Sunday, October 7th:
The Alpine-Pacific Holiday Park in Kaikoura is sited between some very Alpine-looking mountains and the Pacific Ocean which is just across the road from the entrance to the park. This is the view from the front step of our cabin/trailer.
After a really nice breakfast in town we went to the Whale Watch Kaikoura office where we had a booking for the 10:30 whale watch. The company was started by the local Maori hapu (or clan native to the area) to generate local income for the area during the economic downturn in the late 1980’s. They have built it into a large eco-conscious business and turned Kaikoura into a major tourist destination. Unfortunately, this is as close as we got to a whale.
Morning whale watches all cancelled due to rough seas and they were predicting that the afternoon ones would be cancelled as well. We were offered the option of booking a whale watching flight instead but with strong winds and tiny planes that seemed like a very bad idea. So off we headed to Christchurch.
It was slow going given the roadwork that is still ongoing to repair earthquake damage and shore up the steep cliffs and railway line that runs along the main road. We could see the bikepath being built next to the highway in those sections where significant repairs have been completed. It will be a wonderful cycle route when completed.
You know how construction trucks usually have those Don’t Follow Me signs? We were very surprised to see this method for directing traffic around roadworks on the way
We checked in to a very nice and new suites hotel and took the afternoon to catch up on laundry and shopping while doing a walk around the neighborhood – which is just off the central business district. The aftermath of the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes is visible everywhere. There are still many buildings that are propped up with steel beams and where the sidewalks around them are blocked off.
There are also a lot of areas of greenspace and street art.
Tom had a little fun with an outdoor video game.
The earthquake damage is still terribly evident in the city but the vibe is one of fun and hope and rebuidling.
Monday, October 8th:
chch, as Christchurch seems to be commonly abbreviated, has a tram that runs through the city center so we bought a day ticket for that and rode the full loop to get an overview
Their Arts center restoration is nearing completion
The botanic gardens are beautiful and we had quite a long walk there.
We then visited the earthquake museum which is an excellent collection of scientific data and personal stories of the two earthquakes that hit Christchurch just 6 months apart. Very sobering and gave us better understanding of why there is still so much to rebuild nearly 8 years after the event.
To keep the jolly mood going we walked over to a memorial commemorating the 100th anniversary of the WW1 armistice. Canterbury lost a significant portion of it’s population in that war
And now, sign for the day. I regret that I did not get the counterpart that specified the hours when cruising on particular streets was not allowed.
