Christchurch, New Zealand

We had a nice 3+ hour ferry ride across the Cook Strait (North Island) into the Marlborough Sound
(South Island). We chose not to watch the Grinch movie in the small theater and just napped a bit and
did a little bit of viewing our passage from the deck. We found our tiny rental car upon arrival at our
tiny rental car company. (Jen adds: it’s a rattle trap Nissan hatchback) Car was not locked and the keys
were left for us inside the car. STAY LEFT!! We had a short drive to the next town Blenheim where we
stayed overnight.

We started down the coast towards Christchurch with lovely scenery along the way. Driving on the left
side of the road is not really hard, but the number of times you hit the windshield wipers instead of the
turn signal is somewhat comical. The roads here are hard work. Lots of tight turns. The roads are
mostly crowned in the middle pushing you towards the outside edge of the narrow highways with
mostly nonexistent shoulders. We did not have cruise control, but with the very limited number of
straight stretches it may not have proven all that valuable anyway.

The eastern coastal road is a precursor of many other coastal routes: eye-popping blue water, various
degrees of surf that pounds and sprays, various rock forms in, beside, or at elevation above. Much of
this entire country is some sort of rain forest or tropical desert, valleys of fertile farmland, or towering
mountains, It’s as though God created everything here, then put hands on both coasts and gently
pushed inward. In the photos, you’ll see a windsurfer trying to control the wind. Ha.

The biggest city on the South Island, Christchurch has many stories. As with other large cities (and many other cities in NZ), a river runs through it, the Avon. Some of you may remember the great earthquake in Christchurch in February, 2011, where 185 people died and parts of the city were devastated. Evidence of renewal is in many areas of the city where they’ve needed to completely rebuild. Brand new apartments, homes, high rises, museums, and motel/hotels. There’s a vibrancy and hope that is evident everywhere.

Because we pushed our driving, we were able to get into our hotel early enough to get to the famous
Art Gallery that is open only on limited days. Contemporary to surreal wall-sized art or even video-art
dominate with major emphasis on women artists. The building and contents are almost shiny with
newness and modernity.

Downtown is a Quake Museum that is very well done and heartbreaking with photos, newscasts,
artifacts, and personal interviews from about a dozen people who were unfortunately impacted from
rescuers to those trapped for hours and waiting, sometimes amongst the dead.

The next day was clear, so we found the gondola and rode up 862 meters in 10 minutes. VERY windy at
the top, but well worth the vista. Enjoy the photos.