New Zealand
Bryndwr

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    • Day 315

      Christchurch

      February 22, 2023 in New Zealand

      Bei Brett und Rachel konnten wir heute Morgen sogar noch Wäsche waschen und Brett hat uns ein wenig die Stadt gezeigt.
      Zuerst waren wir in der Red Zone, das ist das Gebiet, wo alle Häuser abgerissen wurden und nun eine Art Park entsteht, da der Untergrund bei Erbeben sehr instabil ist und er als Baugrund für ungeeignet erklärt wurde. Es sieht aber echt komisch aus, da die Straßen, Stromleitungen und Straßenlaternen noch dort stehen und auch die Bäume ganz unnatürlich wachsen, da es ja alles mal Gärten waren.
      Danach sind wir auf den Mount Vernon gefahren. Aufgrund des schlechten Wetters war die Sicht allerdings nicht so toll. Auf der anderen Seite sind wir dann durch Lyttelton, eine kleine Hafenstadt, und durch den Tunnel wieder zurück nach Christchurch gefahren. Brett hat und vieles erklärt und es war echt cool mal länger mit einem Einheimischen zu reden.

      Danach ist Brett zur Arbeit und wir durften noch Wäsche waschen und haben etwas entspannt und die nächsten Tage geplant.

      Nachmittags sind wir dann ins Zentrum von Christchurch gefahren, wo wir shoppen waren. Später waren wir noch im Supermarkt, wo Lili und Jannek von der Größe ganz überrascht waren. Da hab ich erst gemerkt, wie sehr ich mich schon an die amerikanische Kultur hier gewöhnt habe. Insgesamt ist Neuseeland ein merkwürdiger Mix aus den USA und Europa finde ich bisher.

      Abends sind wir in Timaru angekommen, wo wir auf dem Freedom Campsite gekocht haben. Dann gab es noch einen Podcast zum Einschlafen.
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    • Day 42

      Abschied von meiner Großfamilie

      April 8, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

      Nach Wanaka war ich noch einige Tage bei Traudel in Christchurch. Am Karfreitag war ich bouldern und habe gaanz viele Postkarten geschrieben. Samstags verabschiedete ich mich dann von Traudel und Eileen um direkt hoch nach Auckland zu fliegen. Eigentlich hatte ich geplant mit Rimu den Travers Sabine Circuit bei den Nelson Lakes zu gehen. Weil das zeitlich aber nicht ganz reingepasst hat und auch das Wetter nicht das beste ist haben wir das doch abgesagt und so habe ich mich entschieden direkt hochzufliegen um die neuseeländischen Schulferien bei meiner Gastfamilie zu verbringen.Read more

    • Day 20

      Christchurch Airbnb

      February 13, 2020 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

      This was the most wonderful find. A sweet, private sleep out with tons of space, tons of light and windows and a beautiful backyard and spa. John and Marianne were exceedingly kind and welcoming and let ourselves get reoriented and repacked and rid ourselves of tons of recycling. We ordered in food, and spent most of our time in Christchurch doing logistical things like mailing postcards, tuning up the van, repacking, purchasing mileage etc. Florence was exhausted and spent a lot of time lying down or watching Dora the Explorer. After she went to sleep Jason and I had the chance to hang out in the hot tub having our last NZ beers and chatting about the trip.Read more

    • Day 275

      Christchurch

      February 23, 2019 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

      We returned the camper to Britz this afternoon and are back with Gina, Paul and Ellie. We aim to acquaint ourselves with the city and its surrounds in the next few days. The Cliffords' drinks fridge was packed full of NZ Sauvignon (they call it sav here) and beers, so we are clearly in for some fun times!!!! Our first afternoon/evening was spent in the garden enjoying some of the contents of the fridge!!!! It all turned quite silly when Paul played ABBA music and there was lots of singing along and dancing!!!! Shocking!!!!
      On Sunday we had a lazy morning then P and G took us for a motor tour of the city and its environs. There remains much rebuilding work to do but a very modern city is emerging.
      We had a walk along Sumner Beach to cafe then back to pick up Ellie who had been on a surfing weekend.
      On Monday we walked into the city (in some rain) and enrolled on the 2.5 hour walking tour. Our guide was Ellen (pronounced Illun) who highlighted some things in the museum then took us off round the city - telling us where things used to be and how the city is to be redeveloped. It was an interesting tour. The cathedral sustained major damage and the great and the good have not yet managed to agree how to fix it so it stands in the centre of the city pretty much in the state it was in after the last major quake. Apparently they asked the locals to choose how they wanted it fixed and have ignored the result - chosing an option instead that the locals rejected. We were taken to the new cardboard cathedral, so called because many of the main supports have been clad with very thick and strong tubes of cardboard. Apparently it should last 90 years, by which time they are hopeful that the original badly damaged cathedral will have been rebuilt!!!! Behind the cardboard cathedral there is an outdoor exhibition comprising 185 chairs to represent the people killed in the earthquake. Included in the 185 was a white baby seat (apparently a small baby was one of the victims) and a wheelchair. As it had just been the 8 year anniversary of the event each of the chairs had a red flower attached to it. Next to the exhibition was a list of the 185 victims!! SOO moving. During the rest of the tour we saw many buildings that have been rebuilt since 2011, all very smart and many with tasteful artwork adorning the sides.
      By the end of the tour the sun was shining.
      Tuesday saw us borrow Gina's car and we took off to the Banks Peninsular, an area where two ancient volcanoes provide an interesting landscape. Its main town is Akaroa the place where the French first landed on the Island. A very nice spot bathed in sunshine. The drive to it was spectacular via the Summit Road which hugs the top of the Volcano rim giving great views either side into the valleys and sea inlets. We had lunch in the sunbathed gardens of a small restaurant. Karen enjoyed green lipped mussels cooked in cider, onion and Crete France sauce- the best ever!!!!
      On our last full day in Christchurch we walked back into the city to see some exhibitions. The Antarctic exploration section in the Museum was interesting. The art galley had a mix of ancient and modern. We visited the Quake exhibition which was very interesting and moving, particularly watching a video listening to people who experienced the event. All had horrific stories to tell. We then took in Botanical Gardens and Hagley Park prior to our return to base. The photos in the Quake exhibition showed the devastation caused by the second quake of May 22nd 2011 and we could see that approximately 80% of the city centre has needed to be demolished.
      In the evening we all went to Costas Taverna for a meal which was delicious. Such a choice of cocktails - it was hard to decide what to have.
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    • Day 252

      Christchurch

      January 31, 2019 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

      We arrived in New Zealand after a pleasant flight with NZ airlines. Even though our flight was early morning we were offered wine - Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Karen felt compelled to have a glass, and it was wonderful.
      Gina picked us up from the airport, and we have spent two great days in Christchurch. Gina and Paul as hospitable as ever. So lovely to catch up properly with all their news. A lot of eating, drinking and chatting took place.
      We had a quick look around the city, which is still recovering from the earthquakes of 2010 and 2011 - a lot of reconstruction work and demolitions still to do.
      The city is lovely, and we will explore more on our return. We saw a great deal of it as we walked back from the centre to see off Manny and Elaine who had also been visiting and were off to San Francisco
      We enjoyed a great bbq on our arrival and went to the working men's club for a meal on the Friday evening. Nothing like a club in England, but very upmarket and extremely busy. Good food all round. Unfortunately Ellie missed out on the meat draw and the big cash prizes went to others, still there is always next week.
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