Blogs from Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 14

Als ich auf halber Strecke zwischen Picton und Christchurch Hunger auf Frühstück bekomme, halte ich in einem kleinen Ort names Kaikoura an und setze mich an den Strand, genieße sowohl die Aussicht, als auch mein labriges Toast mit Marmite. Manch einer wird jetzt sagen: Buäääh, Marmite! Ich finde es ehrlich gesagt okay, jetzt nicht jeden Tag, aber man kann es durchaus essen. Für diejenigen, die nicht wissen, was Marmite ist: Stellt euch vor, ihr macht Gemüsebrühe cremig und schmiert sie aufs Brot. Das hört sich zugegebenermaßen nicht ganz so appetitlich an und ich vermute auch, dass ich mit einem Sprcuh wie diesem nicht für Marmite werbe, aber im Grunde genommen beschreibt das den Geschmack sehr ausführlich. Kaikoura ist herrlich, der Ozean zerschellt am felsigen Strand und im Hintergrund erheben sich die Gipfel der Kaikoura Seaward Mountain ... read more

We arrived in sunny Christchurch in the afternoon and checked into the YMCA hostel. We walked to the supermarket and there was still so much building work and roadworks going off even 3 years after the devastating earthquake hit. They reckon it will be another 20 years until Christchurch is fully completed which shows the type of damage an earthquake can have! Me and Freeman smashed a McDonalds whilst the girls bought supplies for dinner that evening. We rang our mate Pone who has lived in Christchurch for a year now helping with the construction works and he rocked up at our hostel pissed out his head and it was only about 6pm! Great first impression to the girls... The girls cooked dinner whilst us lads got a taxi to the liquor store to get the ... read more

It was a dark and foggy night flying out of Wellington late on the 20th. So much fog that we almost didn't make it into Christchurch! But my pilot friends would have appreciated the approach and landing the Air NZ pilots made in what looked to me like zero-zero conditions! Reminded me of Sacramento's thick tule fog that rolls in during the winter nights. I only had the one day in Christchurch, much was spent in the every helpful i Site (NZ Information Center) booking the rest of my trip. My procrastination really cost me this trip. My ultimate goal is Mt. Cook and I had booked accommodation in the YHA Backpackers Accommodation for the next night but not the actual travel to get there from Christchurch. When I went to book a bus, the only ... read more

February 3, 4, 2014 Dunedin to Christchurch Monday we drove up the coast from Dunedin to Christchurch for an overnight stay prior to returning to Aukland for our connections to The Cook Islands. This is another beautiful drive with too many land and seascapes. We made some interesting stops and small treks to see a small penguin colony, some sea lions and some other interesting rock formations. More sheep !! As mentioned in a previous entry, the size of the dairy business here is amazing and must be a big part of the exports from here as well as the woo; and lamb business. We get back that day we lost on our way to New Zealand, crossing the international dateline, as we travel to The Cook islands. We leave Aukland on the 5th and arrive ... read more

We flew into Christchurch yesterday over some amazing views of the mountains. It was like looking down on a set from The Lord of the Rings with snow capped peaks and huge lakes. Today we went on a great open topped bus tour of Christchurch with an excellent guide who was not only informative but had us in stitches all the way round. It is only when you are here that you can appreciate the extent of the devastation caused by the recent earthquakes. Over 1600 buildings were either destroyed by the quakes or have had to be demolished because they are unsafe or the ground is now unsafe for them. There are still 60 to 70 still to be demolished but amongst all this there is a hive of rebuilding. Indeed the city is like ... read more