Thursday 20 September 2012

Two down on the way to the third


The flight to Melbourne to Christchurch was very peaceful (thankfully) and for the last hour the views were magnificent.  We flew down over the Southern alps, which are covered in snow and looked wonderful.  Mount Cook, the highest peak, was poking through the clouds like a wee pokey hat.  Unfortunately I couldn’t reach my camera to take a photo and I didn’t think to use my phone.  I don’t know that I would have done the scene justice anyway.

I spent a few hours wandering around Christchurch.  I really hadn’t realised that Christchurch was still barely recovering from the last earthquake.  The city centre is no more.  It’s not possible to walk around that area because of all the dangerous buildings.  Some, such as the Cathedral, may be able to be repaired - to some extent and others have just been or, are in the middle of being, pulled down.  The area just outside this zone is “remade”.  Some of the shops which would have been in the city are in this area and they are all housed in containers which have been jazzed up.  It’s absolutely amazing to see.  I don’t think I will ever look at a container in the same way again.  
























Of course Christchurch was founded by English settlers but a major part of its development and indeed it’s continued development is down to 2 brothers and their family, who came from Riccarton, Kilmarnock.  The river here is called after the Avon water and names connected with the Deans brothers all over the area.  Now I bet that you didn’t know that Linda.  The gorgeous park for which Christchurch is well known in NZ was gifted by them as well as a number of other amenities.  



4 comments:

  1. I'm intrigued, I have relatives with the surname Deans and I'm a Riccartonian!

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  2. You have not! Linda might have.

    Two brothers names Deans immigrated here from Kilmarnock(in the 1850s I think ). I'll try and find out their names when I get back to Christchurch. One of their wives also came from Riccarton - McCulloch(maybe) but they came with nothing and made good. They were among the original settlers.

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  3. Found out! How did you know it wasn't me?

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