Shaking It in Christchurch

A long day in the car. It can't be helped. We've bitten off a full day drive from the Fox Glacier to Christchurch city on the opposite coast (and over the mountains) so that we can catch our flight home tomorrow morning.

At least we mentally prepared the kids by telling them it would take foooorrreeeevvver and we wouldn't get the Christchurch until after dark. In reality it's only about six hours....

We say goodbye to our beautiful little Glacier camp and head back up the west coast first thing in the morning. This time we don't have the gloomy rain of the ride down, but a patchwork of sun and clouds.

Christchurch lays almost directly East of the Fox Glacier, but we have to drive some 180 kilometres north along the coast before we can turn east and pass through the mountains. And there is no wonder, we can't simply drive through the highest peaks of the southern alps! Mt Cook at 3750 meters would be a darn hard thing to put a road over or through!

It was a long day of driving, but we had plenty of amazing scenery to keep us occupied. 

Arthur's Pass is every bit as stunning as touted in the guide books. And it seems like quite a feat of engineering that you can literally drive across a mountain range in a day. Albeit me with sweaty palms during some of the hairpin turns!! 

We had the chance to meet one of the famous South Island Keas up close and personal when we stopped in Arthur's Pass. The cheeky little bugger was busy meeting the tourists by landing on their cars and begging for food.

We reached Christchurch in the late afternoon and what a contrast to the West Coast. It was sunny, dry and very hot. Not wanting to spend too much time at the airport hotel we drove downtown to see what kind of progress has been made since the earthquake.

What's left of the CBD of Christchurch

Of course we've all heard about the devastating 2011 quake, and seen pictures of the damage. But when you don't live in a place you tend to move on. Other things compete for the space in your head. It is the countries most costly natural disaster (some economists estimate the rebuild of the city will be in excess of 40 billion dollars) It killed something like 180 people and toppled the Christchurch Cathedral so you would expect to see some damage. But I must say three years on and I wasn't really prepared for it. As you drive through the city it seems a bit macabre to be "looking for damage" but then, lets be honest, of course we were. Just like every other looky-loo driving past an accident scene. It is a natural fetish to see such things.

You don't see much damage near the airport, but as you get near the CBD it is suddenly brutally in your face. Then entire down town is either gone or cordoned off. Even after three years the devastation is still that apparent. Some may say that the government hasn't acted fast enough, but with the cost for the rebuild likely to be pulling our country into debt for a hundred years or more  - not to mention that the aftershock earthquakes are still hitting the city - I am not quite sure where I stand. Certainly my heart bleeds for the people of Christchurch. Both the ones who have stayed, and the ones who have left.

What really struck me the most was the "new downtown" is built of shipping containers. Stores and restaurants have all popped up back in business, despite the red zone around them. Temporary, yes. But inventive and quite cool. I'd certainly feel safer in one of those than a traditional brick house down here. And it just goes to show that life will go on. Humans are good that way!

So enough of the tiki tour, we grabbed some Hell Pizza (somehow fitting) and called it an early night at our hotel to get some shut eye before our early morning flight tomorrow.

What a fantastic trip this has been. Family bonding at it's best. And another part of our stunning country that we have been able to explore. It is humbling that these blessings are available to us.

Until the next journey.....