He ihu kurī, he tangata haere

Kia Ora ("hello" in Māori*)!

I've been meaning to get a blogpost in since my arrival, but in between my traveling and adventuring, I've had some pretty unreliable internet connections. So now's probably good a time as any since I'm at a library (free wifi for the win!).

As of 6:00am yesterday morning, I have been in New Zealand for one full week! Sweet as!
I spent a wonderful few days with the pops, some more with sissy, and was happily surprised by the mother lady showing up for a day with the whole fam! After a teary goodbye to Kat, I hopped on a plane to LAX, then a connection to the Land Down Under-er.
Made me think a little: flying is a wonderful, beautiful thing.

Arriving in Christchurch (after a quick stopover at the Auckland airport), one of the first things I obviously did was find my way to the ocean and jump in. It was 8ºC outside. Nice and brisk.

I'm currently in Christchurch, Canterbury. It's the second most populous city in New Zealand, and the largest on the South Island. It was pretty badly damaged by a set of earthquakes in 2010 and 2011, where more than 180 people tragically died. Since then, however, the community has come together to rally around restoring the city to its former glory (and even make it better). Because of this, there are numerous construction sites, blank lots, and some structures still seemingly untouched since the ground violently gave way (which you're probably not supposed to go in, but... eh. I like to explore).

There's a eerie beauty to places post-destruction

The people of Christchurch didn't give into despair, though. Many of these lots have become host to an abundance of temporary art installations, pop-up shopping centers, and inspiring homages to those things destroyed in the quakes. Where some cities might leave those spots be, CHCH (common abbv for Christchurch) has gathered its community around these places and made the best of what were literally earth shattering events. One of my favorites is a restaurant/bar made out of an old bus and shipping containers.

A very typical CHCH garden. These are EVERYWHERE!

Christchurch is nicknamed the "Garden City" by the locals, and with good reason. On about every tenth city block, you'll find yet another park. These people like their green spaces. Not only that, but everyone and their grandmothers has a garden in their yard! Because it's the middle of Spring here, it seems I came at the exact right moment. It smells like jasmine and orange blossom everywhere you go (ie, smells like heaven)!


Even if it were for just the smells, CHCH would be well worth the visit. But with the smells come the colors! Never before have I seen more variety of flora outside of a city botanic garden (of which CHCH has the single best botanic garden I've ever seen!). Take a stroll around any neighborhood and, within minutes, your eyes will catch the full spectrum of visible light bouncing off immaculately pruned bushes, trees, vines, et. al. Samwise Gamgee would be well proud.

A lot of my time so far spent has been simply meandering through the city and surrounding areas just exploring and seeing the sights (ie, stopping in every café I find). New Zealand coffee is, bar none, the best I've ever had! They take it pretty seriously here (even McDonalds has trained baristas!). Only bummer is most all of them close at 4:00pm. Like, what? I can't have coffee and use your wifi in the evening? Ugh.

 
One of the best reasons to be in NZ is the tramping (what Kiwis call hiking). Even the so called "unspectacular treks" (those close to the city) are pretty great.

So far, I've stayed at a few hostels and with a Couchsurfing host (who was one of the kindest people I have ever met [though most Kiwis seem to be of the same ilk]). There's definitely more to see in CHCH, so I'm staying here just a little while longer. It's an amazing place with which I've quickly fallen in love. However brilliantly CHCH is rebuilding itself, though, everything is a bit too spread out for me. Most everyone lives in the suburbs while the city center is under constant construction, and whose only real inhabitants are tourists. With the mountains only an hour drive away, it's the closest I've lived to mountain ranges in a while, but I want the ability to walk to a trailhead rather than have to catch a bus. Thus, after this weekend, I'm hopping on whatever mode of transportation I can find destined Southward to the city of Dunedin. Everyone I've spoken with has told me that I would love the laid back city with the beach and the mountains a hop, skip, and a jump away, as well as the passionate café culture and alternative vibes of this university city. But while I'm still in CHCH, I'm going to live it up and get in as much as I possibly can! Upward and onward!

*Māori are the native peoples of New Zealand (Aotearoa). I'll do a history lesson on another blogpost sometime. They're friggin fascinating!