, and light, and will do very well.
The hotel is very near the city center and the attractions (cathedral, botanical gardens, art gallery etc.). It was raining when the plane landed, and although the rain soon stopped it is still cold and windy, so I didn't do too much exploring the city. I wandered over to the central square and the cathedral, and scouted out places for dinner later, but soon ended up back in the warm at the hotel, planning the route for the next day and using the WiFi and Skype on my Itouch to sort out some work problems back home before setting out into parts that will probably have harder to find internet access.
I had an Indian vegetarian thali dinner, and went to bed quite early.