DAY 64: South Island Here I Come

I got up early to pack for my 2 weeks adventure of the South Island of New Zealand. The first week and a half was to be spent with my awesome roommate, Emma. We each had a hiking pack and a regular backpack, and we looked pretty funny on our walk down to the bus with backpack babies.

There is a shuttle bus from Queen Street (the main street in Auckland) that goes directly to the
airport, which was very convenient. The domestic airport was very small- we checked in our bags with our e-tickets and sat around for a few minutes to board. THEY DIDN'T EVEN CHECK OUR CARRY ONS! Guess I'm not in 'Murica anymore...

Park with the demolition truck

Our first stop was Christchurch. The flight was about an hour and a half, so it was fairly quick.

FUN FACT #28: As most people don't know, Christchurch was hit with a giant earthquake back in February of 2011. It killed 185 people and practically destroyed the entire city. The estimated cost of rebuilding is at $40 billion dollars and will take the New Zealand economy possibly 50 years to recover.

Can you see the slant of the tall buildings? 

Church rebuilding

Emma and I had heard that Christchurch was still essentially a disaster area. But I suppose we weren't quite prepared for what we found. The entire city center is blocked off; you can't even go inside it. It is a giant mess of buildings that no one can go near. There are demolition trucks everywhere. Trying to find your way around is like walking in a huge labyrinth. Every turn you make is blocked off. The churches have the tower spires lying on the ground next to them. Minus the fact that there are some people around occasionally, this place is what I would imagine Chernobyl to look like.

I love Thai food. 

Anyways, Emma and I found the YMCA- our hostel for the night- and dropped off our bags. Then we explored the "city". We found a semi-affordable Thai place that still had wood covering up the windows because they couldn't afford to replace the broken glass yet. Believe it or not, it was right across the street from the bright lights and busiest building in Christchurch- - the Casino!

After dinner, we went back to the Y and headed to bed. Bus trip tomorrow!