Exploring Christchurch

We woke up to gray skies this morning.  Gayle needed to rest her back today.  So after having soft-boiled eggs and soldiers in the hotel cafe, I headed out to see what I could find.  Christchurch seems colorful and by that I mean that there are murals and street art everywhere.

I passed the Christchurch Cathedral, which was damaged heavily in the earthquake of 2011. It is an historic building in Christchurch, completed in 1904.  It survived many earthquakes but the one in 2011 severely damaged it.  A transitional cathedral was created out of cardboard and the congregation is worshipping there until the repairs can be made on their original structure.  I hope that Gayle and I can visit the Cardboard Cathedral tomorrow.

As I traveled through the city I saw so much scaffolding and this broken staircase leading to nowhere.

Christchurch is an absolutely beautiful city.  The architecture is unique.  This is their convention center.

I crossed the Avon River.

I found myself walking along streets blocked off for cars.  I asked a woman walking by, who had two medals around her neck, what was happening today.  She told me there was a marathon and a half-marathon happening.  

My first stop of the day was Quake City.  It is a special exhibition to tell the story of the earthquakes that have plagued this area, especially the one in 2011 that caused so much damage and took so many lives.  The place is filled with photos of the devastation.

There was a video from a street camera that captured the moment the earthquake hit.  There were videos of interviews with people who lost loved ones or worked as rescue workers.  I learned about liquefaction. When air is pumped through sand it causes the particles to separate.  Solid grand becomes liquid.  There were amazing photos of homes and trees sunk half deep into the ground.  I was moved by the descriptions of how the people of New Zealand and other countries worked together to help with the rescue.  I was glad to see that the United States participated in the rescue and recovery.  The resilience of the people of Christchurch was evident in the exhibition.

I didn’t hang around too long at Quake City because I had purchased a timed ticket for the International Antarctic Centre.  But when I pulled up my Uber app I realized I was standing in the middle of the marathon route and I would need to hoof it to a street that was open to cars.  It reminded me of the time Gayle were in Capetown, South Africa.  We had scheduled a tour and our guide couldn’t get to us because of a marathon running in front of our hotel.  Seriously, how often does a city host a marathon?  How do I manage to be there when they do?

Christchurch is one of five cities that is a gateway to Antarctica.  The Centre is located on the site of the International Antarctic Progamme, which is located on the Christchurch airport campus.  Several countries have bases on Antarctica to further scientific research.  New Zealand has Scott Base.  The center I visited provides a fun, educational experience to help people understand what life is like there; what animals live there; and what they are learning there.  It is Sunday here and the place was hopping with families.

My first stop was to go into the room that helps simulate just how cold it is in Antarctica.  We were given heavy parkas and covers for our shoes.  The room was 17 degrees Fahrenheit when I entered.  When a simulated storm began the temperature dropped steadily to negative degrees.  I exited before I froze.

I chose to visit this center because it promised blue penguins.  I got to see several through a small window into a dark cubby hole.  But it was so dark I couldn’t tell that they were blue. There is a large viewing area that affords you the opportunity to see the penguins swim in a large pool.  But alas, none of them came out to play.  So I headed for the 4D theater experience.  We wore 3D glasses and were told that it was 4D because our chairs would move.  They did.  What they didn’t tell us was that we would be splashed with water and pelted with wind.  I was glad I had a raincoat on!

My final experience was a ride on a Hagglund through an obstacle course.  A Hagglund is an all-terrain, amphibious vehicle designed for extreme conditions.  It can traverse deep snow, ice, mud….you name it.  It looks like this…

I took my seat and strapped in.  

We crossed chasms; went up steep hills; crossed an area that was supposed to simulate driving through deep snow; and inched along the side of a hill (which I found to be the most frightening).  I tried to take a video of the experience but mostly shot the ceiling and the floor of the vehicle.

I called an Uber and headed back to the hotel to rest and get ready for the “gourmet” meal on a tram through the heart of Christchurch that we had booked.  At 5 p.m. we were waiting in the designated spot as the tram pulled up.

We were expertly loaded on and served our welcoming drink.

We ate a lovely dinner while the tram went round and round the downtown area.  We passed the same landmarks multiple times.  Dinner began with avocado mousse and a mango & peach salsa served on toast.  It was very good.  I was excited for what came next.  Gayle ordered the Akaroa salmon and pronounced it delicious.  I had the zucchini and pumpkin cannelloni and wished I liked salmon.  For dessert Gayle had a magnificent dish.  It was shaped like a pear but it was mousse with poached pear pieces inside a delicious outer crust.  I had a New Zealand cheese plate I would have thought was great had I not seen and tasted Gayle’s dessert!  The chef worked out of the small kitchen in the center of the trolley with two wait staff meeting our every need.

The couple across from us struck up a conversation.  They moved to Christchurch a year ago and our making it their mission to enjoy what this city has to offer.  They were lovely, as is everyone we have met in this beautiful country.  After an hour and a half of driving in circles and eating good food we returned to our original stop and bid our new friends goodbye.