I thought moving down under from an English winter would result in something that was fairly consistently summer-ish. Instead, we are about to finish day 2 of gale force winds, thousands of properties outside the city have no power and the water on the balcony is several inches deep and rising.
This just about sums it up, courtesy of tvnz:
One thing it is impossible to ignore in Christchurch is the fact there was a big earthquake here. Even if you know nothing about it, just a simple walk around the CBD will hit you in the face with the enormity of it. Three years on, and so much of the city is still destroyed that it seems amazing that people could still feel optimistic.
Speaking to local people, there is a sense this year that whilst things will be sombre on this day, including a minutes silence across the city at 12:51pm to mark the moment the most devastating of the quakes hit, that it is time to look forward. That rebuilding, whilst slow, is underway and that progress will eventually be made.
I’ve always been fascinated by earthquakes and volcanoes so finding this time-lapse map of that day was a good way for me to get perspective of the scale. The first thirty seconds or so, nothing really happens, which actually gives a great sense of how there were no warnings. No sense that before the moment where the clock rolls round to 12:51 there is something big coming.
Something that would end up leaving the city looking like this (courtesy of google):
Even some of those buildings are gone now, with others being demolished around me as we speak.
So yes, as a visitor to the city, I can see how hope can be a little thin on the ground sometimes, but people sure are trying their best.
It never ceases to amaze me how something can take you back so vividly and unexpectedly.
Today was a sunny day, so I went to explore Christchurch Botanical Gardens. There, in the middle, is the rose garden. I had noticed it before, but not really had chance to wander in.
I leant in to take this photograph…
…and the scent that fills the air instantly takes me back to childhood.
My father was a master with roses and for a second, across the miles and the years, it felt like he was right there with me.
I actually stumbled across 185 Chairs by accident. From a distance, apparently a random collection of stuff on a street corner, but up close, a poignant memorial to those who lost their lives in the 2011 earthquake.
Painted white and in all different shapes and sizes, artist Pete Majendie created a quiet space of reflection rising up from yet another space where the city remains desolate. 1 chair for everyone who lost their lives, designed to symbolise the different personalities and making it less anonymous than time tends to render these things.
I confess to shedding a tear as I stood there.
Yesterday was Waitangi Day here in New Zealand. Whilst I find it odd to have a public holiday on a Thursday, I certainly have no complaints.
The weather was amazing, so we decided to have dinner in the park. Which was a perfect excuse to have a meal from what is consistently voted the top eatery in Christchurch: Pedro’s House Of Lamb.
Pedro’s does only one thing, and it does it well. You guessed it, lamb. All from a venue that can only be described as unassuming:
Don’t let appearances fool you. Yes, there is only one thing on the menu, but when something this simple is done so perfectly, there really is no need for anything else. So tonight’s (and every night’s) offering is a whole shoulder of lamb laid on a generous helping of potatoes, all seasoned with garlic and rosemary:
This is (I think), aimed at four people, but the fact there was only two of us was hardly going to be a deterrent. Safe to say, we managed to finish it all whilst sitting on our little bench in the sun, enjoying the park ahead of us. Plus the following picture not only reeks of satisfaction, it gives you a sense of scale that the above picture doesn’t…
One thing I wanted to make the most of while I have some downtime here in Christchurch was the outdoor activities. Not necessarily the intense ones, like cycling and hiking, but the slightly more relaxing ones.
The lead up to coming here was pretty manic, with very little downtime. One thing that being a productivity geek has taught me over the years is the value of that time. The holiday. The time when you completely unplug from work and real life and take some time for dreaming and planning. That little bit of ‘me’ time. Careful planning was important in making this change of life move, but having the space to dream big about it first was the cornerstone.
So, this weekend, while the weather was fine, I managed to take some time out to do just that. First was the Sparks In The Park which had music (some good, some odd) and The Topps Twins (clearly a national institution here but a bit bewildering to the likes of me). As always there was good food, good company and even some lucky people who got to view the whole thing from a hot air balloon:
As you can see, the weather was perfect.
Sunday continued in much the same vein, with the joy of a picnic in the botanic gardens with a few hours of live music playing in the background. There was also free chicken apparently, but it was too hot to stand in a queue on the hope of a free skewer or two. Not when I could be sitting back, planning the outline for the next major thing I intend to write. It is still in the early stages, but the seed of the idea is there and it is beginning to take root.
So, did I have a lazy weekend? Clearly, yes. But in the grand scheme of things, it was both creative and productive as well.
One of the amazing things about being here in Christchurch is the way the locals face dealing with the substantial aftermath of the earthquake. The rebuild process is a slow one for sure, but it is approached with inventiveness and good humour wherever possible.
One of the brightest examples of this is the Re-Start Mall. What do you do when you have no building to host your retail outlet? Why, you take a shipping container, paint it a bright and cheerful colour, then just set up shop anyway!
This kind of optimism and ingenuity is evident everywhere in the city, but this is one of my favourite places so far. It is vibrant, friendly and the epitome of the ‘just get on and do’ spirit. It also shows how, despite the financial and commercial impacts, the sense of art and culture is equally part of the rebuild process. There is a definite feeling that when times are tough, it is more than money that gets you through here. It is the community and the humanities that are playing a significant role – and the writer in me just loves that.
In an attempt to keep things interesting and give me a broader perspective of life here in New Zealand, my body decided to give itself a bacterial infection. In my foot. No idea how, but within a few hours it looked like a red and angry balloon.
Cue my attempt to access New Zealand healthcare having done absolutely no research into this (given my rapid departure over here). I have to say, luckily for me and my foot, the whole process has been remarkably simple. Not to mention cost effective.
First stop: Pharmacy. Amazing (my sister is a pharmacist so I already knew how great they were, but nice to see that it is universal). She gave me a free antihistamine to prevent me from cutting my own foot off to stop the burning, confirmed it definitely needed medical attention and gave me directions to the walk in centre where I would get it seen the quickest.
Second Stop: Medical Centre. Again, excellent service. Put me on IV antibiotics straight away and then arranged a follow up for the next day. All for the sum of NZ$77 (around £40, or US$65).
Third Stop: back to the pharmacy again to fill my prescription for a week of oral antibiotics. Prescriptions here seem a bit more expensive than back home, at around NZ$23. But if it stops my foot falling off, then great.
So, overall, the entire cost of getting my infection under control came to NZ$100. If I have any US followers, I would imagine they simply can’t get their heads around being able to rock up unregistered and get that level of treatment (not using any insurance cover here either) for that price. All done with amazingly friendliness and grace too, which is always priceless.
A giant thumbs up then to the New Zealand Health Service (but thumbs down to its native bacteria which tried to kill me).
About eight weeks ago, a ball started suddenly rolling that has found me leaving a stable job, upping sticks and moving from my nondescript town in England to Christchurch, New Zealand. Needless to say, the preparation time for what can only be considered a momentous, life-changing event was fairly limited.
It has, however, given me an unexpected opportunity to focus on my writing full time, if only for a little while. Where this will ultimately lead I don’t know, but for now I am simply embracing each day for whatever it is.
So, I find myself here for the second time in my life, having first visited Christchurch about nine years ago. That was pre earthquake times and to say it is now a completely different city is somewhat of an understatement. Strange too, that I am here in a non-standard capacity. I don’t have the transient outlook of a backpacker, approaching every sight as an experience to be filed away as a memory before moving on. As it is also unlikely I will be moving on before July, I don’t fall into the slightly more grown up ‘tourist’ category either. Until I get something more concrete than making up worlds whilst in coffee shops, I don’t really classify as a typical worker either.
Hence I find myself trying to fit in to a city that seems just as unsure of itself as I do.
Wide, four lane roads often are shut down to a single carriageway, with the odd car passing here and there. Everywhere rings with the sound of rebuilding but very little actually looks like it has made it to the other side. Entire blocks have been flattened with occasional buildings in the middle remaining as stark and proud survivors.
So, I’ve started this blog to document my time here. It’s not just from a travel perspective, but also to cover my writing as well as my fascination with all things productivity related. A bit of a mish-mash then, rather than driven and focussed but that doesn’t matter to me so much right now. My life and home no longer fit into a nice neat box, so I don’t see why this should either.
Sherri Nicholds 