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The clock springs forward two more hours and after a rigorous customs experience we picked up the car. The city suburbs look very British although it's Spring & a little odd to see the trees in beautiful blossom with crocus, snowdrops & daffodils in full bloom - in October!
Our apartment is right in the middle of the city, randomly as we arrived a tram was driving through the shopping mall next door. We went for a quick wander & found a street lined with stores with Spanish influenced houses in candy colours above!
It took a while for us to figure out what was strange. Lots of new buildings, road works and vast open spaces in the city centre with many buildings closed. Then we remembered the earthquake that hit the city, suddenly the regeneration, the old vs the new makes sense. I looked up the details, the quake hit in 2011 and registered 6.3 on the Richter scale, it's surreal and must have been truly devastating to see so much history and life wiped out. They are rebuilding it all, slowly, so sad to see the damaged areas such as Cathedral, the spire is preserved in a metal frame for when they re-build it.
We had a lovely supper in a very busy Italian place & now an early night.
We are on the road early tomorrow for a 5 hour drive to Wanaka but I'm glad we came to say hello to Christchurch, it needs lots of hugs!
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