Christchurch
We agreed to meet after lunch with our friends, which allows us to visit downtown Christchurch this morning.
We are around the corner from "Hagley Park" huge park of 160 hectares where we can attend a rugby or cricket match and play golf on a large course.
Then we follow a tour " discovery " detailed in our guide.
* Canterbury Earthquake National Memorial: A long white wall with the names of earthquake victims engraved on it.
* Cathedral Square where the Christchurch Cathedral is located. It was heavily damaged in the 2011 earthquake. Renovations are very expensive and time-consuming.
* New Regent Street: Dating back to the early 1930s, this street’s architecture has Spanish colonial influences with its not very high and colorful buildings.
* Quake City Museum: Through many testimonies, objects or videos, this museum explains what the locals experienced during the hours, days and months that followedthe earthquake.
Then we have lunch at the "Riverside Market". A trendy market with its stands of food and coffee. We choose a Thai restaurant ... Original!!!
We meet up with Léonie and Erin for the rest of the program. Still exploring the city’s outer areas, including a coastal defence site.
During the second world war, the New Zealanders built these sites along their coasts in case of attack by the Japanese or the Germans.
In the late afternoon and before leaving, we make a last point on our journey in the South Island.
We will meet at the end of February in their home following their invitation.
Tomorrow begins our adventure on the roads of New Zealand in a campervan.
Christchurch
It is a very british city crossed by the river "Avon" and filled with green space whose nickname "the city of gardens"
Before the arrival of the Europeans in about 1840, it is inhabited by Maori tributaries. Then it becomes officially a city, the first in the country, in July 1856.
Yet, it remains in everyone’s minds like the New Zealand city that suffered terrible earthquakes in 2010 and especially in 2011. The latter destroyed a large part of the neo-Gothic buildings in the city centre.
Today she has healed her wounds and is gradually rebuilding.
Resilience and creativity have been the lifeblood of Christchurch since the earthquake. While reconstruction is slow, original initiatives are giving new impetus to the second city in New Zealand.
We have an appointment with Leonie and Erin, our New Zealand friends that we met at the "Galapagos".
They helped us to set up a complete circuit while we were preparing our trip to NZ.
At 10 o'clock, the reunion is full of emotion ...
We let ourselves be led to discover the outside of the city.
Unfortunately the bad weather is coming along as well as the rain ... It’s a hame as the surroundings look very beautiful.
We take refuge in a restaurant for lunch by the sea, waiting for the good weather to come back.
Back on the road, we head to "Ohinetahi House and Garden"
A beautiful private garden where art is hidden in every corner. Several sculptures are spread among the flower beds of all colors. Away from the crowds a haven of peace.
We are invited by friends of Leonie and Erin to share a barbecue ... We spend a pleasant evening in their company in their gigantic and beautiful house.
Back to the apartment at the end of the evening.
Christchurch
After having picked up our luggage, we change terminals for our flight to " Christchurch " .
While waiting for our scheduled departure at 9:00 am, we take a break at " Dunkin Donuts " to wake up!!!
Our plane is 1 hour late and we land under a rather sunny sky ...
We rented an apartment for 3 nights. It will be ready only at 3 pm. We have to leave our luggage in a lockerrrom.
We take a short walk around the city before entering our rental
We spend the rest of the afternoon resting and at the end of the day we do some shopping for the coming days.
Back to the flat under a pouring rain.
Puerto Montt / Auckland
We have a long way to get to " Christchurch.
We start the day by packing our bags with always the same question: What clothes should we take?
In New Zealand the seasons are similar to ours, but reversed. So we arrive during the summer and leave in autumn.
Having rented a small " Campervan " we can’t overcharge ... We bring clothes for both seasons.
We drop our camper in its storage in front of the airport and join it to catch our flight from 18:14 to Santiago
After a transfer of 4 h 40 which went quite quickly, we board at 00H40 to Auckland that we reach after a 12 hours flight.
We land on January 26th at 5:40 am, a 16-hours jetlag with Chile and 12-hours jetlag with France
We arrive under a gloomy and rainy sky.
Erntry to New Zealand is very strict. Like any island, it prevents contamination from the outside. Customs have very strict control procedures. For example, we must declare our hiking boots or we will be fined NZ 400
ROAD BOOK 199
MAVROS ODYSSEE