New Zealand Adventure

Birmingham (UK) to Christchurch (New Zealand)

Hello Dear Followers – yes, Peter & Marilyn are travelling again!.  New Zealand has been on our bucket list for some time, so we decided to bite the bullet!   There was a LOT of flying  (not good for our carbon footprint, I know!) as we made our way to the other side of the globe.   Emirates treated us well  . . . .  Birmingham to Dubai, a seven-hour flight . . .  A quick transfer through Dubai airport (which is like a small city!) where we boarded an Airbus A380 (600 passengers!)  for the sixteen-hour (yes 16!) flight to Sydney, Australia.  We were lucky enough to fly Premium Economy – what a joy! Comfy seats with extra leg room, great food and lovely service.  Only one step up from economy but so worth it! 

We chose to stopover for two nights in Sydney  a) because we love the city and b) to give our bodies a chance to recuperate a little from jet lag.  Glorious summer weather (28C), along with seeing our dear friends who flew down from Queensland to spend the time with us, made our visit to Sydney as good as ever.  We enjoyed the Botanical Gardens once again – such a joy to see summer flowers and lush greenery after the miserable grey UK winter.

 

During the evenings we joined the happy crowds around Darling Harbour, luxuriating in the balmy warmth over a meal.  By sheer fluke, our visit coincided with Australia Day, and we were delighted to share a traditional Ozzie barbecue with our goddaughter and her family in the suburbs.  It was a real treat, mate! 

Christchurch.  We finally landed in New Zealand after a further three hour flight from Sydney.   Christchurch is NZ’s second largest city with a population of 390,000.  As most of you will remember, the city centre and surrounds were badly hit by an earthquake in 2010, with aftershocks lasting into 2011.   Rebuilding is still going on, both business and residential, the aim being to regrow the city to a population of nearer 900,000.  There are very few tower blocks, and all new builds are being built to withstand earthquakes. 

Christchurch is known as ‘the garden city’ with its 1200 green areas  – beautiful parks full of colour and fountains, along with the meandering River Avon add to its charm.  Vintage tramcars trundle around the city passing many heritage buildings.

 

The city feels unmistakeably British – not surprising really, as it was founded by 750 Brits (all approved by the Church of England) who arrived on four ships, having endured 99 days of ghastly conditions at sea from Gravesend in 1850.  They proceeded to develop the land around the river.  One hundred and seventy-five years later it’s thriving and working hard to regain its notoriety and importance.

We move on tomorrow  – could I remind those of you who have not yet subscribed to the blog . . .it is very easy to subscribe – just follow the link on the right hand side of my blog, where it asks you to enter your email address.  You will NOT be inundated with emails (I promise!).  But when you subscribe, you will receive an email with my latest entry whenever I publish one  (approximately every 4-6 days) .  This saves you having to remember to check the blog – and we all know how bad our memories are these days!!