Jollie Brook Trail

24 February 2018

Post cyclone, the sun was shining and the grass was green. A perfect day for a tramp! We chose the Jollie Brook trail, which we had spied on our way to Lake Taylor a few weeks ago. It is part of a multiday tramp with several Department of Conservation huts available, but we were just out for a short day hike of about 3 hours.

We missed the pull-out and had to backtrack, but found a good flat spot to park alongside two other cars. We could see the swing bridge we needed to cross the Hurunui River and some kayakers ready to put in downriver.

Our hike was not what we anticipated! The terrain was mostly flat, unlike most of our NZ tramps, but we had 5 river crossings after the swing bridge and a very swollen river. It was challenging in a few places where the water was hip deep and had a strong current. R's helping hand got me across each time. We gained a lot of confidence along the way and our walk back was much quicker. We feel a little sore in the hips after fighting that current!

The cyclone disrupted our satellite TV service. Horror. We only got 6 channels (2 of which replay the broadcast from an hour before), but we came to know that TV schedule pretty well. Boo. Monday we might get the owner of this house to contact the Dish TV company, which is not open on weekends.

Christchurch CBD

17 February 2018


We had been wanting to go to Christchurch City Centre (the central business district, or CBD) for a while. We saw so much about the post earthquake crisis when we were in NZ during 2013 that the city of Christchurch (Chch) held a certain mystique for us. It was tarnished a bit for me when we stopped there to change buses on our way to Kaikoura at Christmas. It was a big construction zone, it seemed to me, and the bus was not punctual. Not being punctual leaves a bad taste in my mouth...

Anyhoo, we decided to dedicate a Saturday to Chch City Centre. We had driven through Chch a number of times on other excursions and were put off by the traffic. It's the largest city on the South Island, with a population of ~397,000. It has urban sprawl suburbs that have crummy rush-hour traffic. We have come to really enjoy the beach in the suburb of Pegasus, but we are happy to reach Amberley and be free of the traffic that thins out surprisingly quickly on the way to Waikari.

We were most interested in the earthquake museum and the restoration projects. The earthquakes happened during February 2011 and 2012 and we were surprised to see, 6 years later, how much work still needs to be done. Temporary memorials are on the verge of becoming permanent and the sites of crumbled buildings are showing signs of new projects. It took a long time to clear rubble and even longer to evaluate the earth for soundness before it could be zoned for a new building. And it takes a lot of time and money to produce new earthquake-resistant buildings. It's good that they are investing in innovation and technology because more earthquakes will happen. It's guaranteed.

I didn't take too many pictures, but we did a lot of walking around on a beautiful day and we contributed to the rebuilding fund by purchasing "aftersocks," red and black NZ merino socks that feature the seismic readout from the 2010 quake.

The crumbling Christchurch Anglican Cathedral

Photos in the Earthquake Museum showing the effects of the quake.

New Regent Street shopping district

White Chairs Memorial dedicated to the 157 people who died in the city centre. The first quake happened at 4:53 am; the second at 12:50 pm on a Tuesday.

Waikari-Hawarden Garden Club Trip

12 February 2018


I have noted before that Waikari has been a tough nut for me to crack socially. It's not a town, so there is really no gathering place where one might see people regularly, other than the pool in Hawarden and church, which are exactly the places I have been going and where I have met a few people. It always takes a while to break into a place, and it took the full 6 weeks here.

Last week I was included in a book club by some ladies I met at the pool. It was so nice. Sarah was the hostess and I joined Nicky from Amberley (she lived in Hawarden for many years), Laurel (from South Africa but now in Hawarden), and Kate from Hawarden. The group operates a little different from my running book group in Colorado. This time, their first meeting of 2018, everyone just brought the book they had been reading. Other times the group might pick a theme, like biography or Maori, and readers choose what that theme means to them in terms of the read. They described another month where a member had picked up a heap of books from one author at a second-hand store so everyone read a different book by that author. Clever.

Monday 12 February, I was invited along on a Garden Club trip to 4 gardens. One was a professional garden in a historic home and museum complex, the other three were personal gardens. It was a really nice day, but warm! By the third garden, everyone was looking for a seat in the shade! I really enjoyed being out for coffee and a sweet with these nice ladies and I thank Jean Malby from church for including me.

Original pottery works at Homebush, the Deans family homestead in New Zealand. Deans is a founding NZ family. 

The museum has all sorts of collections, all beautifully displayed and clean!

Pond in Homebush grounds

Waikari-Hawarden Garden Club members

Part of the garden an Homebush included beautiful forest with Gian Sequoia.
This arbor is used for weddings.

The original Homebush home place was destroyed in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake and a new home has been built.
A great-grandchild of the Deans lives here with his family.

Drawing of the original Homebush home place.