... or: how I once missed an earthquake
To name the people who are to blame for the wonderful days: Frances, Neil and Adam!
I met Frances and Neil on a fantastic cave tour a few years ago on Borneo, but Adam has only been there for nine months. But his smile made the welcome in New Zealand even more cordial!
The house of the three is right on the Port Hills, so you fall almost from the front door in perfect outdoor terrain, not too far away from the coast and overlooking the city.
Of course I could use that, for example with a short hike over the Bridle Path and Mt Pleasant to the neighboring town of Lyttelton.
Christchurch was hit by two major earthquakes in 2010 and 2011, with several thousand aftershocks. The quake of 2011 (185 dead) is considered one of the strongest quakes that ever had an impact on a big city.
Construction and departure therefore shape the city today, only a few years later, logically still. Although a lot is being built, many areas in the city center are still unused.
A famous building is the "Cardboard Cathedral", a replacement for the destroyed historic cathedral. It was built from cardboard and shipping containers.
The museum "Quake City" documents and explains the quakes and their consequences. Who wants to understand the city better in a short time, must look here in any case.
The highlight of a beautiful time here was the joint excursion to the nearby mountains. Here we visited Kura Tawhiti, an unusually-looking field of large limestone cliffs - a dream for hide and seek. Then a little tour on Helicopter Hill, but the highlight of the day was the little adventurous cave tour along the Cave Stream! In full gear (you need proper shoes) always against the current through a small underground river! A little impression in the video below. What fun!
Thanks again to Frances and Neil for the warm hospitality, the concentrated and very helpful local expertise and the entertaining time together including house music, picnics and wonderful dinners!
Oh yes. Incidentally, I was not even on New Zealand floor for 24 hours when I came from the toilet and was asked by my hosts if I felt the mini earthquake ... I had actually "missed" it ?
