Thursday 2nd Mar Christchurch (29 degrees)

Today we flew from Wellington to Christchurch. Rob was very surprised that there was no security at Wellington airport, before we departed. Anyway, our flight was uneventful and we landed safely in Christchurch. We took an Uber to our accommodation and both of us thought how similar Christchurch was to Adelaide. We were early so couldn’t check in but left our bags at the hotel and met up with our friend Pat who had flown from Adelaide to join us for our tour of the South Island. From our hotel we walked a short distance into the main part of Christchurch and took a tourist tram ride to see the sights of the city. It was a great way of seeing the city and learning about how Christchurch was recovering since the devastating earthquake in 2011. Some of the highlights included the Christchurch Cathedral. For quite a few years it was thought that this iconic building in the centre of the city would have to be pulled down but now it is undergoing a 150 million dollar restoration. Many other buildings had been knocked down and replaced by new buildings made of steel and glass which could stand an 8.2 scale earthquake. The buildings that are being restored will also be able to do this. It really was very impressive. We enjoyed dinner at an Italian restaurant, a short walk from our hotel.

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