New Zealand Trip-Day 1

Finally after almost a year since I booked the promotion priced air ticket to New Zealand,my family is flying off to New Zealand.It was a long flight to Christchurch.It took us almost 10 hours but we slept most of the time on board as it was a midnight flight from LCCT.



On approaching Christchurch,we were greeted by beautiful scenery of ice capped mountains and big green flat lands.


Everything went smoothly from baggage collection and clearing the immigration.The authority is very strict on what items passengers can bring into NZ.Our bags were re scan again before we were allowed out into the arrival hall .

Waiting for the pick up service by Apex Car Rental.The Apex main office is located about 10 minutes drive away from the airport so those who rented their cars will be ferried to their office to collect the cars.This is a disadvantage unless one is to rent from some other company which have their base in the airport itself.However the pick up service is quite on time,we just waited for about 10 minutes.

Sign board showing various car rental companies operating in Christchurch. After getting our car-a Toyota Corolla ,we drove to our motel which is located about 500 metre from the Apex car rental office.Our first night in NZ is in the Airport Lodge Motel: http://www.airportlodge.co.nz/

It was about 6:00pm when we finally settled down in our motel.We decided to have a brief tour of Christchurch.With the GPS provided by Apex car rental ,we drove out to the city center which is like a ghost town.The main part of the city center has been barricaded and cars are not allowed in.We saw many buildings destroyed by the earthquake and the process of tearing down some building and clearing the mess is still going on.

***"The earthquake caused widespread damage across Christchurch, especially in the central city and eastern suburbs, with damage exacerbated by buildings and infrastructure already being weakened by the 4 September 2010 earthquake and its aftershocks.

In total, 181 people were killed in the earthquake,making the earthquake the second-deadliest natural disaster recorded in New Zealand with nationals from more than 20 countries among the victims." ***

The effect of earthquake is still shown all around Christchurch.Certain part of the roads are not even and have been patched up many times.One will not expect to find this kind of road condition in an advance country like NZ.The locals are complaining of the slow pace of re building Christchurch.
There wasn't much to visit in Christchurch in the evening.The sun was still shining bright at 7:30pm.We drove around looking at destroyed buildings while looking for a place to have our dinner.Then we found a nice big park in Christchurch and saw many people running...training for marathon??

***"Hagley Park has been at the heart of Christchurch since the 1850s and is today the most significant central city park. It offers a diverse range of entertainment and recreational facilities close to the city centre.

It is renowned for its extensive area of 165 hectares (407 acres), its wide-open spaces and mature woodlands. The park is a major sporting and cultural focal point with netball courts, a golf course, soccer and rugby pitches.

The park is divided into North and South Hagley Parks, divided by Riccarton Avenue. Cycle tracks and pathways go through and around the park allowing you to enter and exit around its perimeter.

For running enthusiasts the North Hagley perimeter is 4.5km whilst the South Hagley perimeter 3.7km. There is a 17-station fitness circuit along the perimeter track of North Hagley Park."***

We were out in the city until 9:00pm local time.We were still fresh and eager to explore but everything was very quiet at night.We drove back to our motel to watch TV as we just can't sleep.It was only 4:00pm in Malaysia.How to sleep?

Looking forward to venture away from Christchurch tomorrow...