VictoriaFebruary 11
We always love visiting farmers markets when we travel. There’s usually some bakery displaying delicious looking pastries or cool gifts we can bring home for family and friends. This was not the case at the Riccarton Market.
This place was full of tchotchkes, loads of items that looked like they were hauled out of a box languishing for decades in bubbe’s musty basement. Needless to say, we didn’t stay long, but we thought about returning to sell some of the stuff in our luggage to lighten our load.
Back in the CBD (Central Business District), we did the second thing we like best: shop! We strolled around for a few hours and thoroughly enjoyed walking through Riverside Market, an indoor food-space with lots of enticing pop up stalls. We wanted one of everything, but settled for coffee because we were still full from breakfast. I know that hasn’t stopped us before, but we were trying to be good!
Our afternoon activity was a visit to Quake City. Christchurch has suffered many earthquakes over the years. The one on Feb 22, 2011 was the most devastating. The 6.3 magnitude earthquake killed 185 people and destroyed 80% of the buildings in the city center.
New Zealand sits at an unfortunate location between the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates. As they move towards each other, they subject NZ’s land to enormous force. The violent shaking within the city was recorded as one of the strongest anywhere in the world. Liquefaction, a process that sometimes happens during an earthquake, essentially turned the ground to liquid and enveloped the city, wreaking havoc.
The city has done a remarkable job of rebuilding in the 13 years since the quake. Signs of the devastation and destruction still dot the city landscape and cranes are on the horizon in most directions you look. Neighborhoods have been completely transformed. This city is rising up from the rubble and we are fortunate to see its profound development. Christchurch has encouraged artists to paint murals on the sides of buildings in an effort to brighten up the landscape and the downtown area still scarred from the disaster.
Visiting the Botanic Gardens at 6 p.m. on a sunny Sunday summer night was a great idea.
First, it’s empty. Second, the lighting is great for picture taking. Third, since they are open until 9 p.m., we had plenty of time to wander around and work up an appetite before dinner.
The 51 acre gardens were absolutely beautiful. We took so many pictures of flowers and trees that it became difficult to choose which ones to include in the blog. It was a lovely end to an enjoyable Sunday.
