As it happens, routine has set in. I, Liz, have been working six days a week starting at five or six and Morgan works Monday to Friday from 8 to 5:30. We don't see much of each other if you can imagine. Like ships passing in the night.
So, routine. It tends to take hold and before you know it, weeks are just passing you by.
We have been away for four months now and its been an unexpected journey. Life plans just never stop changing do they? We just keep adapting, that's a sign of health I think. Well if I become an expert on anything during this year it is going to be finding peace in the change, the unknown.
Recently things have been changing quite a bit. I'm no longer happy here. I've been seriously trying to find my place here in this tiny town and I have finally accepted that it's not going to happen. I try going out more, not going out at all, yoga, cooking, long walks, sleeping enough, you name it. After much thought I have decided to leave New Zealand.
I have been away from my family, my home, long enough to know how unbelievably integral to my well being that they are. I know I am not ready to go back yet but I do know how precious this time away from them is. I am feeling like I constantly sacrifice by being away from them. This has been a good thing for me, strengthening, yet I know I am not doing this to be unhappy in a town across the world. So I am going to Australia. Morgan and I have some thinking to do over the next couple of weeks because of course we face the decision of moving on together or parting ways for the time being. Morgan is in a different place then I am with her schedule and liking the town more then I do. However she might feel as though its her time as well. The thought of moving on without Morgan is scary for both of us so we will be deciding soon.
I have learned that my family is the most important part of my life. And while it makes this journey a difficult one, it also gives me sight into remaining myself and making the hard decisions to bring myself happiness no matter what uncertainties it might bring.
So, Australia it is... specifically Sydney for now. Who knows if I will feel more isolated or elated to be in a bustling eccentric city. As my wonderful mother told me yesterday, "If I don't take the next step then I will never know what step to take after that"
As Ever,
Lizzy
Monday, July 22, 2013
Monday, June 10, 2013
Nightmare on Mallaghan St.
I'm going to begin by apologizing for the long break in blogging. Morgan and I have had an interesting few weeks and I think any time we managed to get to a computer it has been spent looking ferociously for a job.
That being said, I'm just going to dive right in.
The Job Hunt.
I was speaking to my friend Peter before arriving to Queenstown and I told him my time line for getting a job.
-Arrive Wednesday
-Find a job by Friday
-Begin work on the Monday
The very first hiccup was that we didn't even arrive in Queenstown till Friday. I should have known this would be the pattern of our five week hunt for jobs, things never turn out as you plan.
Anyway. We dropped our CV's to every damn hotel in the area, we searched the web, emailed resumes, went into bars. In the beginning people wouldn't even take our CV's. We remained positive though.
In the meantime we found a crazy little house to live in. Upon moving in, each tenant receives one fork, one knife, a spoon and a tea spoon, one bowl, one big plate and one small plate. You're given one shelf in the kitchen for your food (although Morgan and I somehow ended up with three between us!). We were given a set of bedding as well. It's funny though because, although our room is tiny and we sleep in the squeakiest bunk bed ever created, I'm pretty sure an infant constructed it, we were both so excited to set up our space. I have my little trinkets displayed... my aunt Sue's gift of stones is organized just so, right beside sea shells and rocks that I've slowly collected. We taped our pictures to the border of the window. It consists of cards that my sister Beck has thoughtfully crafted with love, a picture of my dad at the age of four, a sweet photo of Katherine and Ronan looking at each other and laughing. I have truly come to value space. A sacred space which brings peace and stability only by intentionally naming it as such. We make our beds in the morning and we put our hot water bottles under the covers before climbing into a toasty bed. I selflessly chose the top bunk and Morgan reassured me that we would switch half way through, we work together like a well oiled machine.
We met our roommates which have slowly changed as travelers who are ending their summer here are replaced by those arriving for the winter. We have quickly become a family. We make dinner for each other. we go out together, we clean up after each other, we fight for shower time. It's definitely not cut out for everyone but we actually feel at home here.
I have a feeling we are going to have some crazy stories when all is said and done...stay tuned.
We've spent our time here hiking, driving to small towns and taking in views, searching for jobs, cooking good food, and enjoying the nightlife.
One of our roommates found an article about our lovely home and if you dare, you should read it. Just so our parents don't freak out I must say its not quite as bad as this article implies.
Nightmare on Mallaghan St.
More details to come about the banter and shenanigans that we get into. Episodes include a mattress on fire, late night burger frenzies, and even a live-in thief.
Our good friend Antoine has jokingly nick named us MoMo and Crazy.
MoMo caught on after a few Captain MoMo's and cokes.
Crazy caught on after I mistakenly made a point by starting with the line "Call me crazy but..."
Language is a funny thing.
Untill next time,
MoMo and Crazy
That being said, I'm just going to dive right in.
The Job Hunt.
I was speaking to my friend Peter before arriving to Queenstown and I told him my time line for getting a job.
-Arrive Wednesday
-Find a job by Friday
-Begin work on the Monday
The very first hiccup was that we didn't even arrive in Queenstown till Friday. I should have known this would be the pattern of our five week hunt for jobs, things never turn out as you plan.
Anyway. We dropped our CV's to every damn hotel in the area, we searched the web, emailed resumes, went into bars. In the beginning people wouldn't even take our CV's. We remained positive though.
In the meantime we found a crazy little house to live in. Upon moving in, each tenant receives one fork, one knife, a spoon and a tea spoon, one bowl, one big plate and one small plate. You're given one shelf in the kitchen for your food (although Morgan and I somehow ended up with three between us!). We were given a set of bedding as well. It's funny though because, although our room is tiny and we sleep in the squeakiest bunk bed ever created, I'm pretty sure an infant constructed it, we were both so excited to set up our space. I have my little trinkets displayed... my aunt Sue's gift of stones is organized just so, right beside sea shells and rocks that I've slowly collected. We taped our pictures to the border of the window. It consists of cards that my sister Beck has thoughtfully crafted with love, a picture of my dad at the age of four, a sweet photo of Katherine and Ronan looking at each other and laughing. I have truly come to value space. A sacred space which brings peace and stability only by intentionally naming it as such. We make our beds in the morning and we put our hot water bottles under the covers before climbing into a toasty bed. I selflessly chose the top bunk and Morgan reassured me that we would switch half way through, we work together like a well oiled machine.
We met our roommates which have slowly changed as travelers who are ending their summer here are replaced by those arriving for the winter. We have quickly become a family. We make dinner for each other. we go out together, we clean up after each other, we fight for shower time. It's definitely not cut out for everyone but we actually feel at home here.
I have a feeling we are going to have some crazy stories when all is said and done...stay tuned.
We've spent our time here hiking, driving to small towns and taking in views, searching for jobs, cooking good food, and enjoying the nightlife.
One of our roommates found an article about our lovely home and if you dare, you should read it. Just so our parents don't freak out I must say its not quite as bad as this article implies.
Nightmare on Mallaghan St.
More details to come about the banter and shenanigans that we get into. Episodes include a mattress on fire, late night burger frenzies, and even a live-in thief.
Our good friend Antoine has jokingly nick named us MoMo and Crazy.
MoMo caught on after a few Captain MoMo's and cokes.
Crazy caught on after I mistakenly made a point by starting with the line "Call me crazy but..."
Language is a funny thing.
Untill next time,
MoMo and Crazy
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Long Awaited Queenstown
So, Morgan and I have been in Queenstown for nearly three weeks and it has really had its ups and downs. After Milford Sound we arrived here optimistic that our life would just fall right into place. We would find a house and a job within days and skip all of life's worries. I think we had the idea that we would pass out a few CV's and bam, a job will fall from the sky.
This isn't how life works. I have seen it happen to me and everyone I know time and time again. See, since our arrival to Queenstown our trip has been one long string of highs. Our biggest worry seemed to stop at what sandwich to make, or where to park the van tonight. It makes sense that eventually reality would strike, the cold weather would roll in and our money would roll right out. The pendulum must swing. Our peace wouldn't be grounded in the highs, but in our strength in dealing with the highs AND the lows.
But before we let all of these anxieties creep right in we would celebrate my birthday. We went for dinner Saturday and caught the early bird special! We each and a nice glass of red NZ wine and had our steaks medium rare. We spent the night exploring the tiny streets, popping in and out of bars, dancing, and figuring out the culture of the town. We finished the night with a Fergburger! We had heard so much about this magical lump of meat, wedged between fresh baked bread, onion, lettuce, tomato relish, and garlic aioli. The place is opened from 8:00 am and doesn't close until 5:00 am and believe me, people are eating burgers at all possible hours.
The following morning was my actual birthday. Morgan treated me to a delicious breakfast of coffee, bacon, and pancakes at an adorable cafe. I received many phone calls from home which I loved. That evening we went to a tiny stone lined pub to listen to a boyfriend and girlfriend duo play folk music and then went for some Mexican food. We called it an early night. I found myself watching Ted Talks at ten before dosing off.
At around four in the morning our phone rang and I did not answer in my sleepy stoop er, but I did feel the need to check facebook to see if the caller contacted me there. To my surprise I read a message from Katherine, my twin, saying she got into a bad car accident but she was OK. A lump welled in my throat as I stumbled for my Ipad to sign on Skype, catch a decent signal, grab my headphones and coat and step outside of our shared dorm room. She explained that she was driving too fast in the pouring rain and hydroplaned around a turn. Her car flipped, strangers gathered to help, the ambulance arrived, and shortly after, her husband... The whole thing. She told me she was OK but shaken up. The bruises would appear on her body over the next couple of days and she would begin to see how her seatbelt really had saved her life.
All this to say, I am so unbelievably thankful that nothing worse happened. It shook us all up. As a sister of such an amazing and precious person to me, I felt both lucky and incredibly vulnerable. My family is a gift to me that is so delicate. It is not just worldly things that can destroy their presence in my life, but also the intangible connections that we chose to strengthen and not weaken that can disappear.
The greatest gift in my life, on my birthday and everyday, is my family. I am so far from them yet I have never felt closer. I am loved by them and I love them keenly.
The following day would be met with worry about money and jobs and a place to live but we will get to all that on the next post.
Liz
This isn't how life works. I have seen it happen to me and everyone I know time and time again. See, since our arrival to Queenstown our trip has been one long string of highs. Our biggest worry seemed to stop at what sandwich to make, or where to park the van tonight. It makes sense that eventually reality would strike, the cold weather would roll in and our money would roll right out. The pendulum must swing. Our peace wouldn't be grounded in the highs, but in our strength in dealing with the highs AND the lows.
But before we let all of these anxieties creep right in we would celebrate my birthday. We went for dinner Saturday and caught the early bird special! We each and a nice glass of red NZ wine and had our steaks medium rare. We spent the night exploring the tiny streets, popping in and out of bars, dancing, and figuring out the culture of the town. We finished the night with a Fergburger! We had heard so much about this magical lump of meat, wedged between fresh baked bread, onion, lettuce, tomato relish, and garlic aioli. The place is opened from 8:00 am and doesn't close until 5:00 am and believe me, people are eating burgers at all possible hours.
The following morning was my actual birthday. Morgan treated me to a delicious breakfast of coffee, bacon, and pancakes at an adorable cafe. I received many phone calls from home which I loved. That evening we went to a tiny stone lined pub to listen to a boyfriend and girlfriend duo play folk music and then went for some Mexican food. We called it an early night. I found myself watching Ted Talks at ten before dosing off.
At around four in the morning our phone rang and I did not answer in my sleepy stoop er, but I did feel the need to check facebook to see if the caller contacted me there. To my surprise I read a message from Katherine, my twin, saying she got into a bad car accident but she was OK. A lump welled in my throat as I stumbled for my Ipad to sign on Skype, catch a decent signal, grab my headphones and coat and step outside of our shared dorm room. She explained that she was driving too fast in the pouring rain and hydroplaned around a turn. Her car flipped, strangers gathered to help, the ambulance arrived, and shortly after, her husband... The whole thing. She told me she was OK but shaken up. The bruises would appear on her body over the next couple of days and she would begin to see how her seatbelt really had saved her life.
All this to say, I am so unbelievably thankful that nothing worse happened. It shook us all up. As a sister of such an amazing and precious person to me, I felt both lucky and incredibly vulnerable. My family is a gift to me that is so delicate. It is not just worldly things that can destroy their presence in my life, but also the intangible connections that we chose to strengthen and not weaken that can disappear.
The greatest gift in my life, on my birthday and everyday, is my family. I am so far from them yet I have never felt closer. I am loved by them and I love them keenly.
The following day would be met with worry about money and jobs and a place to live but we will get to all that on the next post.
Liz
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Te Anau and Milford Sound
So we reached the little town of Te Anau, pronounced Tea Ah Now, meaning "cave of the swirling water current", in the early evening. The days are getting shorter and shorter here, sun rising aft er seven and setting around 5:30! Anyway we went on search for a hostel called Bob and Maxine's recommended to us by Lonely Planet.
As we drove up the gravel road to the front house we saw a man working on the taillight of his old land cruiser. We got out of the car and he struck up a conversation with us about checking in while he continues tweaking the lights and breaks all the while yelling out "miracle" to himself. After getting settled we went to the grocery store to buy for dinner and the next few days.
Yum, we made pasta with fresh veggies and ground pork, garlic bread, and salad. We even treated ourselves to maple walnut ice-cream which caused the biggest fight so far on our trip! It went something like this.
Morgan and I have different tastes in ice cream. We kinda settled on a couple of flavors. Maple walnut and cookies and cream. However deciding further was the problem. I chose maple walnut because it was half the size and we couldn't keep the ice cream long, Morgan wanted the cookies and cream because we got more for less money.
She saw it as wasting money, I saw it as wasting ice cream. Deadend! In the end we laughed at it watering it down to she's a vanilla lover and I'm a chocolate lover.
After dinner we read by the fire and I watched The Prestige.
The following day we stayed in the big cozy living room as the weather was pure shit. We watched movies, drank so much tea, read, and booked our Milford Sound ticket.
The bus picked us up at 8:00 the following morning right outside our hostel and we drove the hour and a half to the Milford Sound. Our tour guide's name was Tex and he allowed us to stop off at every little bend in the road where we gazed upon the mountains and lakes.
We were able to have our kayaks in the water at around ten. In our shared kayak Morgan and I packed a big lunch of sandwiches, pretzels, apples, oranges, and a cliff bar each. We were soon kayaking towards the sound, going over safety and a brief outline of the day.
Once we rounded a turn in the river we suddenly found ourselves in the glorious Milford Sound. We kayaked toward the left side of the sound and stopped occasionally to talk about the history, it's discovery, wildlife... All sorts of tid bits. The mountains soar above, the fresh water dumps into the ocean from up above, the water is so clear you can see the sea urchins clinging to rocks below, the air is crisp, and the sun shown down on all of it. After we stopped to eat our lunch we spotted two male seals hanging out on some rocks for a lazy afternoon! We spent the afternoon kayaking this beautiful place, the size of it an illusion. From one side to the other it took us an hour to kayak.
I want to try and give you guys an understanding of how vast this place was. First of all it's not actually a sound, which is carved from water. The Milford Sound was discovered and named before they knew what Fiords were. So Milford Sound is a fiord, it was carved out by a glacier. And what it left behind is a mountain range flooded with ocean. It holds the second highest mountain in the world that juts straight up from the ocean. Lady Bowen falls, the second highest in the sound, is as high as a 55 story building, only it looks half that compared to the monstrous mountains that surround it. We spotted a boulder on the top of a mountain that Tex has been waiting to fall and we guessed it was the size of a car, wait for it! It is the size of a football field!
Everything here is enormous and seriously majestic. We had the unforgettable opportunity to explore this place for six hours.
It was a day we will remember for always. A day that reminds us of this beautiful and magical world we live in. A day that grounds us if we choose to remember the feelings it provoked. A day that humbles and fills with power. A day that rejuvenates the spirit. We feel honored to have been given the opportunity to explore this place.
We drove back to Te Anau tired from the day. Back at the hostel we had a panic because I thought I'd lost the key. Once found the panic was replaced with jubilation. We drove that evening to Queenstown, so very excited to be arriving in a place that we could hopefully call home for the winter.
Wish us luck. It's time to find jobs and a place to live.
As we drove up the gravel road to the front house we saw a man working on the taillight of his old land cruiser. We got out of the car and he struck up a conversation with us about checking in while he continues tweaking the lights and breaks all the while yelling out "miracle" to himself. After getting settled we went to the grocery store to buy for dinner and the next few days.
Yum, we made pasta with fresh veggies and ground pork, garlic bread, and salad. We even treated ourselves to maple walnut ice-cream which caused the biggest fight so far on our trip! It went something like this.
Morgan and I have different tastes in ice cream. We kinda settled on a couple of flavors. Maple walnut and cookies and cream. However deciding further was the problem. I chose maple walnut because it was half the size and we couldn't keep the ice cream long, Morgan wanted the cookies and cream because we got more for less money.
She saw it as wasting money, I saw it as wasting ice cream. Deadend! In the end we laughed at it watering it down to she's a vanilla lover and I'm a chocolate lover.
After dinner we read by the fire and I watched The Prestige.
The following day we stayed in the big cozy living room as the weather was pure shit. We watched movies, drank so much tea, read, and booked our Milford Sound ticket.
The bus picked us up at 8:00 the following morning right outside our hostel and we drove the hour and a half to the Milford Sound. Our tour guide's name was Tex and he allowed us to stop off at every little bend in the road where we gazed upon the mountains and lakes.
We were able to have our kayaks in the water at around ten. In our shared kayak Morgan and I packed a big lunch of sandwiches, pretzels, apples, oranges, and a cliff bar each. We were soon kayaking towards the sound, going over safety and a brief outline of the day.
Once we rounded a turn in the river we suddenly found ourselves in the glorious Milford Sound. We kayaked toward the left side of the sound and stopped occasionally to talk about the history, it's discovery, wildlife... All sorts of tid bits. The mountains soar above, the fresh water dumps into the ocean from up above, the water is so clear you can see the sea urchins clinging to rocks below, the air is crisp, and the sun shown down on all of it. After we stopped to eat our lunch we spotted two male seals hanging out on some rocks for a lazy afternoon! We spent the afternoon kayaking this beautiful place, the size of it an illusion. From one side to the other it took us an hour to kayak.
I want to try and give you guys an understanding of how vast this place was. First of all it's not actually a sound, which is carved from water. The Milford Sound was discovered and named before they knew what Fiords were. So Milford Sound is a fiord, it was carved out by a glacier. And what it left behind is a mountain range flooded with ocean. It holds the second highest mountain in the world that juts straight up from the ocean. Lady Bowen falls, the second highest in the sound, is as high as a 55 story building, only it looks half that compared to the monstrous mountains that surround it. We spotted a boulder on the top of a mountain that Tex has been waiting to fall and we guessed it was the size of a car, wait for it! It is the size of a football field!
Everything here is enormous and seriously majestic. We had the unforgettable opportunity to explore this place for six hours.
It was a day we will remember for always. A day that reminds us of this beautiful and magical world we live in. A day that grounds us if we choose to remember the feelings it provoked. A day that humbles and fills with power. A day that rejuvenates the spirit. We feel honored to have been given the opportunity to explore this place.
We drove back to Te Anau tired from the day. Back at the hostel we had a panic because I thought I'd lost the key. Once found the panic was replaced with jubilation. We drove that evening to Queenstown, so very excited to be arriving in a place that we could hopefully call home for the winter.
Wish us luck. It's time to find jobs and a place to live.
Star Struck
As our final destination in the South Island was Te Anau, where we would go kayaking in the Milford sound before settling into Queenstown for the winter, after our lunch and quick look around Christchurch we continued our journey southwest. Since we knew driving all the way to Te Anau would be to much for the day, we decided to make a stop at the picture perfect Lake Tekapo so we would have a full next day to experience the drive into Fiordland on the southern west coast.
While we were in Wellington, we picked up a free lonely planet for the South Island. Since we have used the shit out of our lonely planet guides gifted to us for our journey, we knew this would be a good edition since we really found a lot of use in the lonely planet north island guide for our road trips and many side stops. When we first looked through our found book with FREE written over the cover, we found a highlighted section, Lake Tekapo. Of course, that first struck our eye and drew our attention to the lake. Lucky for us, it was right on our path, so we stopped. We first drove in to the town that consisted of about a block of restaurants, stores and an information center. We first stopped in the information center to find a campsite, was told of a $5 campsite down the road along with the knowledge that LakeTekapo is known for its star gazing and has one of the clearest sky's in New Zealand. Sweet as.
We then stopped at the little grocery store for some food, found our campsite, and made our home. Pulled out our camp chairs, took in the views of the new South Island scenery filled with tall jagged mountains surrounding the lake, some starting to fill with snow, made yummy pasta, and as the sun went down, started to realize it was going to be a cold cold night.
Since this was really the first really cold air we have felt since arriving in New Zealand, we pulled out all our real winter gear buried in the bottom of our containers. Thick wool socks, hats, large jackets hoping it would keep us warm as the night would get dark and the must see stars would come out. And holy moly did they. It was only about 7:30 as the sun set and the night and stars reached us. I have been continually amazed by the stars here is New Zealand, yet here in lake Tekapo, I was litterally star struck like I never have been before. As Liz and I sat in our chairs, bundled up, necks tilted back, we stared in awe. Watched shooting stars fly by and take in the sight of the star filled sky, including the Milky Way. We could not believe it, you can actually see the Milky Way. A cloudy band of stars reaching long and tall across the sky like nothing our eyes have ever witnessed or could believe they could see in the plain night sky.Unbelievable.
Cold to our core at this point, we crawled into the van and tried to get warm. Tried and tried and tried, but never succeeded. It was a cold rough night. Shivering with numb toes and hands trying to stay curled up recycling body heat as the night continued. Needless to say, there was not much sleep that night but as the us came up, we crawled out of the cold to feel the sun rays on our skin and bodies, slowly but surely getting its feeling back. We knew then on, as we just moved more south, quickly fast forwarding into winter weather, nights of sleeping in our van would have to be put at a halt for the cold, winter months here in New Zealand.
Once we got our feeling back, enjoyed coffee and peanut buter and jelly toast, we packed in our van and headed for Te Anau and a hostel.
While we were in Wellington, we picked up a free lonely planet for the South Island. Since we have used the shit out of our lonely planet guides gifted to us for our journey, we knew this would be a good edition since we really found a lot of use in the lonely planet north island guide for our road trips and many side stops. When we first looked through our found book with FREE written over the cover, we found a highlighted section, Lake Tekapo. Of course, that first struck our eye and drew our attention to the lake. Lucky for us, it was right on our path, so we stopped. We first drove in to the town that consisted of about a block of restaurants, stores and an information center. We first stopped in the information center to find a campsite, was told of a $5 campsite down the road along with the knowledge that LakeTekapo is known for its star gazing and has one of the clearest sky's in New Zealand. Sweet as.
We then stopped at the little grocery store for some food, found our campsite, and made our home. Pulled out our camp chairs, took in the views of the new South Island scenery filled with tall jagged mountains surrounding the lake, some starting to fill with snow, made yummy pasta, and as the sun went down, started to realize it was going to be a cold cold night.
Since this was really the first really cold air we have felt since arriving in New Zealand, we pulled out all our real winter gear buried in the bottom of our containers. Thick wool socks, hats, large jackets hoping it would keep us warm as the night would get dark and the must see stars would come out. And holy moly did they. It was only about 7:30 as the sun set and the night and stars reached us. I have been continually amazed by the stars here is New Zealand, yet here in lake Tekapo, I was litterally star struck like I never have been before. As Liz and I sat in our chairs, bundled up, necks tilted back, we stared in awe. Watched shooting stars fly by and take in the sight of the star filled sky, including the Milky Way. We could not believe it, you can actually see the Milky Way. A cloudy band of stars reaching long and tall across the sky like nothing our eyes have ever witnessed or could believe they could see in the plain night sky.Unbelievable.
Cold to our core at this point, we crawled into the van and tried to get warm. Tried and tried and tried, but never succeeded. It was a cold rough night. Shivering with numb toes and hands trying to stay curled up recycling body heat as the night continued. Needless to say, there was not much sleep that night but as the us came up, we crawled out of the cold to feel the sun rays on our skin and bodies, slowly but surely getting its feeling back. We knew then on, as we just moved more south, quickly fast forwarding into winter weather, nights of sleeping in our van would have to be put at a halt for the cold, winter months here in New Zealand.
Once we got our feeling back, enjoyed coffee and peanut buter and jelly toast, we packed in our van and headed for Te Anau and a hostel.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Lunch in Christchurch
We arrived in Christchurch around lunch time and the rain fell hard! Lonely Planet named Christchurch one of the top ten cities to visit in 2013.
As you all most likely know, Christchurch was hit by a devastating earthquake on Febrary 22, 2011 at 12:51 pm. The city was busy with people shopping and working and the 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck a mere 10 km away. 24 seconds had passed and afterward the city was never the same. When all was said and done, the rebuild would cost $30 billion dollars, the third most expensive natural disaster to ever occur.
Fast forward to the end of April 2013 and you have Morgan and I, wide eyed and jaw dropped at the remaining work left to do. Most of the city center is still shut down to rebuilding, shops and restaurants have been permenantly shut down, and construction is down every road you turn.
We finally parked and walked to the pop up shipping container mall. This little section of the city was built immediately after the quake as a temporary center for famous shops, banks, and food stalls and it has remained two years later. It's colorful and you can feel the creative energy everywhere. Morgan endured in Indian food and I horsed into a bratwurst with spicy mustard.
We strolled the streets imagining the chaos and devastation of that day, wondering how we would feel if it was our city. We found ourselves deeply moved by the rejuvenation needed by its resilient citizens in order to piece back the city.
We soon moved on in an attempt to gain some km's before nightfall.
As you all most likely know, Christchurch was hit by a devastating earthquake on Febrary 22, 2011 at 12:51 pm. The city was busy with people shopping and working and the 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck a mere 10 km away. 24 seconds had passed and afterward the city was never the same. When all was said and done, the rebuild would cost $30 billion dollars, the third most expensive natural disaster to ever occur.
Fast forward to the end of April 2013 and you have Morgan and I, wide eyed and jaw dropped at the remaining work left to do. Most of the city center is still shut down to rebuilding, shops and restaurants have been permenantly shut down, and construction is down every road you turn.
We finally parked and walked to the pop up shipping container mall. This little section of the city was built immediately after the quake as a temporary center for famous shops, banks, and food stalls and it has remained two years later. It's colorful and you can feel the creative energy everywhere. Morgan endured in Indian food and I horsed into a bratwurst with spicy mustard.
We strolled the streets imagining the chaos and devastation of that day, wondering how we would feel if it was our city. We found ourselves deeply moved by the rejuvenation needed by its resilient citizens in order to piece back the city.
We soon moved on in an attempt to gain some km's before nightfall.
South Island: An Introduction
The South Island.
I must begin by telling you that, although the south island is 33% bigger then the north, the south holds only 23% of New Zealand's population!
Engrossed in our iPad devices and two and a half hours into the ferry ride, we became giddy at the site of the dark mountains that caught my eye just beyond the foggy windows. Morgan and I immediately got up to spend the last hour of the ferry outside. We sat on the deck and watched as we entered a harbor, the water beneath us a choppy veridian green and the mountains a dark Prussian blue. The wind nipped at our noses and we bundled up next to each other taking turns sighing. Overwhelmed was the only feeling I could grab for. I had an overwhelming feeling that I might be swallowed up by the vastness of the land, just the two of us exploring the south island.
We drove off the ferry and headed for Christchurch. Only two hours into our jurney and the sun had set and the stars crept out. No longer wanting to drive, we found the closest free campsite and parked our van, made some dinner by head torch light (thanks Dad), and fell fast asleep. We woke up to cool air, cow bells, and snow capped mountains.
From there we drove down the curving roads to Christchurch.
The landscape.
So about this landscape... I am in awe about the colors, in love with them.
Some trees shoot straight up, a narrow streak of lime green, resembling well trained soldiers standing before pale blue mountains. Other trees look like explosions of yellow powder,leaves so small and delicate you'd think you could lightly blow on them and the entire tree would scatter.
The mountains are varying shades of blue and meet the sky with confidence.
The rolling green hills seem as though they are, in fact, sheets of silk with air flowing beneath them. I am reminded of the parachutes I sat under as a child during recess. The group of us would stretch our tiny arms up, holding ever so tight. Then all at once we'd sit criss-cross underneath the fabric, enchanted as the parachute took its time releasing the trapped air, cascading elegantly towards the ground. These are the rolling silky, creamy green hills. Each are peppered with sheep that take the form of grains of rice from a distance.
The white clouds move in and out from beneath the sun, Morgan and I adjusting to the cool shaded air.
And so we drive, wide eyed, to our next destination.
It is actually a wonderful challenge to continue to be transformed and renewed by the beauty around us. The amount to take in through sight is overwhelming.
Then there are the other senses.
The sound of wind approaching through rustled leaves.
The smell of the cold, salty sea.
The feel of grass between your toes.
I know these experiences have entered my soul.
I hope that it may forever remind me of the world's beauty and harmony.
As the south island reveals its majesty to us, may we receive it humbly and with ease.
I must begin by telling you that, although the south island is 33% bigger then the north, the south holds only 23% of New Zealand's population!
Engrossed in our iPad devices and two and a half hours into the ferry ride, we became giddy at the site of the dark mountains that caught my eye just beyond the foggy windows. Morgan and I immediately got up to spend the last hour of the ferry outside. We sat on the deck and watched as we entered a harbor, the water beneath us a choppy veridian green and the mountains a dark Prussian blue. The wind nipped at our noses and we bundled up next to each other taking turns sighing. Overwhelmed was the only feeling I could grab for. I had an overwhelming feeling that I might be swallowed up by the vastness of the land, just the two of us exploring the south island.
We drove off the ferry and headed for Christchurch. Only two hours into our jurney and the sun had set and the stars crept out. No longer wanting to drive, we found the closest free campsite and parked our van, made some dinner by head torch light (thanks Dad), and fell fast asleep. We woke up to cool air, cow bells, and snow capped mountains.
From there we drove down the curving roads to Christchurch.
The landscape.
So about this landscape... I am in awe about the colors, in love with them.
Some trees shoot straight up, a narrow streak of lime green, resembling well trained soldiers standing before pale blue mountains. Other trees look like explosions of yellow powder,leaves so small and delicate you'd think you could lightly blow on them and the entire tree would scatter.
The mountains are varying shades of blue and meet the sky with confidence.
The rolling green hills seem as though they are, in fact, sheets of silk with air flowing beneath them. I am reminded of the parachutes I sat under as a child during recess. The group of us would stretch our tiny arms up, holding ever so tight. Then all at once we'd sit criss-cross underneath the fabric, enchanted as the parachute took its time releasing the trapped air, cascading elegantly towards the ground. These are the rolling silky, creamy green hills. Each are peppered with sheep that take the form of grains of rice from a distance.
The white clouds move in and out from beneath the sun, Morgan and I adjusting to the cool shaded air.
And so we drive, wide eyed, to our next destination.
It is actually a wonderful challenge to continue to be transformed and renewed by the beauty around us. The amount to take in through sight is overwhelming.
Then there are the other senses.
The sound of wind approaching through rustled leaves.
The smell of the cold, salty sea.
The feel of grass between your toes.
I know these experiences have entered my soul.
I hope that it may forever remind me of the world's beauty and harmony.
As the south island reveals its majesty to us, may we receive it humbly and with ease.
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