Today was supposed to be a rest and recover day given the travel odyssey to get here. Ha! Hours of walking and thousands of steps later we’ve seen much of central Christchurch.
Christchurch is NZ’s second largest city (~400,000) and is a mix of the old and modern. Sadly a number of the latter buildings were built after a devastating earthquake in 2011. Construction abounds in the city centre with the Cathedral restoration being centre stage. Fingers crossed that the nearby tectonic major fault line remains stable for the foreseeable future.
The downtown core is a neat combination of stores and restaurants with the the highlight being the Riverside market that houses dozens of food vendors covering many of the globe’s core offerings. You could graze in there for day’s without repeating your meals.
Christchurch water supplies are rated among the purest and cleanest in the world. Untreated, naturally filtered water is sourced from aquifers emanating from the foothills of the Southern Alps. Not sure if it’s directly linked but the local coffee is outstanding!
Our walk took us along the Avon river into the very large Hagley Park. That led us to the botanical garden with its amazing assortment of trees, plants and flowers. The colours and scents were spectacular. The wooded area, with species imported from around the world, was eclectic including palms, maple and our favorite, the monkey puzzle from Chile.
Our walk was capped off by wandering through the rose garden with its 174 (!) varieties. Jaw dropping.
The sun is shining, the temperature is up and the forecast is good for at least the start of our hiking tomorrow We will learn the answer to all sorts of questions regarding the other hikers, our guides and our fitness. Wish us luck.
The Bennetts On Tour 