Nice pictures. I was there in 1973. Its changed a lot. I remember a Sunday in Christchurch when all the church bells in the city pealled for ages. It was the wedding of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips. Royalists to the core. I think many of those churches came down in the earthquake. Wonderful country.
I enthusiastically second the "wonderful country" sentiment!
I am absolutely in love with it.
Unfortunately, it contains the Taupō Volcanic Zone (TVZ), one of the most active volcanic regions on Earth.
New Zealand is actually situated on the exposed parts of a submerged continent, Zealandia, officially recognized by geologists as the world's eighth continent in 2017!
The trouble is, the tectonic plate it's part of, the Pacific plate, is being subducted beneath the Australian plate - which explains all the seismic activity.
And yes, much of Christchurch was devastated by the 2011 earthquake: two-thirds of the buildings in the CBD and over ten thousand residential homes had to be demolished afterwards. Christchurch Cathedral and the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament suffered catastrophic collapses, along with many other churches.
Unfortunately, I was not able to visit Christchurch on this trip (the ship could not enter Lyttelton Harbor due to strong winds) to see how well it has been rebuilt. I understand that much of the damage has been repaired, and many projects are still underway to complete the restoration.
Love the Google Timeline rescue moment. That feature is so underrated for travel navigation when nothing else looks familiar. The Beehive serving as yur landmark is a perfect example of how architecture becomes wayfinding in unfamiliar cities. Wellington sounds beautifully walkable despite the unexpected trail conditions, probly more rewarding than another generic shore excursion.
Yes to all! A caution: Yes, Wellington is beautiful and walkable, just have to be aware that most residential areas are uphill, steeply, from what I could see/experience.
Nice pictures. I was there in 1973. Its changed a lot. I remember a Sunday in Christchurch when all the church bells in the city pealled for ages. It was the wedding of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips. Royalists to the core. I think many of those churches came down in the earthquake. Wonderful country.
I enthusiastically second the "wonderful country" sentiment!
I am absolutely in love with it.
Unfortunately, it contains the Taupō Volcanic Zone (TVZ), one of the most active volcanic regions on Earth.
New Zealand is actually situated on the exposed parts of a submerged continent, Zealandia, officially recognized by geologists as the world's eighth continent in 2017!
The trouble is, the tectonic plate it's part of, the Pacific plate, is being subducted beneath the Australian plate - which explains all the seismic activity.
And yes, much of Christchurch was devastated by the 2011 earthquake: two-thirds of the buildings in the CBD and over ten thousand residential homes had to be demolished afterwards. Christchurch Cathedral and the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament suffered catastrophic collapses, along with many other churches.
Unfortunately, I was not able to visit Christchurch on this trip (the ship could not enter Lyttelton Harbor due to strong winds) to see how well it has been rebuilt. I understand that much of the damage has been repaired, and many projects are still underway to complete the restoration.
Love the Google Timeline rescue moment. That feature is so underrated for travel navigation when nothing else looks familiar. The Beehive serving as yur landmark is a perfect example of how architecture becomes wayfinding in unfamiliar cities. Wellington sounds beautifully walkable despite the unexpected trail conditions, probly more rewarding than another generic shore excursion.
Yes to all! A caution: Yes, Wellington is beautiful and walkable, just have to be aware that most residential areas are uphill, steeply, from what I could see/experience.