Christchurch

I was glad to check out of our hotel after struggling with limited internet for two days. We were up early to fly to Christchurch from the great little Rotorua airport in an airplane that was just one week old and smelled like the inside of a new car.  A beautiful flight down. When we got to the South Island it looked like nothing but hills and mountains and the guy next to me said ‘where do you think your going to drive that car of yours?’  From the air it doesn’t even look like there are roads much less a town.  I think I'm ok with that, the Rockies look the same when you fly over them as well.

At any rate the whole area around Christchurch is farming. After we landed we went to a Bush Park, I would call it a forest. One of the few areas of natural bush left in the Christchurch area.  It was 50 acres and had a high electrical fence around it and a double gate like going into an elevator with two doors to get in and out  and to keep out predators. It is a hot day and it was cool and moist in the 
forest. 

We had lunch in a heritage mansion designed by Mrs. Dean one of the first women settlers in the area.  She was a laird’s daughter from Scotland who waited 9 years for her husband to marry her then he died two years after she arrived in NZ.  She stayed on for the sake of her boys and ran the farm very successfully on her own.  Her decendents left lots of money in trust to preserve the Bush Park, the house and gardens. Those early women settlers were a pretty amazing combination of British elegance and hard work.  

They brought in exotic trees to make them feel like home, now they are beautiful heritage trees

In the bush reserve are the natural giants

They put wire rods in the chimney pots to try and stop them from breaking in and earthquake but all they did was smash against the the edges and break them more than would happen otherwise

These Moose and Deer  heads were shot in Alberta in the 1890's. Small world

Christchurch is still rebuilding, and will be for a long time.  The big earth quakes happened in 2010-12011 but they have had 3,000 after shocks in the years since.  A geologist took us on a tour of the devastated parts of the city to see the areas that are blocked off, those that are rebuilding, and the places that have been demolished and will be left in a natural state.  It really has gutted the city and will change the way it functions for ever.  Many of the new buildings are  well done, including the cardboard cathedral that is supposed to be temporary but as they can’t come to agreement on whether to tear down or rebuilt the old Anglican one the new one will be around for a long time.   

In understated NZ fashion this is the memorial for the 185 killed.  Each chair is different and representative of the person who died.  

This is the Cardboard Cathedral designed for the Anglican Church using easily recyclable materials until a more permanent house of worship can be built

In the destruction lots of art has been created on walls and sculptures

Their Art gallery had just been opened before the earthquake and was reopened recently.  

After we checked in we went on a walking tour of the downtown area from our hotel. It is a combination of total NZ pluck and some depressingly derrilect buildings waiting to be demolished. We had another great dinner and stayed late visiting and sharing stories.

Some large and small gems are left and more precious for it

In the midst of downtown they rebuilt a mini mall Quake City using railway cars stacked on top of each other. They have also made the best use of public spaces with public meeting areas filled with sitting areas, tables, chess boards, truck food and ice cream carts. The hoarding is around.  There is a buskers festival on in an undamaged park close by.  

True grit.