Nearly two months of cabin fever finally came to an end yesterday when “Nicholas Keiji” and I once again took a day trip to the recently ravaged city of Christchurch. Unseasonably clear skies made for a pleasant drive and as a bonus, we didn’t listen to Simon and Garfunkel the entire drive, as we did during the previous journey. Driving into the city one would never imagine it recently fell victim to yet another earthquake. Aside from the muck piled in gutters from all the liquefaction, few buildings displayed prominent damage. Upon closer inspection however, one notices cracks, missing bricks, and the occasional slightly askew household.
After a quick lunch of Korean noodles, Nicholas and I split ways so he could attend his ballet lessons. The city centre still being closed since the February quake, I made my way to the Riccarton area. After a couple months out of civilization, I figured I was due for a bit of shopping. A replacement backpack and a few articles of clothing later, I was nearly five hours from meeting up with my ride. It had been quite some time since my last beer so I went on the hunt for a suitable place to enjoy my book and a couple tall ones. I came across the Fox and Ferret. An enjoyable atmosphere, and a heated patio where I could watch the sunset, and read short stories from Murakami’s “The Elephant Vanishes.” Shortly after stocking up on some ibooks through their wifi, I heard a pleasantly familiar American accent at the neighboring table. Turns out he was from northern California, working and traveling around NZ. A few hours, a few laughs and few too many pints later it was time to meet Nicholas Keiji and head back up into the isolation known as the Maruia Springs.
A recent trip up the mountain
Maruia from above
Maruia in the distance
Road through the mountains
On the way to Chch
