After turning in the van (at this very moment, I'm not sure why we didn't come up with a better nickname), we spent a few days in Christchurch. As a general observation, this is a city that would be interesting to visit again in 10-15 years, as they are just now starting to rebuild following devastating earthquakes in 2010 and 2011. While there are bright spots to the city, including some great park areas, one finds it difficult to walk more than two blocks without having to cross to the other side of the street to avoid demolition or construction zones. On the plus side, they have a great bus system, making it easy to get around without a vehicle.
Our first day in Christchurch was forecast to be rainy and cold (when will summer arrive, anyway?), so after checking into The Old Countryhouse Hostel, we found out that there was a movie theatre only a short bus ride away, we decided to mourn the loss of the van by catching the final installment of The Hobbit trilogy (cue comments from lovers and haters alike). Tickets were only $10, which comes out to about $8 US, so we decided to get some popcorn, too. We're not sure what it says about us, but there was something comforting about walking through a mall decorated for Christmas with a Salvation Army brass quintet playing Christmas music. Perhaps we felt as if we could have been in a mall at home.
The next day was Sunday, and we decided to go back to Knox Presbyterian Church where we had worshipped on our first morning in New Zealand. A few folks recognized us, and welcomed us back. Sometimes the church can be so great! The service revolved around the theme of Jesus being a revolutionary, with the bulletin cover featuring an image of Jesus that resembles the classic picture of Che Guevara one sees on t-shirts and posters. The preacher did a wonderful job of framing Mary as a revolutionary, given the texts she chooses to proclaim in the Magnificat. At the end of worship, we joined the congregation in a liturgy/ritual of transition away from the fellowship hall where they have been worshipping since the earthquakes, back into the sanctuary, that is just now restored/renovated. It was a cool moment to share with those folks.
After worship we ate at a local cafe on the advice of the pastor and then set out to explore Re:Start, a shopping area made up completely by shipping containers, which signify the rebuilding and the "Restart" of Christchurch as a city.
In the afternoon, we walked to a Catholic church that was offering a performance of Handel's Messiah. We realized that neither of us had ever experienced a performance of the entire piece. It was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
On our way back to the hostel, we explored a short side street that either survived the earthquakes, or has been rebuilt to look historic. As we were walking along, we ran into a couple we had met in the hut on the Abel Tasman Track earlier on our trip, and we talked about potentially hanging out on New Year's Eve in Sydney, as they will be there as well. Sometimes it really is a small world.
No comments:
Post a Comment