Left Manchester at 8:30pm on Tuesday, 30th January. Stopped in Dubai and Sydney before arriving at Christchurch airport at 1:30pm on Thursday, 1st February. (28 hour journey when time differences are taken into account.)
Took shuttle to motel where I settled in and had a wander round
Hagley Park Motel
2022 Update
In 2011 Christchurch suffered a very severe earthquake which badly damaged the Cathedral and much of the centre of Christchurch. There had been a proposal to deconsecrate and demolish the Cathedral but in 2018 there was an agreement to reinstate the Cathedral. This would be a combination of repair, restoration and seismic strengthening.
Friday, 2nd February 2007
After a late start I caught the bus into the centre of Christchurch, Cathedral Square. After exploring the Cathedral I went to the Art Gallery which had some good sections but also a lot of contemporary art. I walked through the Botanic Gardens and Hagley Park to return to the motel. By this time Marie had arrived and we visited Westfield Mall, a typical shopping Mall.
Christchurch Cathedral.
The Rose window which was lost when the west wall was very badly damaged
Colourful window
Millennium Chalice Sculpture celebrates the new millennium and the 150th Anniversary of the founding of Christchurch. It was largely unaffected by the earthquake.
One of the Christchurch trams which offer sightseeing tours
One of the few telephone boxes which were saved from being painted blue in 1988
Herbaceous border . . .
and another
Punting on the River Avon
Begonia House . . .
and again