The final leg on the Kiwi Experience bus had come far too soon. I was loving it and would have happily done the full tour with them on the north island if I had the time and money. We were now leaving the Southern Alps and the terrain started to flatten out on the way into Christchurch passing corn crops and dairy farms which have now overtaken the sheep industry in the country for milk and meat exports. The town of Southbridge was one of the places we passed through which has nothing of note to point out however it is the birth place of Dan Carter the New Zealand fly-half who has kicked more points than any other player in history.
We arrived back into Christchurch 2 days after the 6 year anniversary of the earthquake disaster which killed over 100 people. The driver described to us how he was leaving the city on route for Kaiteriteri when he saw the vehicle in front break heavy and then witnessed it bounce on the road surface uncontrollably down the highway. The heartbreaking moment had to come where I had to say goodbye to my travel wife James. Incapable of shedding a tear we patted our Bromance on the back and said see you later. I checked into the YMCA later on and got another free room upgrade with a decent view of the hillside sat at the back of the city. Great service!
Now down to just 3 we checked out the Botanic Gardens. Surprisingly there was Air New Zealand cockpit cut out to celebrate 75 years of the airline in service. I have always wondered what it feels like to sit in the pilot seats and it was fantastic. There’s a lot going on inside with knobs and leavers all over the place but what a fantastic exhilarating job that would be. We were moved on after a couple of minutes but I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it. We followed the winding paths along the Avon river and chilled in the sun. Kathryn started catching flies and was asleep within minute’s haha.
The next day Talli and I went to walk around the city center which was still a building site even after all this time. The Re-start Mall has become the focal point of the city center where containers were brought in to solve a quick fix problem of where to locate the banks and shops. The place looks permanent now after 6 years and has some really good street food on offer. We grabbed freshly made ice cream and enjoyed what Christchurch had to offer before I had to go back and collect my bags to fly back to Sydney.
New Zealand had been an unforgettable 16 days meeting great people and exploring parts of the World I never thought I might see. You have been amazing! I look forward to seeing everyone again soon.
