Today we revisited Christchurch 3 years after our last visit. It’s still a very lovely city but it’s now 5 years since the major earthquakes and that stoic, resolute, war-time spirit that impressed us both during our last visit is lacking a little.
The city is much improved to the casual observer (roads are flatter, new buildings are opening, there are fewer piles of rubble), but talking to a couple of locals and there seems to be a lot of frustration at the lack of progress and at some of the decisions that have been made. In short, it appears that the good will of the locals is beginning to wear thin. And who can blame them, looking at the city now – you can’t help feeling that they’ve got an awful long way to go.
Still, it was another beautiful autumn day and we spent it strolling around the city (Leigh insisted on a walking tour which provided us with some interesting historical insights).
And that’s was it … the end of the trip. Tomorrow we head home; tired but content (with a small mountain of washing).
The Obligatory Blog 