Day 41 Christchurch

Day 41 Christchurch

We didn’t get going until 10am this morning, but still managed to get the feel of this very interesting city.  At first, it seemed quite sad – 70% of buildings in the CBD (Central Business District) were destroyed or demolished as a result of the earthquakes in 2010-11 and there are many vacant lots and still some buildings boarded up, awaiting their fate.  Several also still have the markings on them from the immediate search and rescue/recovery operation: “Cleared” and the number of injured/fatalities in a circle on the front – but the rebirth is underway….there are murals, sculptures and surprising pop-up cafes and entertainments throughout the city…and the symbol of a giraffe has been chosen (“Stand tall, Christchurch” is its message…) and hundreds - brightly painted or otherwise decorated by school children, artists, companies and organisations – have been placed around the city to bring a smile…..

We walked through the refurbished ‘New Regent Street’ with its colourful colonial – style buildings and the tramlines straight through it…and then through Restart – an areas of several blocks with shops, restaurants and cafes in colourful shipping containers.  Much of the city is very quiet….only visitors and those who serve them…but the Restart area was buzzing.  We visited the ‘Quake City’ exhibition that was disturbing at first…it felt voyeuristic as I’ve never been much for disaster tourism…but ended with innovative ideas that got the city through the aftermath and plans for a spectacular new city, safe from earthquakes and filled with green spaces and amazing cultural and leisure facilities.  We then visited the ‘cardboard cathedral’ and the 185 chairs of remembrance memorial art installation.

We bought our lunch from a shop in a Restart container and took it past the punts on the River Avon to the beautiful botanical gardens to eat.  Rob napped in the shade of a giant tree in Arthur’s Lawn near the mechanical fountain while I explored the beautiful rose garden and New Zealand biome section – that had winding paths similar to many of our lakeside walks.

We visited the Canterbury Museum that we had heard was not up to much….and were surprised that people had denigrated it! We spent well over an hour exploring the Antarctica exhibition (with the actual huts from the Hallett Research base of 1956 and a simulated skidoo ride), the Maori culture and natural history sections, the sections showing the early colonial settlement of the Canterbury plains – with reconstructed huts – and a ‘typical’ Christchurch street in 1900 with shops you could go in and a pennyfarthing bike to sit on.  There was also a very strange exhibition about a New Zealand couple who polished Paua shells and made shell crafts and then covered the walls of their house with them…they bequeathed their living room to the museum – and there it is….very odd indeed…..

We did a bit of shopping and then walked through Hagley Park along the river back towards our hotel.  We stopped for dinner in a small local restaurant and returned in time for an evening swim…except that the pool was full of kids – and would my swimsuit dry before packing to leave??? Hmmm, a coffee instead and a start on the packing….and I really do fancy an early night!

Day 40 New Year’s Day in Christchurch

Day 40 New Year’s Day in Christchurch

We breakfasted in our room and met up with the group for our last walk….One member cried off, saying she needed a full day’s shopping in Christchurch before heading  homeward, so Rob gave the speech thanking Nicole for making this such an excellent tour and gave her our group tip.  (Thank goodness Jenny had had the foresight to collect it yesterday!)

Nicole drove us a half an hour south of Christchurch into the Port Hills…where many of the houses and roads suffered earthquake damage as the cliffs collapsed or from liquefaction.  In places, there are lorry containers lining the road to protect it from further rock falls. We walked a 10+km section of the southern coastal walk from Taylor’s Mistake (A lovely little bay…Nicole didn’t know who Taylor was or what he ‘mistook’….) up to Taylor’s battery – gunpoints from WW2 – and the summit where we could look down into Lyttelton Harbour.  This is the only volcanic part of South Island….and it was reminiscent of the dark grey cliffs and beaches we saw first off near Auckland. There were quite a few other people on the path…clearly ‘tramping’ is something to do on a sunny New Year’s Day. It was a really nice walk….possibly one of my favourites of the trip….I think I’m more a seashore than mountains kind of girl……

We returned to Taylor’s Mistake Bay by a quite steep ‘goat track’ that was fun to go down - but would have been a nightmare going up - and had a swim in the Pacific surf….rather fresh, but not as cold as some of the other places we have swum….and watched the surfers and paddleboarders.  Beach activities are obviously another popular New Year’s Day plan….

We returned to the hotel in time to say Happy New Year with our best British accents and have a free afternoon before our last dinner together.  Rob and I just chilled….we have a full day exploring Christchurch tomorrow – when it isn’t a bank holiday…..

Nicole had booked us all a table at Strawberry Fare….another restaurant near the hotel – noted for its extensive and amazing desserts menu.  When we arrived they asked if we were there for a meal – or just dessert!  The main courses were delicious as well…..and we had a very jolly last evening together – before wending our separate ways.

Day 39 Mt Cook to Christchurch

Day 39 Mt Cook to Christchurch

It began raining heavily during the night and didn’t let up at all this morning…We had around 8cm in less than 8 hours…Also, dreadful news that 3 climbers on Mount Cook hadn’t been heard from in 2 days and the weather was too bad to send in mountain rescue…We were right at the foot of the mountain and couldn’t even see it.  Nicole said she was glad at least that we got to see more typical New Zealand weather…

Nicole made us a lovely breakfast in the beautiful common room of our lodge and we then went to explore the Department of Conservation museum and the Sir Edmund Hillary Centre….just a 3 minute walk with umbrella and waterproofs, but we still got soaked. We spent an hour looking at all the mountaineering history and wildlife exhibits and watched 2 films at the Hillary Centre: a 3D exploration of Mt Cook and a film about the mountain rescue team – particularly poignant today.  It was interesting to note that the rescuers are all volunteers…they take low-paid maintenance jobs in the national park for the opportunity to work with mountain rescue…It gave us a lot more respect for all the people we had seen gravelling the many hiking trails and tending the drop toilets…..

Once the bus was packed, we drove up to St John’s Observatory….a World Heritage Dark Sky site and Christchurch astronomical study facility.  It is reputedly the windiest place in New Zealand…and with the stormy rain, we were blown the last bit up the hill to the Earth and Sky café for hot chocolate….As we sipped our drinks, the sky miraculously cleared, revealing fantastic views over Lake Tekapo….There had been a wedding party just finishing some rainy and wind blown photos as we arrived….If only they had just waited 20 minutes….  Nicole was astounded; she said that usually that sort of rainstorm lasts all day.  By the time we had driven back down the hill and into St John township for lunch, it was a beautiful day and the colours of the lupins against the turquoise lake, purple mountains and brilliant blue sky provided the photo that will probably be the cover shot for our trip.

For the next 3 hours, we drove across Burke’s Pass and the Canterbury Plains to Christchurch.  We passed farmland and towns such as Fairlie and Geraldine that could have been somewhere in middle America….very flat, green and pleasant…quite different from the dramatic landscape we had left.

We arrived in Christchurch around 5:30, first travelling through the new shopping areas of Riccarton – not badly affected by the earthquakes and where most shops, restaurants and bars have set up as the damaged and unsafe buildings of the CBD are demolished and replaced – then around the enormous and lovely Hagley Parks, and finally around the CBD….vacant lots, boarded and crumbled buildings waiting for demolition and a few temporary street art exhibitions and pop-up cafes.  We are leaving our major exploration of the city for Friday…..so we were happy to check in to our Disneyesque Camelot motel, check out the pool and spa and then go out for a New Year’s Eve dinner at a restaurant down the road.  A bit of bubbly, a lovely meal….and we waved off those who were going to the party in the park.  We stayed up for the midnight fireworks….but decided to do the rest of our celebrating with the UK in 13 hours time….or the US 5 hours after that……