Christchurch - ChCh - The Garden City

After working for 10 days it was time now to start moving on the South Island and we hit the road towards Christchurch. Our first stop would be Amberley with a friend of a friend. The first impression after 4 km of driveway was the beautiful farm house on top of the hill at that moment in the drizzle and clouds. The second impression was that of a very warm welcome by Suzie and her 2 kids, Sophie and James. With a delicious meal, a cosy living room and this lovely family, I had a sudden sense of being at home, not my home but that hard to describe but well known home feeling. A visit to Christchurch, many conversations, good deep sleeps in the quietness of the top of the hill and several delicious meals later a friend of a friend became a friend. We hope we can come back on our way up north again. Thank you Suzie, James and Sophie (and Whisky and Nala).

Una de las lindas experiencias de viajar, es que conoces gente en el transcurso, a veces gente que te topas en un camping, en un tour y despues los vuelves a ver, o otras veces, como es en este caso, un contacto de un muy buen amigo (Fede) que decidimos pasar a visitar y conocer. 

LLegamos a su casa, y desde el primer momento nos sentimos abrazados por el carino con el que fuimos recibidos por Suzie. Una casa muy acogedora, con una vista preciosa, una nina que me hacia recordar a mi ahijada (Sophie), un pequeno jugueton con el que jugaba a las chapadas (James), un perro pequenito muy tierno (Whisky) y una gata loca que nunca se cansaba de saltar por aqui y por alla y de rato en rato saltar sobre la cola de Whisky. 

Disfrutamos juntos de una visita al museo de Chrischurch, caminata por el jardin botanico, unas copas de vino en casa, cena con amigos de Suzie, y el ultimo dia cocinamos un Lomo Saltado como despedida. Muchas gracias Suzie por todas las atenciones que tuviste con nosotros, nos encanto conocerte a ti y tu bella familia. 

I was amazed by how Christchurch is still in a process of recovery from the earthquakes that destroyed a lot of the cities heritage but also huge residential areas and the lost lives of 185 people. I had always taken for granted that a first world country should be able to rebuild a city within months but after 5 years have passed big areas in the CBD are still closed, buildings being demolished and others reconstructed. Such an event in the cities history also leaves scars and marks on its people, its society and its mentality which is not always a bad thing. Take urban development and planning for example, how many cities in the world wouldn't benefit if, after having lived the city for a few centuries, you get a second opportunity for constructing parts of it, solving traffic issues, demolish old and ugly buildings, redesign squares and parks, use newer and better materials where needed and make the city more livable but obviously at a great cost. Nevertheless, we enjoyed Christchurch, the first English city on NZ soil and the first capital, something completely different from the other cities we visited, with neogothic buildings, colleges and parks.

En Christchrch hicimos un tour for tips, donde pasamos por todas las zonas afectadas por el terremoto del 2010 y 2011, aun se podian ver edificios totalmente deshabitados, locales de negocios cerrados, algunas zonas te daban la sensacion de estar caminando por una ciudad fantasma o como si acabase de terminar la guerra, pero por otro lado habian muchisimos muros y paredes decorados con Grafittis, de todo tipo... que fueron permitidos para dar un poco de color a la ciudad despues del terremoto. 

A special merit goes to the North Canterbury Museum, with very interesting exhibitions such as the life and extinction of the giant Moa, the exploration of the South Pole and NZ's share therein and about the life of the early settlers of NZ. It made me wonder, and I would ask myself again several times during the continuation of our trip, what moves people to leave their home, country, family and friends behind, undertake a 3 month sea journey (one way ticket all paid by the New Zealand Company) and leave for that tiny spot somewhere squeezed between oceans on the bottom of the world. The land had to be colonized which means clearing land for farming, opening roads, building huts, enduring the weather and often cut off from supplies....probably a desperate situation at home, belief that a new life can be made somewhere else and a lot of false expectations. Something in common with a young African man, after several droughts and unemployment, getting on a boat being told it will be much better in Europe and than struggling with immigration procedures, being illegal and racism? Nevertheless, NZ was colonized and transformed, through a lot of effort and hardship, into the beautiful country it is now, some people making a fortune some dying a miserable death far away from Home.

En Christchurch nos tocaron varios dias de lluvia por lo que aprovechamos en ir a visitar museos, la galeria de arte, el festival internacional de Buskers (gente que trabaja en la calle y luego pide una colaboracion al publico espectador) habia de todo, gente que cantaba, el marabarista, la elastica, el que hacia pogo, los que hacian reir, etc... juntaron a los mejores del mundo y los presentaban en Christchuch. El ultimo espectaculo que fuimos a ver, era una especie de exposicion fotografica, de un Australiano que anda viajando por el mundo y sacandose fotos donde pretende que cualquier cosa puede ser su miembro viril.... esta exposicion claramente fue a pedido de Johan, quien al final del show poso con uno de los juguetes que habia llevado el australiano para que el publico se tomase fotos tal y como el lo hacia. 

Being in and around a city makes it easier to cope with rain, which is an unavoidable element in a year long trip. Getting into a museum or a cafe, buy dinner instead of cooking, heading into a bar. One of the other interesting topics is the camp site. Campermate, an app for iPhone and Android is our bible, indicating where the camping spots are, which price category, what facilities and then user comments. Our main criteria and bargaining between me and Belen usually turns around hot shower available and good views always keeping price in mind but 2 months in the trip has taken us to no "bad" place, a few "regular" ones, many good ones and than the several to the subdivisions "majestic with hot shower" and "fabulous without shower". Christchurch for example took us to a regular beach side one, a free city center mere-parking-full of young backpackers one and then onto the Banks Peninsula to a "majestic with hot showers one", see next article.......