South Island
Christchurch
Today we're off to Christchurch, one of only five Antarctic Gateway cities, the one used by Scott and Shackleton in 1901. Today the trip is somewhat faster than it was in 1901. You can get there in between 5 and 7 hours if you plan to stay, or a round trip with sight-seeing, snacks and drinks is available from Qantas but it'll take ya 12 hours. And set you back upwards of eight thousand dollars, although you can get steerage for about twelve hundred.
Christchurch is also, sadly, the scene of the deadliest terrorist attack on New Zealand soil. In 2019 a far-right white supremacist opened fire at the Al Noor Mosque, and then later at the Linwood Islamic Center, killing 51 and wounding another 40.
So a sombre start to the flight, but here we go.
It's not the direct route, but we'll start out on the Wairau River.
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The Nelson Lakes.
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Better stick to the valleys. Looks like scud up ahead.
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Yup.
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Cosmic.
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Well, somehow we made it to Hokitika on the coast. Hokitika's an interesting place, and maybe next year's around-the-world flight will see us layover here. Hokitika means to return directly which refers to a failed conquest by a band of Ngāi Tahu warriors who were looking for Greenstone. South Island Greenstone is a generic term for several types of rock that at my level of Petrology are all Jade. The stone was carved into intricate baubles and was highly valued amongst the Māori people.In addition to Jade, the area is rich in gold. 3 million hectares of land surrounding Hokitika were purchased from the Māori in 1860 for Three Hundred pounds. They should have haggled. 1864 saw the start of a gold rush, and by 1866 Hokitika was the most populous place in New Zealand, and a year later its port was the busiest port in the colony. Even as recently as 2019, a man discovered a gold nugget here valued at $25,000 NZD ($22,000 CDN). These days it's a kind of a quiet place, with only the occasional mass murder and subsequent manhunt. |
Anyone know how to use these things? There's buggerall to be seen out the window and we're somewhere near Mount Cook. I think if the little white line is below the hills then that's considered bad.Fun Fact: 80 people have died climbing Mount Cook. |
Discretion is the better part of valour.
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Ah. Here's a valley going our way, and just over there is the coast. Clear sailing.
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The crop circles are on account of the giant sprinklers they use to irrigate the farmland.
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Tada. Christchurch. Both the oldest and the newest city in New Zealand. Christchurch became Enzed's first city in 1856 by royal charter. Then, only a decade or so ago, much of the town was destroyed in devastating earthquakes. 100,000 buildings were damaged, 10,000 of them had to be demolished. Sadly, 164 people were seriously injured and 185 people lost their lives, 115 of them in one building collapse. So, with the massive rebuilding, Christchurch has the unenviable distinction of being both the oldest and the newest city in New Zealand. |
And here we are for the night. Tomorrow maybe we'll see some sheep farms.
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