Our first days living in Karina & Luke's house

We slept well and were fit to get up and go. Karina had taken today (Friday 19/1) off and took us to Christchurch centre. There is still a lot of devastation following the earthquake of February 2011, but it is much improved since our 2013 visit. There are fewer ruins, less noise, less dust and a lot of new buildings, roads etc. The city which had felt sad in 2013 now felt full of hope and positivity. We explored the centre using the old trams, complete with drivers giving a guided tour which is a brilliant way to get around. Lunch in Casa Publica, a Cuban restaurant, and then a good walk around, including a visit to the Cardboard Cathedral which is an impressive temporary replacement for the ruined Anglican Christchurch Cathedral. This evening we wandered down the Esplanade to the Sumner Beach restaurant and had a delicious meal together and time for a real catch-up. Jim was even able to watch a bit of cricket on the TV in the bar, teaching Luke the rules and peculiarities of the game (Eng beat Oz to go 2-0 up in the ODI series).

Saturday 20/1
We drove to New Brighton with it's long, sandy beach and concrete pier. We walked through the very small market area and bought some farm fresh organic veggies. Being a beautiful day, there were lots of families setting up or paddling in the shallow water. There was a kite festival on the beach that afternoon, so people were flying amazing kites in the steady breeze. Some were so enormous we were amazed that they even stayed up.Sun awareness is very obvious and most people cover up - very few older people put on swimming costumes or sit in the sun. We met a very nice young couple whilst paddling along, so Karina took their numbers - you can never have too many friends in a new place! With no shade on the beach we had our picnic in the shade adjacent to a golf course so watched a few groups of

golfers approaching the green.
Back to Christchurch for our booked punting on the river Avon based in Cambridge Terrace with boat sheds dating back to 1860. We were in the capable hands of Pim who gave us a talk about what we were passing as we approached the Botanical gardens. We had an early supper in the Old Curator's House and then on to a show which was part of the Christchurch festival. Named "A Night at the Musicals" and starring Le Gateau Chocolat and Johnny Woo this was an entertaining hour of humour and naughtiness by the 2 "ladies" who had surprisingly good voices.

Sunday, 21st January
Today we had an early ticket for the International Antarctic Centre where we spent nearly 4 hours. A fascinating exhibition and very well done. We rode in a Hagglund across an assault course replicating the rough, icy conditions of the Antarctic. Quite a hairy and bumpy 20 minutes later we emerged shaked and a tiny bit nauseous. Wearing extra coats provided, we went into a simulated snow storm where temperatures dipped to -18. Jim went blue and left the area, but even the rest of us struggled and some sought shelter in the igloo. We went outside to meet the huskies, but really it was to warm up in the sunshine. With plenty more to see and 4D films to watch we emerged far more knowledgeable about the Antarctic.

Monday, 22nd January
It's back to work for Karina and Luke so we catch the Purple Bus into the centre of Christchurch where we visit the Quake Museum. To see the photos/films and hear the eye witness accounts of the earthquake of 22nd February 2011 was quite shocking and, at the same time, very moving. One of the most intriguing facts about the earthquake is "liquification" of the ground where water mixed with soil creating a quicksand effect and causing houses and roads to collapse. Much in evidence as we drive around the area are the "red zones" - areas which can no longer be built on, but where you can clearly see where houses once were mainly by the trees and plants which marked out their gardens and plots. This has created huge swathes of green spaces which will never be built on again.
A light lunch outside but under a parasol where we could watch the many young families arrive for a children's show, which was part of the festival/buskers week. Then we went into the national museum and saw (amongst other things) the 50 National Geographic Greatest Photos

exhibition. Amazing! It was so interesting to read the stories behind each photo from the photographer's perspective. A walk back through the Botanical Gardens reminds us that we must come for a proper visit when we are back in this area in a couple of weeks time. 30 minutes home on the Purple Bus, and we feel we are getting to know the route.


Tuesday 23rd January 2018
We spent most of today in Sumner - Tricia entertained herself doing 4 loads of washing in Karina's top loader machine which has a mind of it's own. Jim used Luke's bike and went shopping in sleepy Sumner where the shops

don't open when they say they will, so the coffee shops do more business while you wait.
All packed up for the next phase (so little luggage compared to our arrival) we again took the purple bus into Christchurch. This journey was slower due to a couple of Chinese teenagers not knowing where they were going and not speaking English. So many passengers got involved with maps and mobile phones. The youngsters were ushered off in a very random place, but seemed happy and we were all thoroughly entertained.
We met Karina and Luke in a type of Hawkers food court but it was like an overgrown pub at the same time, with various stalls selling all types of delicious food - we mostly had Thai, but Karina had a veggie burger. It was bursting at the seams both inside and out (very hot) with every chair vacated being snapped up straight away. K&L drove us to our hotel, the Juicy Snooze, which is lime green and purple, made up of double rooms or larger rooms with 6 pods and a hang-out area with kitchen, lounge, hammocks etc. We felt quite old! It was clean and comfy and very handy for the airport. Being so early (4.20am) there were no shuttle buses so we walked the half mile to the terminus getting soaked on the way by the irrigation systems that we simply couldn't get away from.