We arrived in Christchurch almost ready to go home, having been on the road for 4 weeks. We were invigorated by a warm welcome from our dear New Zealand friends who made the remarkable city even more memorable. We walked everywhere and enjoyed the classic neo-gothic architecture and serene streetscape. What a beautiful city! It was with much sadness that we heard about the devastation from this year's earthquake. But New Zealanders are strong and resilient - they will recover.
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| The bell tower from our hotel room in the historic Novotel. |
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| Great War Memorial |
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| Handy stroller hangers on the trolley |
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| The Art Gallery - stunning! |
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Inside the Art Gallery
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| Arts Centre located in the former University of Canterbury buildings, sadly the Arts Centre was heavily damaged during the 2011 earthquake |
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| This used to be the Engineering building. |
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| Inside the Arts Centre |
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Gorgeous colours in the Botanic Gardens |
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| Roses in all their glory |
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| Christchurch Town Hall - also significantly damaged during the quake |
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| The Town Hall Performing Arts auditorium known for its acoustics - reminded us of the Berlin Philharmonic Hall |
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| The lovely banks of the Avon river flowing through Christchurch |
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| Damage from the earlier quake |
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Our friends took us up to the top of the Cashmere HIlls for tea in this historic building The Sign of the Takahe. |
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Panoramic view of Christchurch and beyond
This wraps up our amazing trip to New Zealand and Australia - four memorable weeks in two remarkable countries - doubtless people and places we would love to return to again. Thank you all for coming along on the trip with us.
Next post - a retrospect on our 2009 Berlin trip
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