I spent about 2 weeks in Christchurch, where I was born and grew up, trying to get to know my old city a little bit and applying for as many jobs as I could. I went for quite a few bike rides around the city and was made well aware of the earthquake that ripped the city apart in February 2011. The aftershocks that have been terrorizing the city (imagine being in an earthquake that destroys your city, then feeling little shakes on a near daily basis... if you're in the counseling services it's a good time to be in Christchurch!) have quietened down quite significantly, and I only felt 1 while I was there. It was a little 3.6 magnitude, 8km deep - which is just as important a measurement - that was enough to make me start up and think about what I would do if the shaking were to continue.
Houses on the flat where the ground was poor and 'liquified' were destroyed, as were houses on the hills where rock slides and land slips took their toll. Here, the fancy houses up top must be red stickered - uninhabitable- and a row of containers block rocks from entering the road. It used to be a nice park that I would play in! Since the containers will be there for quite some time, artwork is being put on them.
Life in Christchurch still continues, however, and some people will admit that's the most powerful thing they learned from the quake. Although their city can be absolutely ripped apart, life still continues and people find ways to cope - even if it means living with no electricity or running water. (I mean no offense to any cantabrians, just trying to write what I observed from my time in the city...) It is a beautiful place to live, getting the best of all outdoor aspects of life. There's plenty of ocean windsports (kitesurfing, sailing, windsurfing) with the onshore easterly wind picking up almost every afternoon. Diving in the bay for shellfish and lobster. Mountain biking around the port hills where sheep graze and the old volcanic slopes are terribly steep. The mountains are a 2 hour drive away.
Beach at Sumner looking toward Godley Head - popular for surfers (left) and a view of the Southern Alps across the Canterbury plains from the Port Hills (right).
I got on my bike finally and headed north towards Wellington. My chosen route took me inland away from the busy road along the coast and into the Southern Alps along a rough 4x4 road. Although the grades were absolutely ridiculous and the washboarded road was sometimes quite teeth-chattering, the route was absolutely well worth it. Cars weren't a worry at all I was virtually on my own. The rivers ran so clear I could see every rock (and sometimes fish) at the bottom. I did purchase a 4 piece breakdown rod and a licence and got some fishing in, but no bites yet :( Clean drinking water was not a problem, even if I felt wary about drinking from the main river, there were plenty of streams careening down the steep slopes beside me.
View of the road and my campsite at the base of the peaks straight ahead.
After 2 days in the mountains, I traveled all the way down the Wairau river, seeing open cattle range change into sheep and dairy paddocks, which eventually turned into the heartland of the Marlborough area of New Zealand wine. I passed vineyard after vineyard, some of them powered by wind turbines to pump water from the great river and the ground. I made it to Blenheim after fighting a stiff onshore headwind and 4 magpie attacks.
The Australian Magpie, I must mention now, is the most evil bird I've ever encountered. The birds are black and white, about the size of a crow, have a pointy sharp beaks, and beady red, devil eyes. Some say they have a highly developed song. I think it sounds more like a squawk from a bird that's been a smoker its whole life. The male is highly territorial and I remember, as a child, seeing one going after, and getting a peck at, my 4 year old little sister. They were introduced to New Zealand to control insect pests on farms and were actually protected through the 1950's! Since then, they've been accused of driving out native bird species here and can be legally killed. Common territorial behavior is to drive out any threat to their nest. Apparently bicycles traveling along roads where all humans travel is a threat to the nest. In one hour traveling down the Wairau valley, I fended off THREE attacks. Fortunately, I glimpsed their initial dives out of the corner of my eye and, with a wave of my arm in their direction (they come from above and behind...) they back off for a moment before beginning their next attack.
My first experience with the magpies wasn't so successful and has led to an irrational fear of birds that I'm developing. I was on a day ride around Christchurch and pedaling down the road, minding my own business, all of a sudden was surrounded by a big object flapping and pecking at my helmet. "WTF" I repeatedly called out in utter shock and surprise and started pedaling faster when I turned to see the bird backed off and beginning its next attack. I waved my arm around at it, but to no avail, eventually losing my sunglasses in the middle of the road. I warded off one more pecking, flapping attack before the bird flew away and I circled around to pick up my sunglasses - fortunately undamaged... Any magpie I now see immediately generates a flood of adrenaline as I increase my cycling speed and prepare for battle. In fact, any flap of wings or sudden 'squawk' makes me jump as more adrenaline surges through my system. I dream of ways to destroy the birds from my bike, rather than just fend off the attacks. I still don't have any good ideas - it's hard to fight them when both hands are important to steer and they come from behind. I hate these birds with a passion - so if you have any extermination ideas I'd be overjoyed to hear them...
Through Blenheim I traveled, and I took the long way to get to the ferry to Wellington from Picton. The road, once again, was loose gravel and had horribly steep grades but the views and scenery made it completely worth it. It took my 4.5hrs to travel the 60km scenic route up and down some MASSIVE hills, and made it to the ferry with 15 minutes to spare! Now in Wellington, getting a bit of rest and hopefully some job interviews!
The loose gravel road and a view of the Marlborough Sound on the way to Picton.
To see more about my route and more frequent updates, see my MAP which can also be found at the top right under "Additional Stuff." An app on my new space phone allows me to record GPS locations of where I am and attach a photo and a comment - check it out, it's pretty neat. Keep in mind, the waypoints I leave are connected by straight lines, so you'll have to investigate the map to view the road and the exact route I took. Also more pictures can be found HERE, which is the same link that's accessible under "additional stuff."
