Christchurch NZ

We needed to get to Christchurch to pick up our 'new' van for the last three weeks of our NZ road trip. We'd been reading in the newspapers about how Christchurch has been 'rebuilding' and some of the many problems they are encountering with money, delays and politics. However, we weren't quite prepared for the shock of seeing the state of the town. Six years after the devastating 2010/11 earthquakes, in which 185 people died, the central business district still looks like a 'bombed-out' area with many buildings collapsed and seemingly left as they fell. Some have been demolished, leaving large, empty spaces, others are fenced off and braced with supports, others were in the process of being demolished. The worst sight of all, though, was Christchurch cathedral, located at the centre of town and its namesake. We read that the Church decided, in 2012, to demolish the building. A local group wanted the building rebuilt. It's now in the courts. Who knows how long it will take to come to a resolution and determine the fate of the building, what's left of it.

Worst afflicted were the stone and brick facades of the beautiful, heritage buildings.

Even new builds weren't immune.

Then, there was this. The botanical gardens have survived, in all their bucolic glory.

It was heartening to see signs of recovery, like this 'Re-Start' mall, built out of discarded shipping containers.

There are still examples of street sculpture.

After leaving Christchurch, we were glad to be back out in the countryside. We paid another visit to Akaroa, which we'd first visited on the cruise ship way back in November. It was great to get the land view this time and what a view it was!