Weedons - second time around

It must be a good place to stay if you're happy to return. When we stayed at Weedons in October we had no idea that we'd be back again in February, only four months later!

We try and keep driving between places we stay to around an hour. It means we don't miss much in between and we find it works best for the dogs (especially when the temps have been so high).

After staying at Ealing we drove north for about an hour and arrived at Weedons, the perfect place to spend a few days before heading home to Nelson.

Bridle Path

The Bridle Path (or if I got to name it, 'The Brutal Path), is steep - very steep, but it's so worth the effort. Even though it feels like the summit doesn't get any closer despite how long you've been slogging it out - when you do reach it - it's totally worth it. The view is stunning.

I parked the car in the small carpark for the track walkers. It's on the city side of the Bridle Path, just below the foot of the gondola. The walk starts off at a gentle gradient (but don't be fooled, it's a trick- it gets steeper and STEEPER).

This historic and popular walk was originally created in 1850. 

In December 1850, eight hundred British Settlers arrived on the first four ships. At that time there were only a dozen houses in Lyttleton and Christchurch. Sumner Road was being made but hadn't been completed, so the chief surveyor, Captain Thomas cut the bridle path.

The early settlers carried essential household goods on their backs over the track, the heavier items went by boat across the Sumner Bar. Early in 1851 the path was upgraded for horses to use (that's how the name Bridle Path came about). Over the next 16 years thousands of immigrants walked this track until the Lyttleton rail tunnel opened. 

The walkway has a few memorial seats, in remembrance of the pioneers and the first four ships. These were welcome places to stop, admire the view and catch my breath.

Yesterday, when I walked the Bridle Path, it was midday and scorching hot. There was hardly any shade so I was looking forward to reaching the summit. I'd been told it was a steep walk and I'd read about that too, but despite my lack of fitness I was determined to get to the top. 

To highlight my fitness level (or lack of), some lady in her bright pink, lycra gym gear lapped me. Yes, she passed me going uphill and passed me again going down. Shame.

And then one lovely lady, who was walking down hill and looked to be about my fitness level (i.e. staggering, puffing and sweaty) stopped to chat and offer Oakly and I a drink. She said I was almost at the top (I truly thought she was tricking) but she wasn't ... and about 100 metres more of steepness, I made it. Then I heard cheering from below, and there she was yahooing and clapping my accomplishment - what a cool lady!

I made it to the summit. Yay!

The view overlooking Lyttleton was spectacular. I was lucky enough to reach the summit the same time a local man did. He told me he walks the Bridle Path three to four times a week! He pointed out a few landmarks and shared some history. 

Looking at the photo below - the mountain just to the left of the yellow broom (underneath the lowest white cloud ) is Mt Herbert.

Near the centre of the photo is a dark green clump of pine trees, that's Diamond Harbour (a small settlement on Banks Peninsula).

Legend has it, Diamond Harbour got its name from an early settler, who after observing the sun reflecting on the water said it looked like a thousand shining diamonds.

A ferry connects Diamond harbour to Lyttleton, which residents use to commute to the city.

Looking to the centre, far right of the photo below, you can see an outcrop of land. That's the east side of 'Quail Island'.

Europeans farmed the island for a short time in 1851. Then it was used as a quarantine station in 1875, and later a small leper colony from 1907 - 1925. It was also used as a hospital during an influenza epidemic.

Quail Island was also used for training dogs used in Antarctic expeditions in the early 20th century. 

Nowadays it's a reserve with safe swimming beaches. A ferry service is available to take visitors over to the island.

Oakly and I spent awhile sitting at the top, overlooking Christchurch and then Lyttleton on the other side. 

It was so much easier walking back down - although I had to watch my step as the gravel was dry and slippery and STEEP.

Air Force Museum

Last week we visited 'The Air Force Museum in Christchurch', it was the perfect way to spend a drizzly afternoon. Actually, no matter what the weather's doing, it's definitely worth a visit.

There's so much to see ... exhibitions, galleries, displays, memorials, film clips, hands-on experiences, a POW interactive exhibition,a flight simulator and so much more.

A spacious foyer with planes suspended above is the first thing you notice when entering the museum.

Bernie went on the 'Mosquito Mission Flight Simulator'. His mission was to search for battleships in Norwegian Fiords and destroy them.

This teddy (photo below) caught my eye - I enjoyed his story. His name is Flight Lieutenant Henry B. Fanshaw. His rank insignia and brevet indicate he is a flight lieutenant and pilot. He was the mascot of No. 75 Squadron RNZAF and lived in the Squadron's crew room at Osaka. He'd often accompany them on exercises and social events. Fanshaw was often abducted by other units with postcards, letters and hostage notes being sent back to Squadron 75. He traveled across the world and now lives in retirement at the Air Force Museum. 

The aircraft hall, originally built as an aircraft hangar during World War 2, is home to 13 vintage aircraft which are displayed under theatrical lighting.

The museum offers a free half hour guided tour showing work behind the scenes and an opportunity to see aircraft, vehicles and engines in the reserve collection.

Below is the Spitfire and the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, which kiwi fighter Johnny Checketts bailed out of in 1943. The wartime crash site was rediscovered and the engine was uncovered and brought back to New Zealand. Johnny's son Chris Checketts donated the engine to the museum.

Spitfire with the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine recovered and brought back to N.Z.

The 'Bell UH - 1H Iroquois', one of the worlds most iconic helicopters and famous for it's role in the Vietnam War.

There's also an option for a group of friends to take a tour. The guided tour through galleries will show historic aircraft and share captivating stories of the men and women of the Air Force.

The Air Force Museum is ideal for all ages. Children are well catered for with hands-on experiences and clues to find. Birthday parties for children can be catered for too.

I really enjoyed the interactive exhibition 'Captured.' It follows the journey of a POW in Europe, showing what it was like to be shot down, captured, interrogated and imprisoned. Stories of N.Z. airmen who were POWs are on display and well worth reading. The exhibition gives an insight into everyday life in a POW camp.

The photo below shows a POW room that would have housed 12 men.

The Air Force Museum is open daily from 10am - 5pm and the entry is FREE. We had a fantastic time and highly recommend a visit.

A Broken City

Six and a half years ago on February 22nd 2011 at 12.51pm, an earthquake struck Christchurch, registering 6.3 on the Richter Scale. It was centred 2 kms west of Lyttleton and 10kms south east of the centre of Christchurch. Tragically 185 people from 20 different countries lost their life. Christchurch was a broken city.

We wondered what the city centre would be like now. How had it changed? We were staying nearby so decided to see it for ourselves. I've seen photos of the '185 chair memorial' and thought that would be a good place to start - to begin by paying our respects.

As a temporary memorial for the first year anniversary of the earthquake local artist Peter Majendie painted 185 chairs white. The inspiration for this came from Vincent van Gough's painting of empty chairs, which represented their owners' different personalities. 

The memorial has become a major tourist attraction and can be seen at a site that's diagonally opposite the CTV Building site (where 115 people died). It was very moving standing there and seeing so many different empty chairs. There was a student's chair, a baby car seat, school chair, stool, camp chair - just so many of them. It was so sad.  

The central city and eastern suburbs were the most severely damaged. The magnitude 7.1 earthquake that had occurred five months before, on the 4th September 2010 had weakened buildings and infrastructure. When the February earthquake struck, although it was smaller on the Richter scale, much more damage occurred since the previous quake had weakened things.

The iconic Christchurch Cathedral's spire and part of its tower were destroyed, the rest of the building was badly damaged.

A temporary Cardboard Cathedral seating 700 people was constructed opposite Latimer Square.

The Cardboard Cathedral is made from 96 cardboard tubes (reinforced with laminated wood beams). Other materials used were timber and steel. It has a polycarbonate roof ( a strong thermoplastic material that's lightweight and able to withstand low and high temperatures). The walls are formed from eight shipping containers. There are two inch gaps between the cardboard tubes where light is able to filter through. The cathedral appeared to be light and bright when we visited, despite it being a dull day.

Although I've seen pictures of the cathedral after the earthquake, it wasn't until I stood outside the fence staring at the broken ruins, with weeds growing all around, that the reality struck me. It was haunting.

There's still an ongoing debate whether to demolish the cathedral and build a new one or to repair it.

Something else that struck me, was the noise. The construction work that seemed to be in every direction was constant and loud. 

Many artworks have been made to beautify the area. In front of the fenced off Cathedral is a whare with plants growing on its walls and over the roof. It adds a splash of colour, and perhaps the new growth is symbolic of life going on.

 A stone cairn is an eye-catching feature standing in the Square.

4,000 people brought the stone cairn to the Cathedral Square in 2010  to protest against the sacking of the Environment Canterbury councillors and the appointment of commissioners in their place.

There seemed to be a lot happening - the sound of construction, people commuting, tourists wandering about, tram tours, cyclists and temporary food carts doing business. It was a hive of activity.

Nic-named 'The Road Cone City' - it's estimated there are at least 10,000 fluorescent road cones in the city at any one time.

Bernie wonders why so much effort goes to restoring the old buildings. Wouldn't it be easier and cheaper to demolish it and build again?

The Glass Pavilion is built from industrial waste materials and is topped with a disorderly nest-like timber roof. The handmade glass bricks change colour as light passes over them. When the sun fades the structures changes into a beacon of light. It offers shelter but is also open to the elements.

The Container Mall (originally called Re:Start) is a temporary mall built from shipping containers. When we wandered through, the air was full of delicious smells from the various food carts. It seemed a popular spot - people sitting around cafe tables chatting and being entertained a group of children dancing.

Rebuilding a broken city.

On the sixth anniversary of the earthquake (22 February 2017) a memorial was opened on both sides of the Avon River, downstream from the Montreal Street bridge. A tranquil place to sit, reflect and remember.

I'll end this post with a touching poem pinned to the noticeboard by the '185 chairs' memorial.

A Blessing For The Broken Hearted

There is no remedy for love but to love more

-Henry David Thoreau

Let us agree

for now

that we will not say

the breaking

makes us stronger

or that it is better 

to have this pain

than to have done

without this love

Let us promise

we will not 

tell ourselves

time will heal 

the wound

when everyday

our waking

opens it anew

Perhaps for now

it can be enough

to simply marvel

at the mystery

of how a heart

so broken

can go on beating,

as if it were made

for precisely this ...

as if it knows

the only cure for love

is more of it

as if it sees

the heart's sole remedy

for breaking

is to love still

as if it trusts

that its own stubborn

and persistant pulse

is the rhythm

of a blessing

we cannot

begin to fathom

but will save us

nonetheless.

                                                          -Jan Richardson