I know, I know it has been awhile…..

So I left you in Perth…well Australia feels like a life time ago. I have been in New Zealand nearly 2 months now and I have spent the majority of my time in Christchurch, so that is where I will start.

So I am going to split my blog into 2 sections. First I will tell you all about Christchurch, the city post-earthquake and what I have learned from my short stay in this eerie but rising from the ashes city. Then I will talk about stuff less important as in my day to day routines and odd trips here and there.

So as many know I have previously stayed in Christchurch when I did my Contiki tour of the country in December 2010. This happened to be 2 months before the big earthquake hit Christchurch claiming 185 lives. So arriving into Christchurch 2 years later, I had no idea what to expect and what I was going to feel (not an earthquake hopefully). I arrived around midnight on the 8th February and was met by Fiona and her boyfriend Grant who shared their flat with me until I figured out what I wanted to do with myself. As I arrived late and in the dark (and very sleepy), I didn't pay any attention to my surroundings. It wasn't until the next morning, when Fiona and Grant took me on a tour of Christchurch that I got my first look at the damage the earthquake caused. First of all, everything I remember about Christchurch…is gone! Over one thousand buildings have been taken down with many more ready to be demolished. The Cathedral tower that I climbed is gone, the Holiday Inn where I stayed is hidden behind overgrown bush and deserted, the whole city centre is now known as the Red Zone and is all cordoned off. Slowly streets are becoming safer to walk along and the red zone is becoming "smaller". Walking on the outskirts of the red zone, especially in the evening when there are no builders at work, it is very eerie, seeing buildings torn in two, crumbling or boarded up. There are many buildings which have big containers piled up against the walls to stop them coming down (see pictures). I am looking over what I have written so far and I can't do the damage justice. So a little bit of general knowledge about what happened on the 22nd February 2011 at 12.51 when an earthquake, magnitude of 6.3 struck the Canterbury region. With what I have been told, due to the shallowness, this 6.3 shake had the impact of a magnitude 9 earthquake. It occurred on a vault line that no one knew existed. With 185 people killed, this is the second-deadliest natural disaster recorded in New Zealand. So I am hoping that puts a little bit of context behind the pictures and what I am trying to write about. Not only are the buildings in the city centre being demolished but Grant took me on a drive around a few of the housing suburbs in which so many have been abandoned and cut off ready to be taken down. As you may see in the pictures, there is a memorial set up diagonally across from the CTV building where 115 people died (an English school was located in this building). 185 white chairs to represent each person who died on that day, of all types including the saddest of all…a little baby carrier. So what are the plans now for the city…well it is estimated to have 10 - 15 years' worth of construction work in which they have re-designed the city centre. There are many groups trying to save many of the buildings, such as the Cathedral but it looks like there is too much damage to save it…maybe replace it with the cardboard church you are building up the road because that will work/last!!! As many shops and businesses have had to close due to their premises not passing safety inspections…the containers which are used to hold up buildings are also being used to re-open many cafes and shops. The more happening area of Christchurch is known as the Container mall, in which many of the containers have been coloured and jazzed up and are being used as shops, banks and coffee shops. It is very quirky and I really hope they keep it as it will be a reminder that you can pick yourself up and keep going.

Anyway, I have learned so much about Christchurch in the last couple month but I can't remember what else to write and I feel like I am just rambling now. I think the picture of this city is starting to come through but it is a place you need to see with your own eyes. It is constantly changing city and every visit will bring something new.

So what else have I been doing whilst I am just waiting to experience my first earthquake haha (well you might be interested to know, but since the big earthquake 2 years ago…NZ has experienced a minimum of 10,000 earthquakes since)!!! Seriously not joking, just download GeoNetQuake onto your smart phones and you will see when they happen…not that I want anyone to worry hehe. Ok well off topic…so what have I been up too? As well as cementing my daytime/evening T.V schedules, I have visited the Antarctic Centre to watch little blue penguins and experience what it would be like to go to the Antarctic…which involved a lot of Scotland conditions such as snow and wind (cause I miss it so much) but a lot colder (it was a very long 2 minutes). Other activities such as hiking, mountain biking, cinema outings (Lincoln, I recommend) and the odd drunken night out to watch a live band play Irish/Scottish music. I have taken a big liking to Hagley Park which is a dominant feature in Christchurch which holds the botanical gardens; it holds events and has a golf course and every other sports pitch you can think of. I started going for runs there in the morning and walks around the park as it is a beautiful place. I have also managed to take a couple of trips. Fiona took me to a place called Akaroa, which is about a 90 minute drive from Christchurch and is an absolutely stunning place. We ended up there when a cruise ship was in so this small town was buzzing. Fiona treated me to a dolphin watching tour which was brilliant. We had a gorgeous, hot sunny day and perfect conditions for going out dolphin spotting. We saw Hector's dolphins which are only found in New Zealand and are an endangered species. We also saw seals and a lone little blue penguin. I also took a trip up to a place called Kaikoura to go whale watching and hike the peninsula to see the seals. I thought that Kaikoura would be a new place to visit but as soon as I stepped off the bus, I was like "Ok well I have definitely been here before". So I must of stopped of briefly in Kaikoura when I did my tour a couple years ago but obviously never paid that much attention. My whale watching trip was a big success with near perfect conditions again and no sea sickness…woohoo! So the average sighting of sperm whales per tour is 2 whales…so I was deliriously happy when we saw 6 sperm whales plus Dusky dolphins. It was a very good tour and I am very happy I decided to do this whale watching trip than my possible volunteering work I was going to take part in up in Picton which I will explain now.

So most of my time in Christchurch was spent trying to figure out what I wanted to do with myself. I came to New Zealand looking for a start in my career and what career path I wanted to take I was very unsure. I started looking for Zoology related experience and I ended up applying and being accepted to work for a woman doing her PhD up in a place called Picton which is the ferry port for the North Island. This would involve going out on boats and studying whales and dolphins for 3 months. Sounds amazing don't it? Well I could ramble on about how I came to the decision not to go through with it, the bottom line was that she wasn't being flexible and compromising in terms of me needing to find paid work outside of my volunteering work for her. I didn't feel that my work for her would give me any foot in the door in terms of getting work in my field and after I took a trip to Dunedin, the thought of being stuck up North in a place where there is very little, I was definitely heading in the wrong direction. So this has led me to where I am now, in Dunedin. So a couple of weeks after I arrived in Christchurch, I took a trip to Dunedin ("little Scotland") which is 6 hours South of Christchurch. Since December I have been in touch with a guy called Chris Smith who is the curator of a museum based inside the School of Medicine, Otago University and he offered me some volunteering work within the museum as they have a substantial collection of human remains. Therefore I can try and find a career following my Forensic Anthropology degree. After meeting with him on my trip to Dunedin and adventuring around the town on a tour bus and even though it is a university town filled with thousands of students…I feel that it is the perfect place for me. I will talk about Dunedin in my next blog as this one is getting a bit long.

So I think I have gone on long enough. Reading back through this blog and spending 5 odd weeks in Christchurch, I feel like I am missing a lot out and I can't remember what else I have done. It feels like I should have done a lot more with my time if this is all I have to say for my trip so far. Oh and I wanted to add in at this point a big thank you to Fiona and Grant for having me stay with you guys. It was a nice way to get use to a new country to have friends and a comfy place to stay whilst I got settled and I really appreciate it.

Anyway, I am on the right track now here in Dunedin. I have to admit I have been dreadfully homesick this past couple of weeks and wanting to come home but I have a lot of opportunities coming my way in the next couple of months…so I am keeping busy and let good things come in bucket loads!!!!

Missing everyone!

Keep in touch,

Claire xxx