Christchurch - Arthur's Pass

Arthur's Pass trip

The friends that we were staying with in Christchurch left us to amuse ourselves during the weekdays as they had to work, but at the weekend, they took us out to Arthur's Pass, which is the main crossing point over the Southern Alps from one side of the island to the other.

Castle Hill, Arthur's Pass trip

On the way out, we stopped for elevenses at the Sheffield Pie Shop, which is a well known place to get an excellent pie It was certainly very tasty, so I would recommend it if you're passing by.

Don't worry if there is no space to park out in front, go round the back and you will find a car park. Just don't expect to get a seat when it is busy (most of the time).

Castle Hill, Arthur's Pass trip

Well fed, we carried on until we reached our first stop off at the lovely Castle Hill. Easily reached just off the main road, this is a collection of limestone rock formations that are interesting in themselves, but made better by the backdrop of snowy mountains

Castle Hill, Arthur's Pass trip

Castle Hill, Arthur's Pass trip

Castle Hill, Arthur's Pass trip

It amused us to see people walking along with huge great mats on their backs, presumably in case they fall when climbing.

Lake Pearson, Arthur's Pass trip

A little further along, we paused for a while to see the view over Lake Pearson.

Arthur's Pass village

From here, the road climbed steadily upwards, as we worked our way towards the 900m high pass. At this time of year, it is a simple drive, but in the winter, snow chains are a must and the road can be closed entirely. We stopped off at the Arthur's Pass village for a drink and snack, and to watch the kea, large alpine parrots that can be quite comical in their behaviour.

Otira lookout, Arthur's Pass

From the village, we carried on just a little further to the Otira viaduct lookout, to see the old and new bridges that forms the crossing point in the mountains. Part of the reason for coming here is to see if we can spot some more kea, in the more natural habitat than those in the village.

Otira lookout, Arthur's Pass

Unfortunately there was no chance of that, as some group had decided to have a prayer service of some kind there, and were busy singing, chanting and waving huge great flags around.

On the way back, we just about resisted the urge to stop for another pie, but we did succumb to an ice cream.

Castle Hill, Arthur's Pass trip

Arthur's Pass trip

Arthur's Pass trip

Arthur's Pass trip

Lake Pearson, Arthur's Pass trip

Arthur's Pass trip

Arthur's Pass trip

Lake Pearson, Arthur's Pass trip

Arthur's Pass trip

Arthur's Pass trip

Christchurch and Akaroa

Christchurch

The earthquake obviously had a huge impact on Christchurch, but that isn't all I'm going to tell you about here. Whilst the city was badly damaged, there are a few aspects that remain. 

Christchurch

Christchurch

New Regent Street, Christchurch

One place worth a wander down is New Regent Street, with its forty colourful painted shops in the Spanish Mission Revival Style, which were built by H Francis Willis in 1930-2, as a new concept in speciality shops.

And if you’re wondering, no, I don’t know why there were three wizards sitting outside one café, except that I assume that they were thirsty.

Bridge of Remembrance, Christchurch

The city has a lovely old tram system, which is back up and running. It will take you past the Bridge of Remembrance, built in 1924, originally to commemorate those fallen in WWI, but now remembering those who died in all wars.

Christchurch

Christchurch

Akaroa

We also took a drive out of the city, through pretty countryside and along some very wind roads in places, to nearby Akaroa. The village is on the Banks Peninsula and sits in a bay on the remnants of an old volcano. Its name means Long Harbour.

Akaroa

It is a pretty little village of only about 700 people, and has a heavy French influence, that can be seen in its buildings. It is best to try to time your visit to avoid the arrival of a cruise ship, as it can get pretty busy then.

Akaroa

Akaroa

We took a little boat tour out into the bay, largely for a bit of wildlife spotting. We saw a few New Zealand fur seals along the rocks, and we were able to brave the swell of the mouth of the bay to catch a view of the little Hectors dolphins.

We were also very pleased to spot what we were reliably informed was not just a Little Blue Penguin, but rather their close relation, the White Flippered Penguin, which in endemic to this area and is only distinguished from the Little Blues only by the larger band of white along the front edge and back edge of their flippers. Penguin type number eleven. 

Fur seals, Akaroa

Fur seals, Akaroa

Hectors Dolphins, Akaroa

Hectors Dolphins, Akaroa

White Flippered Penguin, Akaroa

Little Blue Penguin, Akaroa

Christchurch – The 2011 earthquake

Christchurch

Our final place in New Zealand was Christchurch, and we were staying with some friends who we met when they were our first Airbnb hosts in London, back in 2012, before they emigrated.

Visiting Christchurch felt slightly strange, as the city is still showing the scars of the devastating earthquake that hit it in 2011.

Christchurch

Driving into town, there are building works everywhere, as they work to rebuild the city. It felt a little odd to park in a clearing where you know that a building once stood; the rubble on the ground and a small section of graffiti covered wall are all that remain of it now.

Christchurch

Earthquakes are neither new nor unusual in New Zealand. It apparently has some 15,000 a year, although only (only!) about 100-150 of them are big enough to actually feel. Christchurch has had its share over the years. One in the early hours of September 2010 was pretty bad, hitting 7.1 on the richter scale, but due to the time, and the strict building laws, the city and its people were relatively unscathed. That wasn’t the case just under six months later.

Old Cathedral, Christchurch

The earthquake that hit the city at 12:51 on 22 February was an aftershock from September and only 6.3 on the richter scale, so could have passed by with only limited damage, but for the fact that it hit a shallower faultline and for effects of the liquefaction.

Christchurch

The fact that this quake was less deep, only around 5km below the surface, means that the ground motion was around four times faster than previously, so caused far greater damage.

That motion also caused the liquefaction, which is basically where the waterlogged layers of silt and sand below the ground's surface are shaken so badly that they turn into liquid. That sludge moves, causing foundations to collapse. Where there are cracks in the ground, the sludge rises up and, together with the sewage from the inevitable broken pipes, floods the area and homes. The ground in some places becomes like quicksand.

Christchurch

As a result of this, the destruction was terrible, and many people were caught up in it. Between the falling buildings, and the fire that followed, 185 people lost their lives, 130 of them in just two office blocks that collapsed. Some of the suburbs worst hit by the liquefaction may not be re-occupied for many years.

Around the city, you can still see the notes left on buildings by the search and rescue teams to record that they had been cleared.

Quake City, Christchurch

If you are in Christchurch, I would highly recommend a visit to Quake City. It may sound a little like a Disney ride, but in fact it is an excellent exhibition about the earthquake, giving some really good explanations, and telling the story of what happened that day.

Christchurch

I suggest allowing plenty of time, because whilst it is small, one of the most compelling elements is the string of videos with survivors, rescuers, and the families of those who died.

Whilst obviously moving, it isn’t overly graphic or gloomy, and is done in a very tasteful way. It does, however, give you an excellent insight into what it was like to be there. In our opinion, it was well worth the time spent watching.

Snapa Crapa, Christchurch

On a lighter note, we also learned about the Snapa Crapa. After the September quake, many sewage lines were damaged, making inside toilets unuseable, so residents created temporary longdrop toilets in their gardens. Some of them became quite elaborate and inventive. The Snapa Crapa was one entry in the 'Show Us Your Longdrop' website competition.

RE:START, Christchurch

One thing that we noticed around town, was the ever present sight of shipping containers. If there is a shortage of them anywhere else, you know why – they’re all here.

Re:START, Christchurch

They are used as offices on the building sites, they are acting as supports for the facades of buildings where the rest of the structure has been demolished, and most interestingly, they have been used to create Re:START, a temporary shopping and food area.

Cardboard Cathedral, Christchurch

Another temporary structure, that has garnered huge interest, is the cardboard cathedral. The city’s old cathedral was partially destroyed in the quake, and is unsafe; the plan is to rebuild it eventually, but given the scale of the works needing to be done here, that is some way off, and it is currently deconsecrated.

The Cardboard Cathedral was intended as an interim solution, although having proved to be so popular, it is now expected that it will be used as the local church once the old cathedral is finished. It is, as the name suggests, made largely from cardboard. There are obviously some other materials used – more shipping containers for one thing – but the inside is definitely cardboard. It looks very impressive.

From outside, you can see that there is a definite twist in the outline of the building. This isn’t the cardboard collapsing, it is part of the design by Shiguru Ban.

Cardboard Cathedral, Christchurch

Cardboard Cathedral, Christchurch

185 Empty White Chairs, Christchurch

Near to the cathedral, is the most poignant reminder of the earthquake. It is a simple idea – 185 white-painted chairs, of varying sizes and types. These empty seats, all looking towards the cardboard cathedral, provide a very effective memorial to those who died.