A quick visit to Post-Quake Christchurch

On May 22^ndI rolled into Christchurch.  Coincidently, it was the day of the predicted rapture and exactly three months to the day after this city was rocked by a huge quake. Though I paid no heed to the rapture talk, I was a little nervous to see what state Christchurch was in after two big quakes in less than six months. (If you remember, I was here in October and had expected to see rubble and mayhem then.  Luckily, for the most part, that was not the case.)

Once again, I was delightfully surprised that things weren’t as bad as I’d imagined. Don’t get me wrong, things aren’t great;  Big chunks of the central part of the city are still inaccessible, many buildings bear “Do not enter” signs, and heaps of businesses have yet to reopen. Hundreds of people lost their lives, and thousands others are still living with the effects of that quake, so I’m not diminishing the level of destruction or suffering that Christchurch has seen. I was just happy to see that life is indeed going on, most buildings are still standing and many businesses are up and running.  It was good to see.

I didn’t get up to much, other than wander the streets and take pictures of some of the hardest-hit areas (the ones I could get to, anyway).  I also delighted in visiting different supermarkets (I know, I know, Loser) and other shops, since Wanaka isn’t exactly teeming with stores.  Of course, the Botanical Gardens are as gorgeous as ever, so I spent a happy hour revisiting some of my favourite trees and watching the ducks play in the river.  When you’re broke and in a broken (but on the mend!) city, you make your fun where you can find it.

Christchurch has/had a lot of churches, and they seemed to be the buildings that suffered the worst damage.

Broken glass was still on the ground outside this office building.  No idea if it was from vandals or the quake.

As close as I could get to the heart of downtown. Cathedral Square is just beyond that white building, if I'm not mistaken.

I was glad to see that this archway is still standing.  It was one of the first things I photographed when I first got to NZ back in 2004.

Random destroyed apartment building.

Many areas downtown are cordonned off by chainlink fences, and of course many of these have become memorials.  Interestingly, this was the most colourful, elaborate and extensive one I saw.  It's outside the Arts Centre where the Dux Delux microbrewery and pub once stood.  They've left a bunch of duck-shaped papers with handy ties in a folder on the fence so people can add their own notes.  Inki had brought me to this pub back in October, and it was quite good, so I left a note myself (not picture here though).

The sidewalks were pretty bumpy in places.  You could see where it had likely roiled and waved up during the quake.  This is one of the most dramatic examples I saw.

Another shell of a church.

The pretty fountain in the Botanical Gardens was working just fine though. :)

Damn you ground under Christchurch, stop moving

I feel sick. 

I’m writing this on the evening of February 22, some nine hours after the Earth did anything but stand still in Christchurch.  Since I'm staying at a place without Internet access, by the time I post this it’ll be likely days later.  (one day later, it turns out)

I’m glad I was able to send out a message yesterday letting people know where I am so they know I’m not anywhere near the earthquake or the devastation it has caused.

Thank goodness for that, cause it’s absolutely awful down there right now. 

I’ve been watching news coverage for about three hours now, and I’ve been physically affected by it all – my stomach is in knots; my heart is in my throat; my arms and legs are riddled with goose bumps; tears have threatened more than once. 

As far as I know, nobody I know is down there at the moment, but the images are still haunting:  buildings reduced to rubble, cars crushed beneath countless kilos of concrete, sobbing bloodied people stumbling around streets I’ve visited not so long ago (and marvelled at how well the city looked post-quake). 

I nearly cried when I saw what remains of the Cathedral and the Arts Building – two of my favourite in the entire country.  What a loss.

I know it may mean little, but Christchurch, my heart and prayers are with you.

There (Wanaka) and back again (to Christchurch)

It occurred to me the other night that most people don’t know the lay of the land here, and when I talk about certain places, you have no idea where on God’s green Earth I actually am.  So here’s a snapshot of where I’ve been over the past six weeks.

So, if you’ve interpreted my little map correctly (or if you’ve read the handy little title above), you’ll have deduced that I’m back in Christchurch. 

It was with a bit of a heavy heart, and a heavier bag, that I left Wanaka Saturday morning.  Over the course of the six days I’d spent at the filthy house, it had gotten steadily cleaner and cosier.  It really was nice having my own room, even if sound travelled through the paper-thin walls with surprising efficiency (I shared a wall with a Swedish “goth” couple, the female half who, if she wasn’t watching episode after episode of Two and a Half Men, was jabbering incessantly). And I doubt I’d ever get enough of looking at those mountains.

Lucky ducks

But leave Wanaka I did, hopping on board the 10:45 naked bus with no real idea of how long of a journey it would be.

I wasn’t bothered though.  One of my favourite things to do in this country is to just sit back and watch the invariably gorgeous scenery glide by.

This particular journey brought me through Otago’s Lindy’s Pass, with its kilometre upon kilometre of tussock-tufted hills and snow-dusted mountains.  The Southern Alps snuck into view around midday, and thankfully stuck around for a few hours. 

Mmmmmmm....tussocky.

At near 2:00 we had a rest stop and bus changeover in Lake Tekapo.  This delightful little town had charmed me and my travel companion last trip, and in the half hour I was there on Saturday, it had nearly convinced me to ditch the rest of the ride and make camp there for a few nights.

The main draw of the town of Lake Tekapo isn’t the, admittedly stunning, views (more gorgeous mountains? Ho hum), or the nice walks (Another amazing treck?  Yawn).  No.  The name of the place says it all.  The lake is what sets this place apart.

Just look at that water:

Have you ever seen, even imagined, water that colour?  Though it looks like the result of a chemistry experiment gone wrong, or some kind of awful environmental disaster, I can assure you, it’s not.  That’s all natural baby.

Well...that camera angle's not so natural.  Nor is my hair colour.  But the water is all natural baby.

I might mess up the science here a bit, but here’s what I remember from the explanation I got last year.  The rivers that feed into the lake flow down from glaciers in the Alps.  As those glaciers move subtly about, they grind against the mountains and create this rocky powder that gets carried downstream towards the lake.  This “rock flour” is so ultra-fine that it’s suspended in the water, and the light reflects off of it in such a way that we see that brilliant turquoise.  Pictures really don’t do it justice. 

The rest of the journey was rather uneventful.  The only thing of note was the interminable chatter of two Spanish girls sitting in front of me.  Good golly could those chicks yammer on.  In six hours of travel they were quiet for all of 45 minutes I reckon.  Most of you likely know that I’m quite the introvert, and I cherish those relationships where silences are comfortable and not infrequent.  When I’m thrust into a confined space with people who have never met a silence they didn’t fill, I get antsy.  Thank goodness for my ipod.

**Little tangent here: as I sit here writing this, the girl next to me has removed her shoes, unleashing a foot odour of a potency which defies description.  It’s distracting, and disgusting. Thank you for allowing me to share my pain.  And now back to regularly scheduled programming**

So, here I am back in Christchurch.  A few things have brought me back here, and only one is actually fun.

·        I’m slowly making my way north so I can be sure to be in Wellington for my interview with the University of Victoria on November 16^th.  (not fun)

·        My laptop battery has stopped functioning properly.  It won’t run unless it’s plugged in, won’t take a charge, and is steadily losing power.  I’m hoping to find a replacement in town, but given that it’s a Sony, things aren’t looking promising (definitely not fun)

·        I have to peruse the library to do some research for this stupid essay I’m expected to write for this course I’m enrolled in against my will.  A course that’s a prerequisite for a program I’m not even sure I’ve been accepted into yet. In other words, I might be doing this work for nothing!  Yay! (decidedly not fun)

·        The Black Seeds had a show in town Saturday night (fun!) and I went (double fun!). 

There’s a very good chance you’ve never heard of the Black Seeds, but they’re a big deal here in New Zealand.  They’re an eight-piece “dub” band I discovered during my last trip here.  On a whim last week I went to their site (and now you can too!) and looked up their upcoming concert schedule.  To find out that they were playing a few days later in an accessible location was quite the thrill.  The show was lots of fun, even though I was on my own.  I’d go see them again in a heartbeat.

It’s interesting being here during Halloween.  When I first came here in 2004, it wasn’t celebrated much at all, but in the years hence, it’s started to take hold.  Last night there were some disguised revellers out on the town, but not many.  Apparently some trick or treating took place, though most households didn’t have candy (or “lollies” as they say here) on hand. And no pumpkins  or jack o’ lanterns are to be found – not surprising given that it’s spring. 

So that’s about it for now. I've spent the last two (sunny) days at the library. I'm supposed to submit an essay on the 12th, and I figured I'd get it out of the way as soon as possible. Hopefully I'll have a first draft done tomorrow.

On Thursday I'm taking off for Picton and the next morning I'm starting a scuba diving course.  Huzzah!  I've been wanting to get certified for years and have never taken the time to do it.  I've tried to work something out a few times since I left Canada, but timing was never right.  Looks like it'll work out this time though, so I'm thrilled.

TTFN!

Cleaning up Wanaka -- well, a small part of it, anyway

It’s a great week to be in Wanaka.  The weather has been absolutely incredible and the weekend’s WanakaFest was a hoot.

I participated in a bunch of activities with a nice German girl I met at the hostel.  We got a little tipsy at the food and wine tent where we sampled some of the truly delicious local wine.  We watched the cardboard boat launch and the urban mountain bike race.  Most of all, we got a kick out of watching the “Perfect Woman” competition.  Before you judge me for backing a beauty pageant, hear me out.  This was like no pageant I’ve ever heard of before.  For one thing, it was sponsored by Tui, the kiwi equivalent of Molsons.

The 30 girls vying for the title completed traditional tasks such as cooking a meal and sewing a button on a shirt. They also had to do a number of less, oh, let’s say “girly” things, and that’s where things got fun.  They donned fireman gear and shot a target with a hose, they chopped wood, they drove a backhoe, they skinned dead rabbits with their bare hands, they opened beer bottles with various objects (belt buckles, lipstick, flipflops), they welded, they hammered, they scaled a 50-foot pole.  It was wild.

The long list of events the Tui's Perfect Woman contestants took part in.

The girls suit up for one of the competitions.

Competititors were aided up the climbing pole by Canada's own world champion speed climber.  This "Gingah Ninga" posesses not only three world records, but also a splendid name lifted straight out of a romance novel: Stirling Hart.

The rabbit skinning -- I'm glad I didn't see much of it.

Less wild is what I’ve been getting up to the past three days. I found myself an undemanding gig cleaning for two hours a day in exchange for accommodation. It’s OK.  It would be great, if the cleaning wasn’t so, how can I put this?  Intense.

The place in question is a former gym that was converted some time ago into a shared house.  I’m sure at one time it was a glorious place with its big lounge area, Japanese baths, stone showers (those are still pretty sweet, actually), big backyard and climbing walls. 

Buuuuuuut along the way it’s definitely lost its charm.  The owner is an Aussie who grew up in Japan and bought the place during her ski-racing days.  She only comes to town twice a year when the running of the place passes from one caretaker to the next.  I don’t know what the recent caretakers have been taking care of, but it certainly wasn’t this place.

It. Was. Disgusting.

The lounge, mid-clean.

The kitchen, pre clean

Soot, dirt, dead flies, grime, random socks, beer bottle caps, rolling papers: you name it, it was lying around. How do people live like this?

To give you a better idea of what I’m dealing with, it took me four hours just to clean the lounge, and cleaning the accumulated grime on the computer took a full ten minutes. This morning I started on the kitchen, and I think it’ll take two of us at least six hours to get that room up to liveable standards. Ew.

On the upside, it’s kind of rewarding to see the progress of this place going from pigsty to just dingy.  And I have a free room to myself (woohoo!) and free Internet (double woohoo!), so I figure I’m saving about $30 a day, which goes a long way. 

Another great thing is that by noon, I’m free to do what I wish, and the stunning vistas here are a great way to cleanse my visual pallet after staring at filth for a few hours each morning.

Mostly my afternoons have been spent sitting by the lake, enjoying the sunshine and a good book, watching the ducks and ducklings swim by, and marvelling at the scenery.

Yesterday, however, I was rather ambitious and set out on a marvellous hike along one of the nearby rivers and around one side of Lake Wanaka. At 16km, it was by far the furthest I’ve walked in a single session since I’ve been here.  I’m happy to report that it was mercifully flat, and other than the plentiful mountain bikers with whom I had to share the path, there was little to complain about.

By the river.

Would you look at the colour of that water?  Can you believe it?

Along the path.

I even managed not to get sunburned, despite the relentless rays.  Some of you may not know this, but NZ is the unlucky landmass that finds itself under the hole in the ozone layer.  The sun is very VERY harsh here. And with so much of the population being fair-skinned, and sunscreen exorbitantly priced, it’s no wonder skin cancer is such a problem here.  I myself had a mole removed after spending three summer months here two years ago.  I’m armed with lots of SPF 30, a wide-brimmed hat and a fierce determination not to burn (or wrinkle!) this time around. Still, I’m freckly as.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I’ll say a somewhat reluctant goodbye to Wanaka on Saturday, when I take off for Christchurch. That night I’m going to see the Black Seeds, a kiwi Dub band, in concert.  Check them out for yourselves. Should be good a good show.

To the outskirst of Christchurch -- Lyttleton and Sumner.

 

Wow does NZ get a lot of earthquakes.  Check out this list of just the most recent ones: http://www.geonet.org.nz/earthquake/quakes/recent_quakes.html

On Sunday and Monday, I moved out of the downtown core and out to the suburbs where I got to see a bit more of the damage.  Have a look for yourself:

Cracked facade in Lyttleton

A positive-minded Lyttleton bakery

There are three kinds of these notices posted on buildings around the city.  The white "all's good" notice, this yellow "uh uh, not so fast" notice, and the red "don't even think about coming in here" notice of doom.

This R&R Sports store unsurprisingly had the red notice on it.

An entire block and intersection right in the city centre is still completely blocked off.

I really don't know why some of these pictures keep spinning themselves sideways, but others don't.  It's infuriating.  Anyway, this was among some of the worst damage I've seen.

Cracked pavement in Sumner.

Still, the vast majority of buildings are looking pretty good. 

Like the Chritchurch Cathedral in Cathedral Square.

On Sunday I gladly escaped my smelly dorm room (this one guy’s feet were intensely pungeant) and decided to venture out to Lyttleton.  It’s a burb on the other side of a range of small mountains, or big hills, I’m not sure.  In any case, the bus went through a tunnel, and it took us 2:14 mintues to get to the other side, and he wasn’t driving slowly either. 

Lyttleton is a burb built around a port, and has a gritty look and feel about it – thousands upon thousands of logs were piled up near the docks where rusty, decidedly un-picturesque barges were moored – yet also manages to be a bit artsy and a little boho.  I found myself a table at a bakery on the main drag and had myself a "Splorg" slice (chocolate cakey-type thing with crunchy caramel topping). It was nice.  Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t, so I didn’t linger. 

A few tourist vessels alongside some more robust boats.

Despite the obvious utilitarian nature of the port, these people still have a pretty fantastic view.



The clouds roll in.

 On Monday I met up with a friend I had met during my last visit to NZ, who has requested that I refer to him here as “Inki.”  He’s a Yank by birth who, as his adopted moniker suggests, possesses a rather impressive collection of tattoos.  He also now possesses something I covet very much – New Zealand residency status. 

We’ve managed to keep in touch these past many months, and he's provided a lot of encouragement towards my move here.  He stopped into Christchurch for a day on his way up to Auckland to start a new job.  I’ll flatter myself and think that it’s because he wanted to see me J

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(Sorry about that, I just accidently found a way to insert a bunch of symbols.  Strange, but cool!)

It had been hailing on and off most of the night and a good chunk of the morning, so we sought refuge indoors at the Art Gallery.  It reminds me somewhat of the National Art Gallery of Canada in Ottawa in that the building is mostly glass, is rather interesting in and of itself, and its front doors are guarded by oversized statues. (sorry, no pics)

It’s not a huge gallery though, so it didn’t take long for us to exhaust what it had on offer.  After a nice lunch at an Indian restaurant, the weather had improved, so we took off for Sumner, another Christchurch burb on the water.  Unlike Lyttleton though, Sumner is all posh and beach. 

Sumner

Inki began our little tour by bringing me to one of the many caves in the cliffs in the area, many of them just under houses. The opening was mere feet from a sidewalk and was no more than 3 feet high. I neglected to take a picture, but trust me, it was tight at first. It required a tight squeeze and a bit of a shimmy to get in, but then opened up to an area where we could stand up.  A day later I was still finding sand in my pockets. It was pretty cool.

It was low tide, so we then walked along the water and at times in it (brrrrrrrrr) before hopping back on a bus to downtown. 

Don't I look comfortable?

Cave Rock, at the juncture of Sumner and Scarborough beaches at low tide.

We finished off our visit with a trip to a (rather empty) pub with two guys who were staying in the same room as us and played a bit of pool and enjoyed a few pints. 'Twas a grand, if too short visit with Inki, but I'm sure we'll be meeting again soon. 

Next up, Dunedin.

Christchurch in the spring

Christchurch holds a special place in my heart.  It’s where I was first introduced to New Zealand six years ago, and was my last port of call when I was here in 2009. 

It boasts an absolutely amazing botanical garden, some pretty nice architecture, and a pretty well-developed arts scene.

It’s NZ’s second biggest city with a mere 386,100 residents (Auckland has about a million, while Wellington, the capital, has very slightly less people than Christchurch at 386,000).

It was also the site of a pretty huge earthquake at the beginning of Septembe – it measured 7.1 on the Richter scale. I didn’t know what to expect coming back – crumbled buildings, closed businesses, whatever.  I’m very happy to report that other than the odd broken window, a few tarped-up roofs, most houses -- and the landmarks -- seem to be in tiptop shape.

In fact, had I not known about the quake, I wouldn’t have believed that one took place.  That’s not to say there isn’t any damage at all – there are a few buildings that have had to be completely razed, and some evidence of fire damage elsewhere. But all in all, I was relieved to see that for the most part, the Christchurch I remembered remains.

Among the worst damage I've seen.

We decided to splurge on our accommodation Friday night, as Christina had come down with a nasty cold, and some hotels were offering some decent deals.  We stayed at the Ibis, which is right off of Cathedral Square – the main centre of the city.  It was decent.  Most importantly, it was warm.

We just took a walk around part of the botanical gardens, and through the downtown before retiring for the night.  We were all pretty wiped, so we struggled through some truly bad TV, did some laundry (which did not dry – you read it here, don’t use the laundry facility at the the Ibis hotel in Christchurch.  It’s a gyp.) and went to sleep.

Swing tree

Today was a sad day.  It was grey, dreary, a little rainy, and it was my last day with Christina and Nick.  They’re off to the amazing West Coast via Arthurs Pass, while I’m staying here in Christchurch for a few more days before heading South to Dunedin to do my interview for Otago University on Wednesday.

I was a little emotional when I bid them farewell.  It’s been a great week and I’ve especially enjoyed their company.  I’ve known Chrissy for at least 23 years – we grew up on the same street, I used to babysit her and her sisters, and our families still get together at least three times a year – but I’ve never really spent much time with her as an adult.  Nick’s been a part of her life for some 10+ years, so I’ve been aware of him, have likely talked to him a few times, but I’ve never really gotten to know him.  I’m so glad I’ve had this opportunity to know them better.  They’re great people, and so right for each other.

So fare thee well Chrissy and Nick. I hope you had a great time with me, cause I sure did with you.  And Jean and Wilf, I’m sorry I won’t be able to give you updates on their movements anymore. You’ll have to rely on them J

Chrissy and Nick do their impression of Japanese tourists.

So what’s next?  As I said, I have that interview next week.  After that, my next obligation is in mid-November when I’m expected in Wellington for an assessment exercise at Victoria University.  Between next Thursday and then, my life is an open slate.  I hope to find a place near Dunedin or Wanaka to do some WWOOFING (volunteering on organic farms in exchange for room and board).  I also wouldn’t mind finding a bit of paying work for a week or two, though I’m not sure if that’s realistic.

In any case, I do plan on continuing to write, so keep visiting!  And please feel free to comment.  I want to make sure I’m not just writing into the ether (thanks for commenting mom and zoobabe!)