the south island

Colin had a conference in Christchurch and I decided to tag along. The city remains visibly impacted from the earthquake in 2011. It is a strange mix of emptiness and brokenness alongside a mass of building activity. There are layers upon layers of complexity here; grief and trauma, courage and resilience, hope and possibilities, frustration and bureaucracy...

I spent a pleasant day wandering the streets of Christchurch, visiting the art gallery and walking in the botanic gardens and as I sent a message to my girls outlining the day I realised just what an 'old person' I am becoming. They agreed.

I rode the gondola to the top of nearby hills and enjoyed the view of Christchurch, Lyttelton, the bays, lakes and the sea from the top. Luckily for me it was a clear day, blue skies and blue water.

I joined a day tour and headed west to the mountains, Mount Sunday to be exact, the home of Edoras for those who are fans of the Lord of the Rings. It was breathtakingly beautiful...

It was a ten hour day but well worth it. There is always something so soothing and soul-full about being in nature.

And I have to admit that I really missed Winnie while I was away...