After spending five weeks in Australia, we have only scratched its cultural surface, however, as many Aussies have told us, we have seen more of their country in this short period than they have in a lifetime. It definitely has been a wonderful experience.
Yet, our journey continues as planned. We left the city of Sydney aboard the largest commercial airplane ever built, a massive Emirates Airlines A380; we were seated in the 85th row and there were still several rows behind us, each with 10 seats. And that's just the lower floor! Above us there was yet a whole other floor running the length of the plane, for people willing to spend a lot more money than we were.
Anyway, three and half hours later, flying at an altitude in excess of 40,000 feet, we landed in Christchurch on New Zealand's South Island. New Zealand is another first for me and, like Australia, a place I had always dreamed of visiting.
The temperature here is quite a bit cooler, only 60 degrees F., but with a sweater on, it is actually quite nice. The weather report predicted 100% chance of rain for today, yet, when we arrived, at 2 PM (2-hour time change; we are now 18 hours ahead of Boston time), the sky was cloudy but no rain had yet fallen.
Because we are now quite a bit further South, daylight lasts a bit longer here, so we planned to take a leisurely walk to get to know the city, which for us is but a stop-over. We were stupefied to find that our rental home is dead-smack in the center of town, making every place so accessible. And the house is lovely.
Just enough time to put down the luggage and off we were. Diane immediately found a place that sold hand-made nativity scenes. She bought one and will now be happy for the rest of the trip.
Christchurch is currently the third largest city in the country. Nine years ago it suffered a devastating earthquake that killed 185 people, injured several hundreds and caused widespread devastation. It has rebounded remarkably well, although many landmarks are still under repair, in particular, its beloved cathedral.
The architecture, not surprisingly, has a very English air about it, perhaps because of the stone construction of many of its key edifices, which reminded us of our recent trip to England.
As we have found in Australian cities, Christchurch has a vibrant vibe. Many young people are about, perhaps more so today because, less than half a mile from the house we are staying in, the Electric Avenue Music Festival is taking place. It's a rave party, featuring, among others, groups like Pendulum, Ben Harper, The Innocent Criminals, Peking Duk and Matt Corby. The music sounds great, as I'm listening to it clearly, while I'm typing on my keyboard. But local music can also be heard as you walk along, being played by talented street musicians.
Outside of the relatively small historical city center, many buildings seem to have been built in the last decade, possibly because of the earthquake. New is not quaint, but it does give the impression of wealth, and this definitely seems to be an affluent area.
Much quaintness and charm can be found nonetheless, either in the red streetcars or in the numerous beautiful parks and waterways that make this a very green and seemingly livable city.
Our walk through the streets and parkways of Christchurch was proceeding beautifully in spite of a few drops here and there that had started to fall, from which we could easily shelter ourselves under awnings or tree cover, but when we arrived at Cathedral Square, the largest unsheltered sprawl within the city limits, the sky opened up as we were foretold. We reached a Mexican restaurant several blocks away (excellent dining establishment, by the way), completely soaked. After dinner, we had to call an Uber to bring us back.
Well, the rain has at long last stopped. Diane is busy reading her book, and since I'm kind of appreciating the music reaching my ears from the nearby park, I think I will attempt another stroll and check out the scene.
Love to all who are faithful and patient enough to read my blog!
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