Tag Archives: Christchurch

The Devastation that is Christchurch

15 Thursday Aug 2013

Posted by in Food & Drinks, New Zealand, Oceania

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Mr. Selfish and I had heard about the 2011 earthquake that hit Christchurch but we hadn’t realized the extent of the devastation. Following an earthquake in 2010 that had a magnitude of 7.1, the 2011 earthquake had a magnitude of 6.3. Due to the succession of these earthquakes, Christchurch suffered immensely.

We had thought that by the time we visited Christchurch that the city would be mostly in repairs. We were wrong. The city center of Christchurch is still devastated. Apparently, other subsequent quakes have occurred, which kept setting the city back.

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The Drive between Marlborough and Christchurch

14 Wednesday Aug 2013

Posted by in Food & Drinks, New Zealand, Oceania

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The coastal drive between Marlborough and Christchurch takes about four hours and is quite lovely. Based on advice from our Highlight Wine Tour operator, we made two pit stops. First, we stopped at the Ohau Stream Walk, which is about an hour and a half away from Marlborough, to see the seal pups. Second, we had lunch at Pegasus Bay winery, which is about 50 minutes away from Christchurch.

The Adorable Seal Pups at Ohau Stream Walk

Mr. Selfish and I were lucky enough to visit Ohau Stream Walk during the height of the season for seal pups. During the winter, momma seals leave their pups at Ohau stream and waterfall while they are out at sea hunting for food. The pups frolic and play in the stream with the other pups while waiting for their moms to come back.

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Two Weeks of Glorious Driving in New Zealand

07 Wednesday Aug 2013

Posted by in New Zealand, Oceania

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For the final leg of our international trip, Mr. Selfish and I spent two weeks driving around New Zealand. Here was our itinerary: (1) Auckland, (2) Cambridge, (3) Rotorua, (4) Wellington, (5) Renwick in the Marlborough wine region, (6) Christchurch, (7) Dunedin, (8) Queenstown, and (9) Milford Sound.

NZ Driving 001

And we drove all that in this amazing car:

NZ Driving 002

Yes, it was a 10-year old Mitsubishi that didn’t even have powered locks. But I must admit it did get us around, albeit with very little horsepower.

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