Monday February 17, 2025

 Spent another day at the hotel, went for a swim and did more work.  Another relaxing day, our last full day in New Zealand.

Sunday February 16, 2025

After breakfast we caught the bus into the city.  The bus interchange is a new, bright and airy building with a couple dozen bays for the various buses to pick up and drop off passengers.  There’s lots of signage, schedules and maps, everything is very clearly marked.  We started at Cathedral Square.  The old post office is on the square, and there are murals and works of art everywhere.  As we walked through the city we could see older buildings that have stabilizing steel beams attached, buildings that are still standing but boarded up and obviously not safe to enter, empty lots where buildings once stood, and new buildings built since the earthquake.

Even though the main earthquake was on Feb. 11, 2011, there were two other large ones in 2012 that further damaged the cathedral.  Stabilization finally commenced in 2020 and restoration work began in 2023.  Skilled stonemasons and stained glass workers are working on the reconstruction, and are training new workers so those skills won’t be lost.  The site is blocked off with informative photos and signage all around the fencing.

We then went to Quake City, which is all about the history of earthquakes in the South Island, and especially the 2011 quake.  It was very informative and moving, as it includes videos of various people speaking about their experiences during and just after the quake, then near at the end there is further video of them being re-interviewed in 2020 to speak of how it has affected them in the 9 years since.

We headed to the Riverside Market for lunch, which was very busy.  There are dozens of choices for food, plus it’s a market with fish, meat, cheese, bakeries and a pantry full of local goods to purchase.  We shared a table with a couple from the UK who are just starting their tour of the South.

Next on the list was the Botanic Gardens.  There is a rose garden, a native tree and plant section, the Avon River with ducks and Canada Geese, a fruit, veg and herb garden that their café uses, and a stage with a live band and hundreds of people attending the show.

We made our way back to the bus interchange and caught the bus to the shopping centre just before the airport.  We picked up some fruit and snacks, then had (gasp) McDonalds for dinner, which the Kiwis call Maccas.  We walked the kilometer back to our hotel, putting in over 6 kms of walking today.

Christchurch is the jumping off point for military and scientists heading to Antarctica.  US and Aussie air force and army members stay here at our hotel before they fly south, as it is the closest hotel to the airport.

Saturday February 15, 2025

Today we stayed at the hotel, I did some work while Brad went for a swim.  I don't know what else we did, it was a pretty relaxing day.

Friday February 14, 2025

 Happy Valentine's Day!

We drove from Kaikoura to Christchurch today, about 180 kilometers.  We stopped at a food truck in Waipara for a coffee and a scone - delicious!  We arrived at the hotel just after noon and were able to check in.  We unloaded the car then headed to the Northlands Shopping Centre where we did a bit of shopping.  Then we gassed up the car and headed to the airport to return it.  A rock was kicked up by a truck and hit the windshield this morning, but luckily didn't damage it.  We got a ride back to the hotel with the shuttle, then got changed for a nice dinner out to celebrate Valentine's Day.  I did two loads of laundry this evening - the laundry room is right around the corner and accessible from our patio, so that was handy.

No pictures today!  Imagine sheep, dairy cows, more wineries and rolling hills transitioning to flat country.

Thursday February 11, 2025

Today we left Nelson and travelled about 245 kilometers east then south down the east coast to Kaikoura.  This is one of the driest parts of the South Island, and is excellent for growing grapes, so has a LOT of wineries.

Yep, those are all grapes growing below the pine forest.

We made a pit stop at Lake Elterwater, which is a wildlife refuge for many species of waterfowl.  We have seen hundreds of rest areas and viewpoints in our travels, and not one that I can recall has a garbage can.  Shockingly, the Lake Elterwater rest area has not one, not two, but three garbage cans!  The entire South Island budget for rural garbage receptacles has been spent here!  I have to say, although garbage cans are rare there is no litter.

We stopped at this little church on the side of the highway.  From what I could tell it was built by a couple in memory of their son who died in 1924 at the age of 19.  It was badly damaged in the 2016 earthquake and cannot be used until funds are raised to reinforce it.

Beach north of Kaikoura.

View of Kaikoura Bay from the Lookout.

Wednesday February 11, 2025

 After breakfast we headed across the street to see the cathedral.  A church has been on this site since 1851.  The steps were built in 1912-1913 and were used for events and as a meeting place.  Construction of the cathedral began in 1925 and finished in 1965.

There are extensive gardens surrounding the cathedral.

We then walked a kilometer to Queen's Gardens and took in the pond and the Chinese garden.

We checked out some heritage buildings on our walk.

This is South Street, which is lined with about 15 cottages that were built for working men and their families in the 1860s.  They became quite rundown, but in the 1970s some were renovated.  In 1981 the city protected the street and it is now a heritage site.  All of the cottages are renovated and many are rented out as B&Bs.

Tuesday February 11, 2025

It rained in the night and was raining when we left Hanmer this morning.  We chatted for a bit with the owner of the motel.  He said it is usually 37 degrees this time of year, but it has been a cooler than normal summer.  He is worried about grass fires, as it has also been drier than normal.

We retraced our route from yesterday to Springs Junction, then headed north toward Murchison.  We travelled through hilly country with mountains in the background.

We stopped at Maruia Falls for a break.  It was formed when the land collapsed due to an earthquake in 1929.

A kiwi clearcut.

Pine forests at different stages of growth.

We arrived in Nelson on the north coast, the South Island's second largest city.  We're staying across the street from the cathedral.