Island Hopping - November 16

 New Zealand has two main islands - the North Island and the South Island - and several hundred smaller islands. Although the South Island is larger, around 75% of the population lives on the North Island. The North Island and South Island are separated by 14 miles of rough water, known as Cook Strait. (Yes, that’s the same Captain Cook who visited Alaska and Hawaii.) Cook Strait can be crossed by ferry, or by air, as we did. We flew by turbo-prop from Rotorua’s tiny airport to the more substantial airport serving Christchurch, and thus commenced the South Island portion of our tour.

We arrived at our hotel around 2:00 pm, hungry, tired, and thirsty. Alas, our rooms were not ready, so we had to go on a walk with Gavin without first getting a few moments in our rooms to collect ourselves and prepare, as we had been expecting. For example, I needed to unpack our sunscreen, the map of Christchurch Gavin had given us, and other miscellaneous items, in order to feel ready to spend an hour or two walking around. Most of all I wanted a drink of water. Because we flew, I had dumped out my water in Rotorua. We had to leave our unlocked carry-on bag and backpacks, as well as our checked bags in a big pile in the lobby. As usual, I had packed my iPad and other electronics in the carry-on, as well as my medications, and I did not feel very good about just leaving them.

Gavin said we could stop somewhere to buy water, but after 15 minutes of walking we had not had a a chance to do so. Ken ran across a street and bought some for me. Five minutes later, Gavin showed up with a case of water from a grocery store. He had thoughtfully brought water for all of us, while leaving us to look around in a little square. I wish he had told us. I had gotten so dehydrated from the 2-hour flight, plus the waiting in the airport that I was feeling very cranky by that point.

Christchurch is the second largest city in New Zealand, at about 400,000. In 2011 Christchurch suffered a devastating earthquake. The quake killed 185 people and the damage to structures was widespread. 

One of the monuments marking the 2011 Earthquake

The iconic Christchurch cathedral was severely damaged. It was torn down and is now being rebuilt. A transitional cathedral, known as the Cardboard Cathedral, serves as a temporary place of worship. 

The Cardboard Cathedral

There are still vacant lots downtown, thanks to the earthquake. But there are some new buildings and a cute little area where a maze of alleyways lead to restaurants, shops, and a bustling market. 

A temporary park on a vacant lot where there was once a downtown building

This defiant clock tower has not succumbed to earthquakes. The building used to be the Chief Post Office.

The Isaac Theatre Royal is named for philanthropist Diana, Lady Isaac. It was restored after the earthquake and remains a popular venue for performing arts.

The hop-on-hop-off tram system offers several loops. We didn’t have time to take a ride, but it looked like fun.

There are a number of beautiful murals and lots of public art. Many of the pieces of art seem to suggest brokenness or shattering. 

This is a little hard to see. It is a gold-colored sculpture balanced on four wires. If you stand in the right spot, it will look like the spire of the fallen Christchurch Cathedral.

The streets and sidewalks of the CBD emptied out pretty quickly after 5:00 pm. We walked back for dinner, thinking we’d try one of the inviting restaurants there. We tried a few, but we were told over and over that we had to have a reservation. It was very disappointing. We finally wandered back to the market where there is a small food court. We ate Nepalese dumplings. They seemed very similar to Chinese and Korean dumplings we have eaten.

Inside the market

Today’s fabric is Prism II Granite 883, by James Dunlop for James Dunlop Textiles.