Well it has been 3 weeks since I last posted and a whole lot has happened since then so over the next few days I will catch you up.
But to start with I am posting from New Zealand.
Saturday afternoon the wonderful J and I flew to Christchurch.
A combination of arriving at 1am and having a head-cold meant to that we didn't exit the airport hotel until the afternoon. So bracing ourselves against the cold we went into town to see what we could see.
I don't think that we really realised the huge impact that quake had had on Christchurch and it's residents.
The bus driver who took us into town was very emotional about the impact of the quake, the loss of homes, buildings, monuments, business and jobs. He spoke of the people who had stayed and started to rebuild a life, and those that had just left because it was too hard to start again. Driving from the Airport the suburbs are basically untouched but as you get closer to the city centre you can start to see the huge cracks in buildings and the vacant lots where the houses have just been leveled. There are so many houses for sale they just go on and on.
Once in the city we went to the Canterbury Museum and although badly damaged by the earthquake the bottom level is still partially accessible and has a very moving exhibition about the earthquake and the people that were lost.
The Botanical Garden that are right next to the Canterbury Museum are of course beautiful even in winter....
We then had a quick walk around the city and got to see a fraction of the damage that had been caused.
It will be two years since the earthquake in September ...... it doesn't seem that long ago.....
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