Christchurch

After the Queen Charlotte track I returned to Picton and stayed one night at Chrissy’s. She and her housemate Libby certainly made for an easy stay in Picton. They also had plenty of suggestions and advice for the remainder of my time in New Zealand. It was a very nice visit and one that I am grateful for.

When I left Picton the weather was lousy so it was a good day for a bus ride to Christchurch. In Kaikoura the bus stopped for a 30 minute break. Two guys that I am pretty sure were a gay couple sat in the seats in front of me. When the bus makes a stop where you know other passengers are going to be picked up it's common sense to leave something in your seat to mark your spot. I noticed the gay guys didn’t and for all I knew they were getting off in Kaikoura.

After half an hour everyone got back on the bus along with some new passengers. A middle aged American woman plopped in the seat in front of me with all kinds of stuff and you could tell she was claiming the two seats all to herself. I could see a potential problem if the gay guys did indeed return. Well, they did.

“Uh, we were sitting there”, Said one of the guys. The woman replied, “The seats were empty when I got on.” “But we were sitting there!” a guy replied. The woman then rudely quipped, “Well I’m sorry, I’m sitting here, I’m not moving, find another seat”. This made the guys very angry and one of them called her a stupid bitch. The guys then split with one sitting next to me and the other on the opposite side a couple of rows up. I quickly volunteered to give up my seat so they could both sit together and they thanked me for being a gentleman. Actually, the woman did kind of seem like a bitch.

The bus rolled out of Kaikoura for a few miles. The road got narrow along some scenic coastline as one of the gay guys snuck up to the driver to inform him that a woman had missed a stop for the hostel at the far end of town. I guess the bus driver was supposed to remember but didn’t. He threw a very audible fit. I don’t know how but he skillfully turned the bus around in the middle of the narrow road and we rolled back to Kaikoura. I guess the driver realized it was kind of his fault and apologized profusely, to the woman who missed her hostel, like a broken record all the way back.

I arrived in Christchurch about half an hour late and got on a local bus to find the Airbnb I’d booked. Aribnb is a website that allows everyday people to list and let various forms of short term accommodation. Since I’ve been hearing about other travels getting a great deal via Airbnb I thought I’d give it a go.

I found the BnB ok and it was located in a nice neighborhood. The woman who I had communicated with said she would not be there when I arrived but her son would. The place didn’t look too welcoming with all curtains drawn. I knocked on the door, no answer. I knocked on the neighbors door to make sure I was at the right place then I knocked some more. Same result, no answer. By that time I didn’t have a good feeling about the situation so I hopped the bus back to city center and settled for a dorm bed in a hostel for the night. I then sent out an email and cancelled my reservation for a refund of less than 50%.

The next morning I received an email from the woman with the Airbnb and she was very apologetic. She wanted to give me the portion that was not refunded to my credit card, in cash, so I met her at tourist information at midday. In person she sincerely apologized, handed me the refund, and commented that her son is a “dick”. The woman was super nice and had she be there when I arrived I’m sure it would have worked out fine, however, I’m not so sure about her son so I was happy to totally cancel the deal. In the end I found a quiet single room at a hostel that I'm almost for certain is the same hostel I stayed at in Christchurch in 1989. The woman running the place is the daughter of the mother who was running it in the ‘80’s and strongly resembles what I remember her mother looking like which more or less confirms my previous stay.

The city of Christchurch is a mess with empty broken buildings, vacant lots, and construction projects taking far too long. In 2010 and 2011 the city was rattled by strong earthquakes that killed close to 200 people. The rebuilding process has been slow and difficult for a country of 4 million at the bottom of the world. The silver lining is how artists and creative types have invaded the city and filled vacant lots with art of various forms, food trucks, vendor trailers, and a shopping mall made out shipping containers. Vacant buildings are either tagged with grafitti or decorated with large well thought out murals. Funky café’s and creatively themed bars fill the in-between between destruction. The rebuild is gradually taking shape as the city is being reformed from the inside out. Barring any more major quakes it will be really interesting to see what Christchurch is like ten years down the line.

All in all there’s a cool artist vibe or as a French woman put it, “Ambiance”. I like it here. I’ve spent my time in Christchurch walking around, running in a park and resting. Last night there was a small earthquake but I am happy to report no vertigo during the last few days. Knock on wood…..