Posted by Jason
We left Perth on the night of May 8th. During our 2 hour lay-over in Melbourne we saw a very dramatic sunrise over the airstrip and it was beautiful!
We decided to fly into Christchurch, the largest city of New Zealand's South Island, as a starting point for what was supposed to be our cross-country road trip. We knew about the devastating earthquakes that hit Christchurch between 2010 and 2012 killing hundreds of people and destroying thousands of buildings. I had also read about the city's strong recovery effort in a New York Times article that named Christchurch one of the top 52 places in the world to visit in 2014, so there was a lot of curiosity leading up to our arrival.
We eventually landed in Christchurch around noon on May 9th and we were pretty exhausted. My first impression of New Zealand was how friendly the custom officers are at the airport. They greeted us and welcomed us to their country, and most importantly they smiled! They didn't try to intimidate us like most of our CBSA officers and US custom officers do, which was very refreshing.
The friendliness was felt outside the airport as well. There was heavy traffic due to the construction in Christchurch central business district (a very common occurrence because the city has been in constant repairs since the earthquakes), so we had to get in touch with our Airbnb host Anthony to let him know that we were running late. However, we hadn't picked up a New Zealand SIM cards yet for our phones. Luckily, the bus driver let us use her personal cell phone and we were able to call Anthony to re-arrange our pick up. What a nice altruistic gesture!
By the time we got to Anthony's house we were pretty tired, so we decided to walk around his neighbourhood that evening and visit the central business district (CBD) the next day. We went to a mall nearby to get SIM cards ($100 for data, talk and text for the both of us) and some groceries and called it a day at 9pm.
By the time we got to Anthony's house we were pretty tired, so we decided to walk around his neighbourhood that evening and visit the central business district (CBD) the next day. We went to a mall nearby to get SIM cards ($100 for data, talk and text for the both of us) and some groceries and called it a day at 9pm.
On the morning of the 10th, we received a very unexpected text from Karbo's brother Joe that our dog Dino was quite sick. At that time, the vet had diagnosed him with heart murmur, which is a common condition for Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, but usually not until they're older. We did not think Dino would get it at the tender age of 6. He also had fluid build-up in his abdomen and was losing muscle mass.
While we were very upset at the news and were worried sick about Dino, we did not want to make any irrational decision, so we went for a walk towards the CBD to clear our minds. It was a nice stroll along the river from Anthony's house. Once in the city centre, we saw many abandoned buildings; some were visibly damaged from the quakes, while others looked unharmed but had to be decommissioned and fenced off due to the internal structure being unsafe. The initial feeling we got from Christchurch was a little bit of eerie with its apparent lack of life, but we soon saw a different side of the city.
There were several new buildings that showed signs of revival in the city of Christchurch: Cardboard Cathedral is the temporary transitional church while the ChristChurch Cathedral is under repairs from the earthquakes. This new-age style church was built almost entirely of cardboard tubes, and is now a symbol of the city's resilience and ability to move forward. Re:Start is an outdoor shopping mall built with shipping containers.
While we were very upset at the news and were worried sick about Dino, we did not want to make any irrational decision, so we went for a walk towards the CBD to clear our minds. It was a nice stroll along the river from Anthony's house. Once in the city centre, we saw many abandoned buildings; some were visibly damaged from the quakes, while others looked unharmed but had to be decommissioned and fenced off due to the internal structure being unsafe. The initial feeling we got from Christchurch was a little bit of eerie with its apparent lack of life, but we soon saw a different side of the city.
There were several new buildings that showed signs of revival in the city of Christchurch: Cardboard Cathedral is the temporary transitional church while the ChristChurch Cathedral is under repairs from the earthquakes. This new-age style church was built almost entirely of cardboard tubes, and is now a symbol of the city's resilience and ability to move forward. Re:Start is an outdoor shopping mall built with shipping containers.
That evening when we returned to our Airbnb home, Karbo and I had another discussion and we made the decision to cut our trip short to go home and attend to our sick pooch. We booked the flight for the next day and canceled our New Zealand car rental. Dino's condition was very serious and it would be irresponsible for us to continue our travels and leave Joe to take care of Dino (both our parents were out of town for at least another month). Besides, there was no way we could have enjoyed the rest of the journey knowing Dino was not doing well.
The next day, May 11th, 2014, we packed up our backpacks for the last time :( and got a ride to the Christchurch Airport from Anthony. Anthony was one heck of a host. He not only drove us to the airport, he also took us for a tour of the scenic parts of the Canterbury region outside of Christchurch. We are very thankful for the opportunity to see that picturesque side of New Zealand that we otherwise would've missed.
This was not how we had imagined to end our RTW trip, so it was hard for us to put a finger on how we were really feeling. Even at the airport waiting for our flight, we had to remind ourselves that this was it! Our next destination was not a foreign place waiting to be explored. I would no longer be able to shamelessly take photos of food because I had my "tourist card." Our care-free, backpacking days were really coming to an end. It was like being woken up from a sweet dream.
On the other hand, a big part of us was excited to go back to Vancouver. For the first time in 9 months, we will be able to sleep in our own bed, use our own shower, have space, drive our own cars, and most importantly, see Dino. Besides, we DID manage to see all the countries we planned to visit, albeit we barely spent any time in Australia and New Zealand haha.
On the other hand, a big part of us was excited to go back to Vancouver. For the first time in 9 months, we will be able to sleep in our own bed, use our own shower, have space, drive our own cars, and most importantly, see Dino. Besides, we DID manage to see all the countries we planned to visit, albeit we barely spent any time in Australia and New Zealand haha.
Even though Christchurch is the final destination of our RTW trip, we plan on continuing this blog (hopefully with better punctuality). We may write about individual trips we take later on, or we may write about life back in reality, how Dino has recovered dramatically and been able to sustain his health. Thank you for taking the time to read our blog thus far, and we hope you continue to join us in our journey, wherever it may take us :)