May 24, 2014

May 24, 2014

I would be remiss if I did not mention how much the kids love the playgrounds at our campsites. It can be totally wet, dark, and freezing and they still are begging to go see the play structures. Most of them are just normal playgrounds too. There was, however, an amazing item at the last two campgrounds; a jumping pillow. It is essentially a giant trampoline, but it comes up out of the ground and is inflated somehow. The sides are sloped so it is easy to climb to the top (and slip off). Note the drenched clothes from the rain water left on the pillow. 

 

 

Today we spent the day in Christchurch. As we drove into the city from the suburbs, we kept commenting how nice this city looked. The closer we came to the city centre, the more construction we noticed. The aftermath of the 2011 earthquake is still quite visibly apparent. 

Christchurch was a conundrum for us when planning our trip. Prior to the earthquake, it received raving reviews as a premier tourist destination. Our reports from the internet and people that had been here since the earthquake told us to stay away from the city as it was not worth visiting now. We are so glad that we ignored everyone and decided to visit this city. It didn’t take much imagination to visualize what a gem this city once was. I thought it was pretty spectacular even with all the construction and road closures. We started our visit in Cathedral Square. Matt said that I gasped as we turned the corner and saw what is left of the Old Cathedral Church. One side of it was a pile of bricks and rubble, the front roof area was now a gaping hole that birds flew freely in and out of, and the old tower is simply no longer standing. I remember seeing the pictures on the news, but standing there seeing this national treasure in ruins was heartbreaking. I wonder how the people of Christchurch like it sitting there, neither demolished nor rebuilt. I can imagine that there is probably a fierce debate about what to do with this old beauty. No one party probably has the heart to tear it down completely nor the money to restore it to its original grandeur. 

It isn’t the only reminder of the terrible devastation caused by the 6.3 earthquake, however. There are random lots in downtown city blocks that are empty because the buildings were damaged/destroyed by the earthquake and then torn down. There are buildings that are gutted and being rebuilt, streets that are closed completely, and signs about rebuilding and rebirth everywhere. 

As we walked in the Botanical Gardens, we came upon a big bell that was one of the art sculptures throughout the park. There was a sign next to it explaining that much of the city congregated in the park after the earthquake because it was the safest place for everyone to get to quickly. We also passed the Christchurch Art Gallery that was also closed. The building was apparently structurally safe enough after the quake to be used as an emergency command center, but was still damaged on the inside and is being retrofitted now. The Botanical Gardens were beautiful! Matt and I have been commenting this entire trip that we missed a gorgeous autumn leaves display around this entire country by about three weeks. There were still traces of the fall colors on some of the leaves. It was a quintessential fall day with cool, crisp weather, blue skies, and a dab of warmth from the sun. We stopped at a little coffee shop right on the edge of the park to enjoy the outdoors some more after our walk. 

 

 

 

Because we hadn’t planned to spend much time here, we didn’t have a set itinerary. We ended up in the Canterbury Museum. It was a free to the public with a suggested donation and it was wonderful! They had a great display of natural history and animals pertinent to New Zealand. They also had a town/street area set up like the Christchurch of the early 1900’s. It was really fun to zip back in time like that! There was also a great kids area all about the human body. It was very interactive. 

 

We ate lunch at a sidewalk cafe and then headed to the Antarctic Experience. 

Unlike the aquarium in Auckland, this truly was an Antarctic experience. After we bought our tickets, we were herded onto a snow vehicle used for exploration in the Antarctic. This was the real deal! We roared off onto a back lot behind the museum that was set up to allow the drivers to demonstrate the power of these machines. We went up and down crazy hits, drove at 45 degree angles, spun around in circles, drove over a crevasse, and drove through a water hole that was more than a meter deep. We had no idea what was going on since we hadn’t really researched this part of the trip, so you can imagine our faces as we raced down the first bumpy hill. Carolina’s face was priceless. Connor was laughing and whooping the entire drive. After our wild ride, we went into a snow experience room. We had to put on jackets and non-slip booties. The room was about 17 degrees F and was filled with snow and ice. There was a little igloo for the kids to take cover in from the wind. The wind came from the giant wind machine that created a wind chill of -1 degree F. It got pretty cold, but obviously no where near Antarctic temperatures. The kids loved playing in the room when the wind was turned off. They found an ice slide on the backside of the igloo that they had a blast going down over and over again. Then we watched a 4-D movie about the Antarctic. Every time water splashed us as part of the 4-D experience, Carolina leaned over and asked me if it was real or not. So sweet! 

 

After this, we headed to Dunedin. Since Matt drove so much yesterday, I volunteered to drive part of the drive to Dundein. Still not a big fan of driving the campervan, but I guess it will prepare me for driving a car in Australia!