Christchurch and Akaroa

The rain followed us to Christchurch but thankfully the next day was bright and sunny and so was the rest of the holiday.  The first day we decided to walk the red zone.  For anyone reading this and doesn't know, this is the Christchurch CBD affected severely by the earthquake in February 2011 which killed 185 people.  I haven't returned to this wonderful city since the earthquake and we wandered around looking at the buildings I used to cycle past every day.  One building I worked in was being de-constructed, the other was a pile of demolished rubble.  Very sad, and all those walking the 'wall' found it a sombre experience.  Our walk around the  temporary metal wall took us to the container shopping centre, it was buzzing with people mainly have coffee and food in the sunshine. We drove past the houses along the Avon River all in various stages of disrepair, or empty over grown sections and over to Sumner where the containers lined the street to stop rocks falling on the road.  There was always a heart in Christchurch and it is still there today.  Many of the streets are tree lined and the locals take so much pride in their gardens.  The garden city of NZ.  Our walk around the Botanical Gardens reminded me of what a special place this was (besides that the hydrangeas were a picture and they are my favourite flower) and Hagley Park next door where I used to cycle amongst the daffodils and trees.  We also took a trip over the Port Hills into Lyttelton and enjoyed a gentle walk around a bay.

The next day the birthday girl decided she wanted to go to Akaroa.  Sharn came with us. We had a look around her new home and then drove over there - past wild life reserves and over the hills.  Most of the day was spent sitting in the sun drinking tea, eating food and ice creams and wandering around the village - looking at quaint houses that had been built in the 1840's.

At the end of one of the streets, sitting high on the hill is The Giants House.  The artist Josie someone began her creativity through gardening.  She found a few broken bits of china thrown there by previous residents and 'bingo' this is what she came up with. We almost didn't go in cos it was a tad pricey but the french music playing was enticing and it was worth it. The house was the first bank managers house in Akaroa and was built  in 1880 using local totara and kauri trees. In the evening we sat in the Botanic Gardens and ate Wisconsin Burgers.

December 2011.