Blogs from Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 3

The women painting the hoarding were wearing headscarves. Practical, maybe, keeping off the sun. But so too were the volunteers working in the Transitional “cardboard” Cathedral. And women in business suits out for their morning coffee. And women pushing prams and out with their friends. Scarves that would usually simply ‘accessorise’ an outfit were now draped over heads, regardless of the wearers’ ethnicity. One week on from a mass shooting that horrified the world, Christchurch was coming together again, as it had done in the aftermath of the seemingly never-ending spate of earthquakes in 2010 and 2011, the prime minister’s words, “We are one. They are us,” very much alive. This wasn’t some kind of ghoulish rubber-necking on my part, though I was painfully conscious of the potential accusation. Since planning my visa-driven long weekend away ... read more

We arrived in Christchurch at about 3.30am. Security in New Zealand is very strict about bringing food, especially fruit, because of certain diseases they can carry. You are therefore not allowed to enter the country with fruits. We had eaten bananas on the plane but, when we walked past the dog, he sniffed something in my bag. The border police checked my bag and it turned out the dog was smelling the banana bread (which I was allowed to have!) so they let us go. We took an Uber to our hostel, Kiwi Basecamp. After a quick shower, we got into the cramped and smelly room that was to be our dormitory. By that time, it was about 5am and we got some sleep (although not much) before going for a walk through the park and ... read more

(Cj writes) We drove from Kaikoura (sleepy, nature-tourist-oriented, fish and chip restaurants) to Christchurch (‘ChCh’) today through the ridiculously green and vertiginous hills and narrow valleys of South Island. ChCh suffered a devastating earthquake in 2011, from which it is still recovering. (How severe? apparently South Island is now 5 metres closer to North Island!). We knew this, yet we were still taken aback by the sheer number of empty lots in the city centre. Now grassed over, or used as car parking, they remain a stark reminder of the human impact of the quake: about 80% of city centre buildings have been or are due for demolition. Many more buildings - some venerable, some much more recent - are propped up to a greater or lesser extent. The newer ones in particular may be destined ... read more

Another cold and clear morning. The amount of frost around suggests we might of had a zero overnight. A local suggests that frost means a sunny clear day ahead. We only notice the extent of the frost when we hit the playground after breakfast. A delightful brecky at Caffeine Laboratory - occupying the corner on a row of heritage listed shops still beingh supported by scaffolding - reminds Jules of the old Continental Cafe on Brunswick St. The kids struggle to finish the one of the sweetest breakfasts I've ever seen and we head to the nearby playground to burn off some of the excessive sugar they've just ingested. It's the kid's second visit to the Margaret Mahy Family playground and the biggest playground in the southern hemisphere tops the list of Christchurch attractions on TripAdvisor ... read more

This was a very poignant part of the trip for me (Scott) as I'd visited Christchurch in 2003. However, the earthquakes in 2010 to 2012 have taken their toll on the city. 70% of all the buildings in the central business district had been impacted by the quake!! Incredible. So many old buildings are still awaiting renovation but there are very very many new building projects in progress or completed. The cost of this is quite staggering. 185 people killed in the quakes. Typical cost of a new building NZ$100,000,000 to NZ$200,000,000 Typical cost to renovate an old building NZ$300,000,000 The stories on video (in the Quake City Museum) of various people's experiences were very moving. They just reiterate to live your life in the now as it could all change very very quickly.... read more