Sunday, 15 April 2012
Saturday, 14 April 2012
Punting in Christchurch
We decided it would be quirky to go punting in Christchurch along the River Avon. You can only go out with a professional punter and ours was called Joshua, the punt was called Mary! Josh was dressed in an Edwardian suit with a straw hat and punted very well - we complimented him on his skills!
The river was wider, more shallow, cleaner (spring water), and emptier - there was only us on the river!
The cushions were red velvet and it was a very pleasant experience - very relaxing!
it cost 25$ but it was worth it for the experience!
We'll add some photos soon!
Joshua told us that recently they had taken a bridal party along the river in the punt and the Mother of the Bride fell in while she was getting out! The punters were trying not to laugh as the lady was really upset! :-)
The river was wider, more shallow, cleaner (spring water), and emptier - there was only us on the river!
The cushions were red velvet and it was a very pleasant experience - very relaxing!
it cost 25$ but it was worth it for the experience!
We'll add some photos soon!
Joshua told us that recently they had taken a bridal party along the river in the punt and the Mother of the Bride fell in while she was getting out! The punters were trying not to laugh as the lady was really upset! :-)
Friday, 13 April 2012
Akaroa - beautiful scenery of hills and lake
Having survived our first night in a youth hostel (bunk beds, shared room of 4, Anne snoring and Kay waking up at 4am with jet lag), we were glad to be picked up for a day's sightseeing with Thimali, one of Anne's best friend from university, who happens to be living in Christchurch. We drove to Akaroa which was about 90km away, through winding roads through beautiful hills with a Lake at the bottom. It looked like Lake Windermere and Ambleside but more impressive!
Thimali told us that there were 200 people who got killed in the big earthquake, there were 2 previous ones that didn't kill anyone. Around 25% of the Christchurch population have moved away in order to find jobs. The ones that have stayed all have things wrong with their houses post earthquake. The tremors are peculiar to Christchurch and happen fairly frequently! Let's hope there isn't one tomorrow!
We also visited a Farmer's market where you got to sample loads of homemade goodies. We could have spent a lot of money if we had spare space in our rucksack and we were allowed to take food through customs!!!
Tomorrow, we might go to the botanical gardens, see where they do punting tours and go to St Johns church in the evening. We have a link with this church as one of Stag's mission Partners Sarah Lyneham is the women's worker here. Hopefully we will be able to bring greetings from StAG.
Signing out until tomorrow!
But before we go: the answer to yesterday's question (about the Rickshaw) was 1914 - We're sure you knew that already!
Today's question: What is the ratio of sheep to human beings in NZ?
verse from 1 Peter (Anne and I are studying this every day) - "Be holy because I am Holy".
Thimali told us that there were 200 people who got killed in the big earthquake, there were 2 previous ones that didn't kill anyone. Around 25% of the Christchurch population have moved away in order to find jobs. The ones that have stayed all have things wrong with their houses post earthquake. The tremors are peculiar to Christchurch and happen fairly frequently! Let's hope there isn't one tomorrow!
We also visited a Farmer's market where you got to sample loads of homemade goodies. We could have spent a lot of money if we had spare space in our rucksack and we were allowed to take food through customs!!!
Tomorrow, we might go to the botanical gardens, see where they do punting tours and go to St Johns church in the evening. We have a link with this church as one of Stag's mission Partners Sarah Lyneham is the women's worker here. Hopefully we will be able to bring greetings from StAG.
Signing out until tomorrow!
But before we go: the answer to yesterday's question (about the Rickshaw) was 1914 - We're sure you knew that already!
Today's question: What is the ratio of sheep to human beings in NZ?
verse from 1 Peter (Anne and I are studying this every day) - "Be holy because I am Holy".
Impressions of Christchurch city centre
Anne and I watched a film about the highlights of Christchurch on the plane. The reality was very different!
We followed the signs and map to the city centre but every road we wanted to go down was barricaded with signs saying "Extreme Danger- no entry". We had to go a very long way before we could even get near the city centre. When we eventually got near, all we could see for miles was huge piles of rubble, buildings half standing and hundreds of workmen trying to clear the earthquake debris and rebuild their beloved city! The place was deserted apart from workmen. It feel very sad and depressing to be there. Any local businesses that weren't knocked down by the earthquake were closed down for lack of customers.
We struggled to find somewhere to eat - very few cafes or restaurants left - we settled for a kebab from a local van! It was so strange to see the devastation - i hadn't quite appreciated how widespread it was! The most recently printed maps of the city centre include a big red box called the "RED Zone" - this is basically the section of the city that doesn't exist!
It must have made lots of people leave the city looking for work and somewhere new to live - it was a visual reminder of how fragile life can be.
A very sobering visit!
We followed the signs and map to the city centre but every road we wanted to go down was barricaded with signs saying "Extreme Danger- no entry". We had to go a very long way before we could even get near the city centre. When we eventually got near, all we could see for miles was huge piles of rubble, buildings half standing and hundreds of workmen trying to clear the earthquake debris and rebuild their beloved city! The place was deserted apart from workmen. It feel very sad and depressing to be there. Any local businesses that weren't knocked down by the earthquake were closed down for lack of customers.
We struggled to find somewhere to eat - very few cafes or restaurants left - we settled for a kebab from a local van! It was so strange to see the devastation - i hadn't quite appreciated how widespread it was! The most recently printed maps of the city centre include a big red box called the "RED Zone" - this is basically the section of the city that doesn't exist!
It must have made lots of people leave the city looking for work and somewhere new to live - it was a visual reminder of how fragile life can be.
A very sobering visit!
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