Three Days in Christchurch – Day 1

Mom, Dad, and Lindsey arrived in Christchurch later on Thursday than they had originally planned, but Unc’s flights were also somewhat delayed so we had three full days in Christchurch before we would be leaving on our tour around New Zealand.  On Friday, we woke up and went for brunch at a nearby restaurant and then drove to the University of Canterbury campus so I could show them around.  We walked through all the buildings that I spent time in (the engineering core, the new science building, the library, etc.) and then made a loop around campus and ended back at my apartment.  I turned in my room key and said goodbye to the Ilam Apartments.

Next, we parked back at our VRBO home and decided to walk through Hagley Park and the city center, which were very close by.  Many of the flowers are not in bloom and the trees don’t have leaves right now, but the park is still really beautiful and we enjoyed walking around.  Then, we came out on the other side of the park and walked through the city center to Cathedral Square, where the old cathedral still stands even after being severely damaged in the earthquake.  We then made our way over to the new “Cardboard Cathedral” and the nearby playground where we had fun trying out the ziplines, trampolines, and huge slides that are still fun for adults.  There were quite a few interesting buildings that we saw along the way as well.

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That night, we drove to Lyttelton, where there was a Festival of Lights to celebrate Matariki, the Maori new year.  There was quite a bit of traffic, so we ended up missing a couple performances, but were in time for the fireworks.  After the fireworks show, we ate dinner at a nearby restaurant and then walked down the street to check out all the food stands and performances that were part of the festival.