We awoke early again this morning so we got showered and packed up ready to get going straight after breakfast. We called the campervan company just after they opened at 08.00 to see if it was possible to collect the van before our scheduled pick-up time of 11.00. Our van was ready for collection, so we checked out of the motel and called a taxi. Early morning rush hour traffic was heavy due to the morning rain, so it took us a good while to reach the campervan centre.
Once there, it was smooth running, quick efficient check in and best of all, a van that is almost brand new! It has only done 12,000Km, so everything is clean and tidy.
First stop - a supermarket to stock up with essentials, then onto Hanmer Springs about 80Kms NW of Christchurch. We cleared the Christchurch suburbs about 11.00 and headed out on highway 1 arriving at Hanmer Springs around 1pm. A quick sandwich and we were on our way sightseeing. Hanmer is famous for it’s natural hot water baths and in recent years has been turned into an adrenalin centre. The net result is that the baths are now fully enclosed and hidden from the public, (unless you pay) and the town is a typical tourist destination full of cafes bars and hire centres for quad bikes, mountain bikes and the like. Had it not been raining, the scenery would have been similar to that of the Lake District, but as it was, there was little to see through the drizzle.
On we went, heading for Kaikora through the heavy drizzle. Again, the scenery would have been worth a few Kodak moments, but as it was the rain was winning. Even the weather is like the Lake District. Yesterday was blazing sunshine and 29 degrees, today is 10 degrees cooler and miserable drizzle!
We stopped at the visitor centre to get directions to the campsite and as I entered the building I saw a notice advising people not to go to Christchurch due to the massive earthquake that had devastated the city. I asked the guy on reception if the notice was an old one and he said that a quake had hit Christchurch at lunchtime and caused devastation in the city centre. It was unbelievable to think that we were there only a few hours before. We made our way to the campsite, which was just down the road and got checked in for the next two days. The first task was to find a home for all the clothes and supplies that we collected in Christchurch. Trust us, that was no easy task in a two berth campervan. We probably wont know how well it’s all stowed until we start moving again.
We managed to get the TV working in the van and tuned into a local station which had cancelled all its programmes to give coverage of the earthquake. It was only at this stage that we realised just how devastating it was. We had taken photographs on Sunday of buildings that no longer exist or have been partially demolished. Only a few hours earlier, we were stuck in traffic going across Hagley Park, which was now housing 2000 refugees and the building that we had dinner in on Sunday evening was destroyed!
Maureen managed to prepare our first dinner in the van, whilst we carried on watching the TV. Roast (microwaved) Chicken with 3 veg. Pretty good for a first attempt. We are now just about to make up the bed. As it’s still raining, the big decision is, do we head for the toilet block or test the en-suite facilities??
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