We ended our six week trip to New Zealand’s South Island with five days in Christchurch. Christchurch suffered a devastating earthquake on 22 February 2011, and they are still feeling the effects. The February 2011 earthquake came six months after another big one, so the buildings and infrastructure were already weakened. It also was on a previously unknown fault line and had simultaneous vertical and horizontal ground movement, making it more destructive. 15 years later and there is still a lot of ongoing construction and empty lots. The city is small and very quiet, especially after 6pm, though has plenty of restaurants and shops as well as beautiful parks and many wonderful playgrounds, including the famous Margaret Mahy playground. While we really enjoyed the walkability and safety of the city and had a great visit, it did feel a bit too quiet for us long term.

On Monday, we drove into the CBD (central business district) and quickly realized that it was so close to our townhouse, we could have walked. We took a ride on the historic tram, checked out New Regent Street where the tram drives straight through, played at the playground, marvelled at the beautiful street art and had a delicious sushi meal. A great introduction to the city!

After dinner we drove about 30 minutes to Godley Head where we went on a short walk that’s part of Taylors Mistake trail. The girls were not feeling a long hike (and it was getting late) but I’m so glad we ventured over there. The views were incredible and it was nice to breathe the salt air.

On Tuesday after school, we headed over to the Willowbank Wildlife Reserve to see some native New Zealand wildlife, including the ever-illusive Kiwi bird. We had a nice afternoon wandering around the conservation park and got to feed eels (eek!), deer, birds and farm animals. We also saw wallabies hopping around and caught a glimpse of the kiwis in the nocturnal house. It was a great way to learn a bit more about some of New Zealand’s unique wildlife. Afterwards, the younger girls and I headed back to the amazing library in the city centre and the huge playground we had visited the day before.

On Wednesday we went to New Brighton Beach, about 15 minutes away from where we were staying to He Puna Taimoana Hot Pools. It was fabulous! There were five different pools of different temperatures including a very very cold plunge that we all braved at least once. The pools were located right on the beach so we had a lovely view as we relaxed. While in New Zealand we took advantage of some of their numerous hot springs and, as Olivia pointed out, went to one in the mountains, one on a lake and finally this one at the beach. How fun! Afterwards we played at the playground, checked out the local library and ate a delicious meal at Yak & Fern, a Nepali fusion restaurant. A great afternoon!

On Thursday after school, the girls and I walked into town to the Quake City museum. It was fascinating! Very well done. It was informative, interesting, interactive and heart-wrenching. We could have spent a lot longer exploring but ran out of time. It was raining, so we headed back to their beautiful library to hang out while we waited for Steffen to join us. All of us went to the Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre for the Banksy exhibit. It was thought-provoking and poignant. And maybe a little too much for Luisa. Oops. But a very interesting and informative afternoon out.

These last two photos show how they were able to restore the building with a modern building and the traditional facade.

Sadly, on Friday, January 16th it was time to bid adieu to Christchurch and New Zealand. We checked out of our accommodation and had a few hours before we needed to be at the airport, so we spent some time exploring the International Antarctic Centre. It was pretty cool! We saw a couple of Kororā (Little Blue Penguins) that had been rescued, went into storm simulator where we experienced cold temperatures made even colder with a wind chill machine, and learned a lot about how climate change is impacting Antartica and, consequently, the rest of the world. We ended our visit with a pet for the huskies and a ride on a Hägglunds, an all-terrain amphibious Antarctic vehicle. Then it was time to return the rental car and hop on our short flight to Melbourne, Australia.

The six weeks in New Zealand just flew by! We experienced so much amazing natural beauty, learned a lot about the country, enjoyed some wonderful hospitality and noticed how much more relaxing traveling is in a country that feels familiar. We all hope to return one day!