ChristChurch, Cricket and Paua Shells

Dropping into the South Island of Christchurch New Zealand we were visiting a city 3 years post earthquake with a serious reconstruction agenda and lots of parking lots.  Much of downtown Christchurch was leveled during their 2011 earthquake and if you are in construction you can make your fortune on the hundreds of work crews that are rebuilding this city from their Central Cathedral to the many homes that were affected by this 6.30 major tremor.   Over 187 people died and they had up to 300 subsequent tremors over the year that followed.  Talk about jangling the nerves of a population.   Given all that, the people are exceptionally friendly, laid back and welcoming.

Our day had started with an overnight flight from Melbourne, which landed at 5am in Christchurch waaaaaaay before anyone was even thinking about getting up and starting their day.  The taxi dropped us at the Burger King downtown thinking it would be the first business to open at 7am.  So we huddled in the eave of the building next store and got a sense of what it would be like to be homeless.  Our motel check in time was 2pm and we were hoping for an early check in.  ( Luckily we had pre-booked! )

We milked our Burger King Flat Whites (coffee) and breakfast till about 9am and then headed off with our wheelies in tow to see if we could check into our City Center Motel.  “Nope, No way.  Didn’t you know The International Cricket Championship Opening is tonite? We have no openings and need to clean the rooms.  2pm is the best that could be accommodated.”  We were given a city map and figured we would zombie our way thru the day checking out the sights and come back at 2pm.

After a rest under the huge pines in Hagley Park, (more like a collapse), we headed to the nearby Canterbury Museum and Botanical Gardens.  The highlight for us was the Paua Shell House which they have managed to reassemble a portion of inside the museum. Mabel and Fred a couple that lived their lives on the souther tip of NZ collected paua shells.  To keep from going crazy with the isolation and the wind, Fred polished them as a hobby.  As he became more enthusiastic about his hobby, the paua shells began to pile up on the floor.  To save their marriage and so Mabel didn’t have to vacuum around them, they decided to hang them on the walls.  They filled the walls of their living room with over 1000 paua shells and all  matter of the bric-a-brac  collected over a lifetime crowded every available surface.  We were so enamored with the zany artfulness of it all we couldn’t help ourselves. When Fred and Mabel passed away their children, rather than fight over the division of the paua shell,  donated the home to the museum.  What a great slice of seashore heaven it proved to be. 

So if you are otherwise  looking to fill your day in Christchurch you stroll thru the Botanical gardens and conservatory, which were lovely. 

Finally a little punting down the river might be in order if you wish to engage a boat to woo your significant other whilst on a slow romantic punt, which we skipped. 

 The container mall is a very ingenuous use of shipping containers, employed to continue retail affairs whilst the town is being rebuilt.  We strolled thru the many different shops and eateries in the container mall, all railroad car size enterprises, had some lamb kabobs and ginger beer and just got into the pace of NZ.

Like small towns in Australia, it is  a bit like dropping back into the 60’s.  Slow paced, easy going and pleasant.  It is almost a “nary a care in the world” kind of psyche here, where no matter what employment the New Zealander is in from shop clerk to gas station attendant,  (yes they still have these), everyone has the time to take the time to be friendly and stop and chat.  And chat as long as you wish about the most mundane things.  A best restaurant, the directions, the  rebuilding of the city, the sport of cricket  etc….  It is so refreshing not to be in a totally screen obsessed reality and really interact with people who just want to be engaging. 

As an additional little bonus surprise,we happened upon the opening of the International Cricket Championship Opening Celebration that first  night we arrived and thousands of  cricket crazed Kiwis filled their Hagley Park to watch the opening festivities and cheer on their Kiwi Team –The Blacks.  Music, a parade, the participating country teams, speeches and all other manner of crowd pleasing fun was had by the attendees, wrapping up with fireworks.

In bed by 11pm we had the longest two days jetlagged and zombified but totally quirky and interesting in the start of our NZ South Island adventure.  What lays ahead??