On to New Zealand!

Before leaving San Diego we felt obliged to visit Old Town San Diego State Historic Park.  Located just two blocks from the Best Western Hacienda, this park commemorates the birthplace of California in an authentic recreation of the city’s history between 1821 and 1872.  Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, Don Sebastian Vizcaino, Father Junipero Serra – names we vaguely remember from grade school history classes – all roamed this section of San Diego.  In 1769 Father Serra founded the first of twenty-one missions in California and the remains sit high above Old Town in Presidio Park.

Old Town Plaza

I was a bit too keyed up over the upcoming trip to really get involved with exploring this park but we gave it our best effort and even joined a short walking tour.  Encircling Old Town Plaza, the cultural and social center of the later settlement, are five restored adobe homes and replicas of many of the buildings destroyed by the fires of 1872.  The reconstructed Colorado House houses the Wells Fargo History Museum with artifacts from its heyday here during the Gold Rush Years of the 1850’s.  An original six-horse Concord stagecoach commands center stage.  The Cosmopolitan Hotel served as a popular stagecoach stop through 1888 though its history dates back to 1827 when it served as the home of Juan Bandini.  Today it is still in operation with ten guest rooms and a charming orchard patio café just perfect for a quick bite to eat before leaving San Diego. 

Daniel, the Hacienda concierge, drove us to the Old Town Transit Center where we boarded the aptly named Amtrak Pacific Surfliner for the three-hour trip north to LAX/Union Station.  The Surfliner hugs the California coastline for many miles; the Pacific Ocean practically licks the train tracks near San Clemente! As we approached Anaheim, we were just yards away from the entrance to the LA Angels ballpark.  But when we arrived at LAX/Union Station we were still a 45-minute FLYAWAY bus ride away from LAX!  We arrived at Terminal 2 for our 9:45 Air New Zealand flight to Auckland with three hours to spare!

 

Depart LAX 9:45PM Thursday, August 28, 2014 aboard flight NZ1 on a 777-300 aircraft

Flight Time: 12 hours 8 minutes                Flight distance: 6,523 miles

Cross International Date Line and forget about Friday!

Arrive Auckland 5:40AM Saturday, August 30, 2014

 

We cleared Immigration at Auckland Airport without a hitch and made our way to ‘Baggage Reclaim’ where huge banners advised passengers to “Dispose, Declare Now or Pay $400 Fine” if carrying used outdoor sporting goods or any sort of food stuffs including packaged foods.  Much to Frank’s disbelief, my Catholic school upbringing demanded that I declare the two cereal bars and one box of yogurt raisins remaining in my carry-on.  The customs agent smiled at my declaration form and sent us on our way. But the maddeningly long wait to clear customs had cut our two hour layover before our flight to Christchurch to a mere 30 minutes! 

With forty-pounds each of unwieldy luggage in tow, we began the l-o-n-g trek following the ‘blue line’ (which was actually green) marking the footpath (aka sidewalk) that meandered through parking lots and construction areas before reaching the Domestic Departure Terminal for Air New Zealand.  Somehow we got separated!  I had no idea where Frank had gone and, just as panic was starting to set in, I realized that he was not going to get very far without me as I was holding all the travel documents!  So I stayed put and let him find me.  Then it was a mad dash to dump our luggage at the baggage drop and still get through security to the departure gate where, much to my surprise, our flight was waiting.

We were still dressed in our warm weather shorts and t-shirts.  As we flew over the snow-capped Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand, I thought ‘uh-oh, now I see why all the New Zealand passengers are dressed in flannel shirts, woolen sweaters and scarves.’  Even though it is just about spring time here, the temperatures are still on the chilly side.  We would definitely be needing those sweatshirts and jeans that were safely packed in our inaccessible luggage.

Snow-capped Southern Alps as seen from the air during our flight to Christchurch

Just over an hour after leaving Auckland we arrived in Christchurch.  Pharrell Williams’ Happy was cheerfully playing over the PA system at the Baggage Reclaim carousel.  We were now at the starting point of our New Zealand adventure!  Time to find our hotel.

The temperature in Christchurch was a balmy 52 with overcast skies and a bit of light drizzle.  As we waited for the #29 bus outside the airport, we chatted with a young college student from Dunedin.  He told us of his trip a few years back to Wisconsin, but all he could remember of his time there was a visit to WalMart!?!? 

The Grange

The Grange is a small boutique B&B and eight-room motel on Armagh Street.  The perky desk clerk was happy to see us and showed us to our nicely appointed room which would be our home for the next two nights as we get our bearings and make final plans before picking up the RV.

New Zealand is comprised of two main islands – North Island and the larger South Island.  It is one of the most isolated and least populated countries in the world.  The North Island is home to 2/3 of the country’s 4 million people and is the center of Maori and Polynesian culture.  The first Maori settlers arrived on huge canoes in the 13^th century.  They called the land Aotearoa, Land of the Long White Cloud.  In 1642 Dutch explorer Abel Tasman arrived naming the land Nieuw Zeeland.  European settlement started in 1769 with the arrival of Captain James Cook.

Christchurch, the largest city on the South Island and the provincial capital of Canterbury, was hit by a series of major earthquakes that began in September 2010 and culminated with a 6.3 magnitude quake in February 2011 that destroyed much of the inner city.  Signs of rebuilding are everywhere – cranes tower over massive construction sites, scaffolding and metal beams shore up the sides of damaged historic buildings, scarred remains of hundreds of other buildings await demolition and many streets remain closed to traffic.  Once known fondly as The Garden City, many locals now refer to it (still fondly) as Quake Town.

 

The devastation is still evident three years later

Notice the dome from a church sitting on the ground

Cathedral Square lies in the heart of the city of Christchurch and is dominated by the Anglican Christ Church Cathedral.  Begun in 1864 and completed in 1904, the neo-Gothic cathedral served as the focal point of the 1850 Anglican settlement in Canterbury, a slice of England transplanted on New Zealand’s far shores.  Until the earthquake of 2011, the cathedral stood as the city’s most important landmark.  For now, it lies in ruins – the tower of the original cathedral collapsed, the iconic rose window was destroyed and the whole Cathedral cracked like a plate.



Christ Church Cathedral in ruins

The congregation of Christ Church Cathedral still needed a place to worship.  They contacted Japanese architect Shigeru Ban who is known for his famous “emergency architecture” buildings.  He designed (pro bono) the Transitional Cardboard Cathedral to replace the damaged one.  Yes, that’s right, a cardboard cathedral!  It is constructed of 96 cardboard tubes, local wood and steel, with a concrete floor and a polycarbonate roof.  And it is built to withstand another earthquake.  The doors opened in August 2013. The day we visited just happened to be the day of the Dedication of the building as a Transitional Cathedral; we were invited to attend the pot luck luncheon that would follow the morning service.  We would have loved to attend but we had so much more on our to-do list yet to complete.

Transitional Cardboard Cathedral

Around the corner from the Cardboard Cathedral is a memorial to the 185 people who perished in the earthquake – 185 Chairs.  Each chair is painted white and is unique to the individual memorialized there.  An infant car seat, a wheelchair, numerous desk chairs, rocking chairs, stools – a somber reminder of all that happened to this once vibrant city in 2011.

185 Chairs

Life goes on!  There are several very unique reconstruction sites in the downtown area.  One particularly noteworthy site is The Re:Start Mall where shipping containers have been strategically placed along Cashel Street near the unscathed Ballentynes Department Store and repurposed as shops, trendy boutiques, a book store, a bakery, a post office and even a few mobile banks.  A bright and colorful display of ingenuity! 

A view of Re:Start Mall with a Greening the Rubble space visible in lower right

 

The charitable organization Greening the Rubble has taken small spaces left vacant by demolished buildings and filled them with quirky creations, a sort of mini mini pocket park.

Every building has a ‘quake tale’ to tell.  Café Valentino (where we paid an exorbitant price for a pizza and wine) has pre- and post-quake pictures surrounding the ‘lone survivor’ of the quake – an unbroken, but battered bottle of Penfold’s wine. 

 Our Grange B&B was spared and the owners are proud to let you know.  They advise that in case of an earthquake "stay in your room – do not run outside.  The rooms have been built to a very high standard. . .over the last 24 months they have suffered no damage in some of the very large shakes.  Practise Drop, Cover and Hold Techniques until the shaking stops.”  Good to know J

 

While the people of Christchurch are said to be upbeat about the future of the city, I was finding it a bit depressing to be surrounded by so much devastation.  I was anxious to pick up the RV tomorrow and hit the road!