We have usually stayed in apartments or motels on our travels through Australia and New Zealand. Motels are very like hotels at home, great quality and plentiful. They usually have a small kitchen and often have cooking facilities.
When we arrived in Christchurch we went to the I-site (visitor centre) which is temporarily housed in portakabins in the gorgeous botanic gardens.
The lovely lady there booked a train journey for us and also a motel, after showing us pretty pictures of it online. We charged everything to our - very overworked - credit card. She advised us to go straight to the motel which we did. We drove into car park, it was run down, weedy and strewn with rubbish. We looked at each other. We didn't speak. Foolishly we went inside to be met by a young girl holding a screaming baby with other kids running around. She sent us to a room which didn't really resemble the pretty pictures. It was filthy, had been beaten into submission and the bathroom - well, less said... We swiftly gave the key back and hot footed it back to the I-site where Kate, the Team Leader, booked us another hotel, rang the motel to 'request' our money back in full, refunded us $48 dollars difference and rang half an hour later to check we were happy. That's kiwi service for you!!
Christchurch has quite clearly been a gorgeous city but the earthquake and it's after shocks have devastated it. We were not prepared for such destruction, the whole of the CBD, containing shops, banks and businesses has been destroyed along with massive swathes of residential areas. It is fenced in and peering over the top of the fences, it is like looking at a war zone. It is eerily quiet, a ghost town.
It seemed to us that it will take many years to rebuild.
One retail area has set itself up in cargo containers, it is called 'Startup Street.' I think these will become an iconic landmark of Christchurch. What do you think - pretty good huh?
Obviously, as in all these situations, politics has raised it's ugly head and there are demonstrations against the mayor and the city council who the citizens of Christchurch detest. CERA, the government body responsible for rebuilding the city is also held in derision.
On Saturday night we watched The Outwits in a brilliant outdoor theatre production which told the abridged history of Christchurch. It was hilarious, of course the up to date stuff took the mickey out of the council and CERA. We needed some help with the 'in' jokes but the locals were happy to oblige.
We were up early on Sunday, but still last to arrive, to catch the TranzAlpine train which took us high up into the Southern Alps, above the cloud and drizzle into sunny skies.
We got off at Arthur's Pass and did some serious walking in the peaks, almost at the height of the snow tipped mountains, but not quite!
After scrambling up a river gorge to a waterfall, which was brilliant, we were entertained by the cheeky Keas (mountain parrots) who had no fear of people at all, stealing spoons and pushing cups off the tables. One danced into the cafe and came out 20 seconds later with a chocolate bar wrapped up in gold foil and proceeded to delicately unwrap it.
Train back, asleep by 10!!
- Posted using BlogPress from Annie & Jim's I-pad
Location:Mandeville Street, Christchurch
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