It was shocking to learn about the disastrous earthquake in Christchurch, especially since it was only three weeks ago that we were there. It seemed to be pretty much recovered from the quake 6 months ago, and we couldn’t believe how devastating this last quake could be. They sit right on a fault line and are a very modern city, so we would think that they would be prepared for quakes, so this definitely serves as a reminder of how much we are subject to the will of mother nature. It was very sad to hear about all the people hurt or killed, New Zealanders are truly some of the nicest people we’ve met on our travels. Also having such landmarks as the Christchurch Cathedral in ruins was a sad sight.
We found Christchurch to be a pretty place, with all the amenities and without the overcrowded feeling. There are definitely parts that remind you of America, with strip malls and traffic, but for the most part it is a really nice place to live. Christchurch was started by clergy of the English church, hence the strange name. There are a good number of old churches in the city, but it definitely is no more religious than the next town. The town is very influenced by English architecture and they even named the stream that winds through the city the Avon River. There was little remnant of the 7.2 earthquake that hit the city in 2010, only a few old structures that were being worked on and shored up with wooden supports.
On our drive from Wanaka to Christchurch, we pass by Lake Pukaki. It is filled with glacial water and has snow-capped Mount Cook as its backdrop, the highest peak in New Zealand.
We stopped to eat lunch at Lake Tekapo. The attraction of the town is the Church of the Good Shepard, a stone church, built in 1872. It sits alone on a point overlooking the glacial blue lake and nearby there is this bronze dog statue. Even though this place seems to be in the middle of nowhere, there was a surprising number of tourists.
We lucked out with the location of out motel, which was a block away from the Hagley Park, a huge green space west of the CBD. We walked down this path multiple times on way into the city. The park is filled with sports fields, trees, open spaces, and a golf course among other things.
Inside the park is a beautiful botanic garden, which was established in 1868. It isn’t as finely manicured as some of the botanic gardens in Australia, but it had a special quality to it because of its age. The river Avon wraps around the gardens and there are ducks everywhere along it. There are multiple gardens, lily pad filled ponds, and sculptures. Another interesting feature are these elaborate flower beds that are meticulously designed and cared for.
There are also several rose gardens including this one in the middle of the gardens. We asked a couple to take a photo for us and the lady recognized us from the Blue Mountains. They too were caught in the rain on the hike in the Blue Mountains. After being reminded of our encounter we totally remembered them too, although they looked different from when they were covered up and rain soaked.
Next to the rose garden was this old, white conservatory filled with a number of different plants. One wing had an upper level that was wrapped around with plants and you could look down on the plants growing below. Another impressive room was filled of colorful flowers in bloom.
On the other side of the rose garden was a garden of Dalia flowers. We had never seen such variety as they come in all sorts of shapes and colors.
The gardens were filled with many tall and huge trees, which showed the age of garden. This is an enormous Eucalyptus tree. Here is Tree-Hugger Vince giving you a sense of scale.
Next to the Botanic Garden is the Canterbury Museum, established in this old stone building from 1870. The museum had several exhibits that included Maori artifacts, Asian art, antique furniture, antique clothing, a transportation room ranging from carriages to racing motorbikes, geological rocks and gems, in addition to the following highlights.
On exhibit was on this very kitsch New Zealand tourist attraction, Fred and Myrtle’s Paua Shell House. Fred and Myrtle collected all kinds of knick-knacks, including Paua shells, which are abalone shells, that they polished and hung on their walls. They opened their house up to tourists for decades and they were featured in national commercials. The exhibit included original sections of the house, that were dismantled and transported to the museum.
There was a room dedicated to birds found in New Zealand that was quite extensive. It had almost every species imaginable including these Kiwis, which is the closest we got to seeing a real one.
Another excellent exhibit was all about exploration of Antarctica. It ranged from the earliest explorers, to the race to the pole, to modern day scientific research. Pictured above is a transporter used for the Trans-Antarctic Expedition.
Across the street from the museum is a complex of old stone buildings that now holds a contemporary art museum among other things. It also includes this original lecture hall pictured below.
Christchurch still maintains their historical tramway that run through the heart of the city. There is also a dining tram that you can ride around in while served a gourmet meal.
Christchurch Cathedral is the main attraction in the heart of the city. It was constructed between a long period of time between 1864 and finally completed in 1904. The inside is quite nice with a very impressive ceiling of wooden beams. It sits in the center of the town on the main square where there are always a ton of people around.
The earthquake caused the spire to collapse, destroying a large section of the church. It was presumed that there were some people who were in the tower during the collapse.
In the main square, next to the cathedral is this monstrous funnel-shaped structure that is somehow supposed to represent world peace.
These are the historic Antigua Boat Sheds that were established in 1882. They housed boats used for punting, which is basically boating with a guy who steers you around. Punting is still a popular thing to do on the river.
This was originally a covered bandstand for bands to perform in. It has now been converted into a café along the river. There are several around the city and in olden times it was an event to see bands playing in them.
Walking further along the river we came to Victoria Square, a nice park with various statues. Behind the Captain Cook statue is the Hamish Hay Bridge, a historical tramway that operated steam locomotives, horse drawn, and electric trams between 1880 and 1954.
Megan made another cat friend, this time Bob. An interesting choice of name for this beautiful tiger/leopard patterned cat. His fur was the silkiest either of us had seen on a cat.
We were randomly treated to a practice by this bagpipe and drum band. It gave a very fitting atmosphere for this very Anglo-Saxon inspired city.
We walked into the historic quadrangle of Christ’s College, which looked like it was straight of a Harry Potter movie. College in this case means high school, not a bad place to attend.
