Christchurch, again (1–2 April)

Our bus ride from Dunedin to Christchurch was just as uneventful as the reverse direction had been. We arrived about 7:45 pm, walked to our hotel, and then went out for a quick dinner before crashing for the night.

2 April #

Our flight wasn’t until about 4 pm, so we had the morning to enjoy a nice brunch followed a wander through a bit more of Christchurch.

Along the sidewalk by the Avon River there are excerpts from poems. We sent this one to Jared, who has a special relationship with rivers. “Over the lithe strong current hung the mist in whirling masses, heavy, close to the surface.” – Charles Stuart Perry, *The River*, 1934.

Oi Manawa Canterbury Earthquake National Memorial is beside the Avon River.

The memorial includes the names of all 185 people killed by the earthquake. Many of the deaths were at a school for English as a second language.

We weren’t the only Canadians visiting the Memorial that day.

After visiting the Memorial we went for a walk through North Hagley Park, which wraps around the Botanic Gardens.

We picked up our bags from the hotel, caught a bus to the airport, and were shortly on our way back to Brisbane.