In March of 2005, we spent a little over three weeks in Sydney, Australia and New Zealand. My cousin had offered us vouchers for greatly reduced flights to Down Under. I wasn't sure I wanted to go because it seemed like such a long flight and I was expecting New Zealand to be like Hawaii and Sydney to be like Chicagoland where we were from. However, Art said, "Sure! We'd love to go."Thus on our next trip to visit my mother, we divided our vacation between Hawaii and AUS/NZ. It turned out to be one of our most favorite trips. Not only were the people so very friendly and kind, but the scenery was spectacular, awesome, amazing, fantastic. Someone told me once that driving around NZ would take extra long because you'll forever be wanting to stop the car to take photos. So true!
Art did a little research and learned quickly why Australia is considered a continent. He decided that it would cost too much to fly to different tourist spots in Australia. Instead, he said we'd spend two weeks driving through the North and South Islands of New Zealand and one week in Sydney.
Hotels are very expensive Down Under so we decided to stay in Youth Hostels. We spent two days in Christchurch, New Zealand and stayed at the Rolleston House YHA. We loved it there. We found that we had planned too short a stay in Christchurch because there were so many wonderful things to experience there and we hadn't been able to spend as much time as we wanted at their botanical garden.
That's the Canterbury Museum that we visited and could see across the street from our hostel window. We took the convenient free yellow shuttle to many of the sights in Christchurch (including the Canterbury Brewery).
The devastation we've been seeing on TV after the recent Christchurch earthquake breaks our hearts. We met so many lovely, friendly people in New Zealand and hope they're all OK. This photo was taken at Cathedral Square.
It startled me to see this photo shown on TV and on the web. I'm wondering how all the other places we'd seen fared. It's such a shock!Oahu just had a 3.6 earthquake on February 24th. That really startled us. The Big Island gets these small quakes every so often because of the live volcanoes, but not us. What is going on with our world?
I have never been Down Under, but everyone I know who has gone tell me it's just a wonderful place to visit. And what's going on with our world? I myself have asked the same question and have no answers. Glad you were able to see those places when you did.
ReplyDeleteNature does terrible things, sometimes but I always wonder why people go back and build again when there's been such devastation.
ReplyDeleteI agree there have been so many disasters lately all over the world! I feel for the people of ChristChurch! I have never been to New Zealand but I have heard it is absolutely beautiful. It is such a shame!
ReplyDeleteA friend, who was born and raised in Australia/New Zealand, is going to fly to North Island on Friday for her nephew's wedding. We are relieved that her family does not live on South Island, where the devastation occurred.
ReplyDeletewow what a shocker to see the before and after cathedral damage...
ReplyDeletesuch massive devastation, they say the city was levelled.....I hope that is an exageration...
ReplyDeleteHow fortunate you got to vist such a marvelous place. The recent earthquake there is just horrific. So tragic seeing the differences in that church.
ReplyDeleteI have two blog buddies from NZ who missed the quake's damage but of course are affected by it.
I felt my first quake ever this past week. A 4.7 hit about 70 miles from here but was strong enough to be felt in 4 states.
It makes us realize we are completely subject to nature's pleasure.
I am so glad you got to visit there, see so much that will probably never be quite the same! Sounds like such a wonderful trip/place! Have always wanted to visit there and Australia and now that I have numerous blogging friends in the area, I would love to visit even more. So shocking to see the before and after photos of the cathedral! Thanks for sharing these, Kay! I find myself wondering what is going on with our world, too!! Take care and have a great day/weekend!
ReplyDeleteSylvia
When we see only the rubble after a disaster, we often don't get to know about the original beauty of a place. Your blog shows us that.
ReplyDeleteI have heard that New Zealand is a remarkable, beautiful place. I don't know If I'll ever get there or not.
Kay, your photos are super, and seeing the one of Art there really makes Christchurch a reality. I've been to Australia but never to New Zealand, and if I ever visit this city in the future, it will be a completely different experience from the pleasant one you had.
ReplyDelete-- K
Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel
it sounds such a dream trip, Kay. So sad to see the earthquake devastation.
ReplyDeleteOur hearts and aloha are with them!
ReplyDeleteAloha from Waikiki
Comfort Spiral
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What a picture. believe they felt their structures were OK after they survived a stronger one with little damage just recently.
ReplyDeleteWe missed the last "big ones" on the big Island, because we were in Paris! There was a lot of damage but no deaths. Our retaining wall was damaged, and photocopy machine broken.
I've never been through anything stronger than a 5.5 in California and a 5.5 here, and I'm hoping my luck holds.
My blog friend Deb (Works in Progress on my blog list) is in Christchurch. I have been following her blog during this, and it has been heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time.
ReplyDeleteThe photo truly is heartbreaking. I'm so glad you were able to make the trip. It looks like such a beautiful place.
ReplyDeleteGood that you went while Christchurch was still standing. Much of that central section is going to be demolished soon.
ReplyDeleteYou'd be impressed by this story of how Chabad House saved their Torahs and how the rabbi got all the Israeli backpackers into one park right after the earthquake and had them call worried parents back home in Israel.
http://www.jpost.com/JewishWorld/JewishNews/Article.aspx?id=210750
Yes NZ is wonderful for it reminds me of my favourite country: Norway.We were mainly on the South Island. And saw so many beautiful places and did many things: Mouraki Boulders, Queenstown, Te Anau, the glaciers, Picton and the whaling trips.
ReplyDeleteYou asked about the aquaducts in my country. A waterway over a canal. It was already done 2000 years ago by the Romans. I remember one in Sweden, which was leaking a bit. It is a strange thing, isn't it?
I feel bad about the earthquake in NZ, however and unfortunately it is inevitable since the Earth is still young... I hope that we have a relatively small earthquake more often and release energy bit by bit, not to cause a fatal disaster...
ReplyDeleteYes, we have been having 7.0's and 3.5's a lot lately.....inland in the Mexican desert. Thank you for the pictures of that beautiful architecture.
ReplyDeleteHow devastating - literally and figuratively. So many lives lost.
ReplyDeleteI think there have always been quakes like this -- the difference now is that we all hear about weather - related catastrophes as soon as they happen.