Wake Up Sleepies. We Must Go, Yeeeessss, We Must Go At Once!!

I forgot to mention this in my last post. Everyone knows of six degrees of separation. Well here in NZ it is called two degrees of separation. That’s because the country is very small and has a small population. I think it’s kinda crazy that it’s only two degrees but I guess that is what makes everyone here so friendly and welcoming. 

Sunday night I arrived in Christchurch. We left at about 5:30pm and got in at 10pm. On Monday I woke up relatively early and decided to see the city, or at least what’s left of it. The destructive earthquake that devastated Christchurch happened February 22, 2011. Since then they have had a few other earthquakes. The city center is completely off limits. The Anglican cathedral in the middle of the city is the icon of Christchurch. Unfortunately it is in the city centre, which means I cannot see it or even get pictures of it. I walked around most of the day getting rerouted every few hundred meters from more fenced off areas. Buildings are still being torn down and the rubble isn’t even close to being fully removed. Stores, shops, restaurants, and cafe’s are few in Christchurch now. The information center is simply 2 portable containers put together. I don’t know what the city looked like before the quake so I can’t say how bad it is. What I can say though is that it’s pretty crazy and kinda dead here. I’d consider heading back up to Kaikoura but first I’ll see what I can get up to in my first week here.

On Tuesday my plan was to go to the museum and check out the World Wildlife Photography exhibit. Even though it was cloudy, windy, and cold out I decided to walk to a cafe for breakfast, then continue on to the museum. Unfortunately on my journey I was informed that the museum was recently closed from a building inspector who said it was unsafe. That is closed and so is the art gallery. My options are quickly running out.

Wednesday was another LOTR tour day for this guy. I know I’ve mentioned before that I have been fortunate with the weather and today proved my point. At 9am I got picked up for my Edoras tour. The Edoras location is located on Mt. Sunday, which is in the Mt. Potts area. It is right on the edge of the southern alps and oh boy was it a BEAUT. On our way there we chatted about this and that and got to know each other. Our group consisted of 5 people plus the tour guide. A couple from Adelaide, Australia, a couple from Orlando, Florida, and me. The couple from Orlando got married just over a week ago in Nelson, NZ. They came down here on a two week vacation of the south island and decided to tie the knot. I didn’t ask if it was a random decision but after talking with them I figured out that it was planned and they just wanted something small. Congrats to them. 

The interesting things we talked about before our arrival in the Mt. Potts area were:

1. How the van we were driving used recycled canola oil for fuel. These Kiwi’s and their love for the environment.
2. How 900 buildings were planned to be demolished after the Feb. earthquake with a plan of taking down 50 a month. Do that math and figure out how long it is expected to take if everything goes smoothly. (Hint: It isn’t going smoothly)
3. How the new church for the city will be rebuilt out of cardboard and other recyclable materials. When they finally rebuild a real church they can recycle the old one. SMART!

Our drive through the Canterbury Plains was  full of cow and sheep farms. Nothing too exciting. Once we got more towards the west coast the scenery changed in the most glorious of ways. Mountains shot up from flat lands like it was nobodies business. Usually there are hills and it kinda builds up, not here. That’s why it is so epic. I really want to see what the other side of the alps has to offer but I will be patient and wait until I come back with someone and have a car. I got a little taste of what shall come, and it tasted good..HEY OH!! sorry. 

I want to describe the area but I don’t because this is one place that not even many locals have seen. You can see it when you watch LOTR but even then it’s nothing compared to when you actually see it. I will say that a rich Russian businessman came to the area and once he saw the land he decided to buy the local lodge. He was blown away and apparently it was the only business decision he made with his heart.   

Back to the weather and my luck with it. The area is known to have up to 180km/h winds. Especially at the top of Mt. Sunday. The area is like a big wind tunnel. Today though there was not a cloud in site, the sun was comfortably warm, and absolutely no wind! Our tour guide was stunned. That only happens on 2-3 days of the year and we got one of them. 

I haven’t planned anything for this weekend. Before I leave Christchurch I would like to visit the Antarctic center. That’s all for now.