It's been a few days since we've been here but I want to recapture our travel day(s!). We left Denver on Jan. 28 and arrived on Jan. 30. Sounds longer than it is since we crossed the date line. We left our house at 11 AM on Saturday the 28th and arrived (Denver time) at 9 PM Sunday. If you ever fly to New Zealand or Australia or the islands near here about 1/2 way through the flight remember that the destination is worth the flight. New Zealand Air does a good job of making it as good as possible, but economy class is economy class and there's only so much you can do. That said, we did really enjoy many things during the travel day. We had a six hour lay over in Christchurch. The airport is easy to navigate and not far from the city. We stored our carry on luggage and took a bus into Christchurch. The effects of the earthquake are very visible. There is an area of downtown, approximately 6 blocks x 6 blocks, which is completely closed off with fencing. Behind the fence, there are empty high rises, low buildings and construction equipment rebuilding. Natural curiosity makes looking at what's going on behind the fence an attraction. Nearby you can look in windows and shops of stores and restaurants that look like no one entered once they ran out during the earthquake. There's a restautant window with dirty plates on the table, chairs askew and a hat on the floor. Another shop window had lots of shirts on the floor that had been folded on shelves and fell to the floor during the major earthquake last year. Imagine being a city planner and deciding how to rebuild a city and tourism QUICKLY after an event like this. One amazing rebuild approach they have taken is construction of an outdoor shopping mall constructed with shipping containers. The logo Re:Start is trendy and the rebuilt mall is really attractive in a simple, clean and modern way. Stores, restaurants, public bathrooms and the bus station are all rebuilt with the shipping containers. We spent time in this area and then sat by the river where I took a power nap laying in the sun on a grassy river bank.
Program Logo
Christchurch - City Mall on Cachel Street
A single shipping container
I think it's a great idea!
Following our quick trip to Christchurch we took the bus back to the airport and got on a 20 seater plane for the short 35 minute beautiful flight to Hokitika. We were blessed with a crystal clear day that allowed us to see the spectacular landscape we were flying over. We flew over the southern alps and the tallest mountain in New Zealand, Mt. Cook. With our noses plastered to the little windows my mind kept thinking about how CRAZY the coast to coast racers are. On Feb. 10-11 there is a coast to coast race, Hokitika to Christchurch, where the racers run, bike and kayak from one place to the other OVER THESE MOUNTAINS. Appently the fastest racers do this in 12-13 hours and some do it in teams and take two days. Yes there is a road to do part of this race on, but still........
We were greeted at the airport by the Hopkins family, which was just the start to our warm welcome in Hokitika.
The view
More of the View
First stop from the airport.....overlooking Hokitika
Home away from home
"Our" beach - the Tasman Sea, a segment of the Pacific Ocean
That's it for now....I've only got a couple more days to tell you about to catch up!
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