Saturday, March 26, 2011

Friday 25 March Christchurch and leaving New Zealand


Kia Ora,
Well, today was our sad leaving of New Zealand. We have loved the extraordinary vistas, the friendliness, openness and good humor of the people, the pride so often obvious in conversation not only about their country, but about their personal history as well. To a Kiwi, a large part of who they are is not derived by what they do, but rather by what their heritage is.
Christchurch was indeed sad to behold. It seems like such a wounded city. The entire City Centre - where the cathedral is, where there are shops, restaurants, cafes, night spots - is completely blocked off and in a ruin. When you hear news about people angry at the government about not being able to access their place of business, it is about this area that they are primarily referring to. It was eerie to see so many empty high rises and empty streets.
We arrived in Sydney after a three hour flight and a two hour time gain. Denny’s Vietnam acquaintance Goeff G met us at the airport and we enjoyed an hour of chit chat with him. We will see him in Sydney at the end of April. We then traveled on the Adelaide (gaining 30 minutes... don’t ask!) and were met by Trevor and Jean B who then took us to our hotel and stayed long enough for a drink. Tomorrow we set off on bikes with Trevor, then out to dinner. 
Our hotel is boisterous, filled with many locals and travelers. Three bars/ restaurants, a gambling area. Every place was packed when we arrived from the airport. After the quiet of Akaroa, it was a bit startling! Looking forward to tomorrow and getting a view onto the world of OZ.




Leaving Akaroa
Entering Christchurch




So many empty, crooked buildings...very eerie


Elevators cleared

The very heart of the City Centre - completely closed down


The beauty is still there

No one living there anymore

Leaving Kiwi... volcano land..beautiful




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