After a good night’s sleep, a shower and a nice breakfast we were ready to start our holiday by exploring Christchurch. Eventhough it was cloudy the temperature was around 15 degrees in the morning. We started our walk with the Victorian Clocktower about 500m North of our B&B, from there we took a route along a few of the city’s big graffiti walls to th cathedral that was partly destroyed during the 2010 earthquake. Many of the historical buildings nearby were also badly damaged and were demolished later. We continued to the cardboard cathedral, a temporary church supported by cardboard beams. The nearby monument with 185 empty white chairs represents the 185 people who died in the quake. From here we headed back to town center were the shops that were destroyed are now, temporary, replaced by containershops as Re-Start. Via the Bridge of remembrance, a monument for the fallen Kiwi’s in WWI, we walked along the Avon River to the botanical garden where plants are showing spring has arrived by growing colorful flowers. From here it was only a short walk back to the B&B.
It seems Christchurch is one big construction site with roadworks going on in most of the streets and new buildings rising up and old ones being restored. Many old buildings are still damaged and look abandoned.
Before we went to dinner we went shopping so we can survive the next days on the road and in Mount Cook.
[Not a valid template]