Richter rumblings

Thursday 2nd March

Back in Auckland after two days of travel, tourist treats and trepidation.

St David's Day dawned cold and bright and after frying up a load of bacon for brekky and sarnies we left Arthur's Pass and our cozy cabin (there seems to be a lot of alliteration in this blog).  Yet another superb journey with a few stops - some more planned than others.  We stopped a couple of times to look at the enormous braided River Bealey and wondered what it must look like in spate.  We were then flagged down to a stop while a flock of sheep were herded up the main arterial road which these gigantic lorries with trailers were blazing up and down.  The sheep dog was obviously a learner as the sheep overshot the gate and there was a lot of whistling as the recalcitrant animals were pointed in the right direction. It was very ..... New Zealand.

We then stopped at the limestone caves (called Cave Stream). We did not make the one kilometre trip underground but lots of wet-suited, helmetted school children were about to.  Coffee was taken at a small café that was not one of the best; it was a long, long wait for very average coffee.  It was run by an English couple!!

We arrived in Christchurch at lunchtime and we ate our bacon and egg sandwiches by the River Avon in Hagley Park in the sunshine.  Christchurch is a garden city with many parks and tree lined avenues.  We found our motel,  just a 10 minute walk to the CBD which was ideal for exploring.  Off we strode and the devastating results of the 2011 earthquake were soon in evidence (just 10m away) and it continued to amaze and sadden us for the whole 24 hours of our stay.  We took a tram tour around the city centre which included an in-depth commentary and orientated us for further exploration.  Over 80% of the city centre buildings were significantly affected and have been (or are scheduled to be) pulled down or rebuilt.  The landscape is one of empty lots (some with just the foundations sticking out), new build and older buildings shored up with vast steel structures.  It was all very sad yet exciting to see the new growth - there are some very architecturally exciting buildings  There were cranes, builders and fitters everywhere and the noise of construction filled the air.  The historic tram ride lasted about an hour and it was quite an emotional trip.  There are so many things I could write about Christchurch but the main things that I am sure will stick in my mind are:
*.  The ruined cathedral
*.  The flowers in the plot where 115 were killed
*.  The 185 white chairs, each with a fresh red carnation, laid out on 185 square metres of turf to commemorate the total number of deaths
*.  The shops in containers: Re:Start Mall
*.  The number of buildings still to be knocked down or repaired

The whole scale of the rebuild is mind blowing but the construction work is being undertaken with great vigour, pride and belief.  Our friends visited Christchurch in 2012 and I cannot imagine what it must have been like just one year after the devastation.

We had booked tickets to watch 'Moonlight' at a small art house cinema with only 35 seats and done out in Egyptian style!  We enjoyed the film (7-8 ex 10 were our scores) and very glad we have seen it.  The hand held 360° shots made me feel quite queasy but the acting is strong with powerful themes.  We concluded the day with a lovely Italian meal and then headed for home.

There were strange forces at play during the night!  At 05:15 I felt the bed move and it also woke up OF1.  It was obvious ground movement that lasted perhaps 20-30 seconds.  Not very comforting. Then we were sitting in bed with a cup of tea watching the 8 am news when the room shook again, this was shorter but with a bit more sway.  I found a website and the 05:17 one measured 4.7 on the Richter Scale and the 08.01 was 5.2, both quite shallow.  There are a huge number of tremors and between 8am and 9am today there were seven with the first the largest, the remainder in the 2s and 3s on the logarithmic scale.  Although I was very taken with Christchurch, I could not live there with such stark daily reminders of tectonic activity.

This morning, after packing up,  we decided to go out for breakfast and opted for an al fresco number in the quaint Spanish mission style street where the trams rumble through.  It was a long breakfast - a two coffee one - and at ten o'clock we were suddenly engulfed with the florescent vests of the building trades having their morning break!  We spent the rest of the morning at the superb botanical gardens which were lovely to stroll through.  However, it was a little weird sitting in a most beautiful, fragrant rose garden on March 2nd in hot sunshine!

The Southern Island phase then ended.  We drove our trusty Toyota to the rental depot at the airport.  We loved our, now dirty white, car which drove beautifully for every one of the 2870 miles it has covered.  We then had a long wait for our plane (dropping the car, transfer and check in took minutes, rather than the hour and half we had allowed for) but we are now ensconced in the Holiday Inn near Auckland airport.  It is a case of déjà vu as we were here 5 and a half weeks ago.

Up before the dawn chorus begins tomorrow to catch our plane to the Cook Islands...... the last phase of our adventure.