Kiwi Christmas in Christchurch

Well, where does the time go.  I promise I've been busy, either working on Ervin or riding my bicycle. It's amazing how much time one can spend cleaning someething, especailly if it has lots of nooks and crannies. I believe Ervin has been more of a challenge than detailing a Harley Davidson and that is no mean feat. I have to admit that I usually don't work too long into the evening and I don't get started all that early either, slow but sure.  But hey, I am retired and like to spend some time drinking coffee and reading books. I think I'm right on schedule, it helps that I don't really have one but I'll be in Christchurch through the middle of January and will be ready to travel way before then. In fact Ervin should be finished before the New Year.

Ervin all cleaned up and ready to build. 

I've probably said before but Ervin is turning into more of a project than I thought but this thing was built out of the heaviest stuff possible and coming apart. I'll lighten it up by a hundred pounds or more and create some more space as well as make it nicer to live in and easier to clean. A part of my time in the last few days was gathering parts. It's kind of nice having a project and I don't mind staying in one place for abit and getting to know Christchurch. I was lucky that most of the tools I need came with the van as well as most of the camping supplies so I'm still ahead. I also took some time to get some long bike rides in and check out the Port Hills a little better. I still have unfinished business there, just need to get some legs that will pedal me up the hills. 

Christmas Day started out sunny and clear and is not a day to work on anything so I rode the bike into town and took some photos. I wanted to check out the route to the yoga place as I intend to get back to that tomorrow, it is way overdue. I also wanted to take some pictures of Christchurch at Christmas to share. Christmas is more low key here than in the US. Yes, there are lots of Christmas sales going on so I treated myself to a few things that I "need". There are hardly any Chrstmas lights and outdoor decorations, I'm not sure I've seen any although I'm told they exist. Of course it is summer holiday time so the Kiwis  are travelling around hiking, camping and pursuing summer outdoor activities. 

Christchurch is known as the Garden City so there are lots of flowers blooming everywhere. The climate is perfect for a wide variety of flowering plants even in mid-summer. I've seen a lot of plants that are commom to England including  Foxglove, Broom and Gorse. I've also seen Magnolia, Yucca, Hydrangea, Lilac, Rhododendron and many others that I can't name. 

I did find Santa and Rudolph hanging out at the Restart Mall or the container Mall which was constructed to get business rolling again after the earthquake in 2011. 

I love the contrast of the flowers and Christmas trees at the container mall. 

This totem is located in downtown Christchurch in a nice little park area, lots of fences in this area so damaged buildings including the one in the background. The plant behind the totem is a fairly common plant known as a cabbage tree. 

I've een several sculpture by this artist around town, not sure who it is but I like them; and look, there is a Magnolia blooming in the background. 

Smash Palace got a paint job! I think I've shared photos of the Smash Palace before, it was all white. This is one of the efforts to get business going after the earthquake. The exterior walls are scaffolding with tyvek wrapping. You order in a camping trailer and the kitchen and bathrooms are in containers. There is a bus on site to sit in or outdoors at picnic tables. They make a pretty good lamb burger. 

I rode through North Hagley Park on the bike trail and was rewarded with this scene, there are quite a few parks and streams here. 

Yes, those are Yucca's blooming, something I normally see in New Mexico. 

Nicely landscaped yard and in bloom just in time for Christmas. 

So that's what I've been up to. I'm looking forward to yoga tomorrow and getting back to work on the van. I am making good progress and will have pictures as it comes together. I also found out this week that one of my flat mates is a climber so am looking forward to getting in some climb time. SHe is on holiday until after the first as are my other mates but I foresee some climbing in my not too distant future.  Guess I better work Hard this week!

Merry Christmas Everyone, wishing you a Joyous Holiday Season and a New Year full of adventure!

Ervin UrVan and Gap Fillers in Christchurch

It has been a busy week, and that coming from a guy who is on permanent vacation. I've been working to get Ervin UrVan ready for the perpetual road trip and that means cleaning cleaning cleaning. I inherited a lot of stuff with Ervin and apparently none of it had ever been cleaned, Ervin was in bad need of a bath himself. I guess that is what to expect from a van that has been lived in by multiple people, including three Canadian guys at one time. At least Melba Malvern had the decency to keep herself clean and well maintained.

Melba set up for touring, I've been riding her around town a lot. Christchurch is bicycle friendly with lots of bike lanes and a lot of people using them. The fact that petrol is $2.17 NZ/litre (~ $6.40 US/gallon) is incentive for Melba to see a lot of use. 

Melba also has mountain bike tires and wheels ready to go, we're going to see a lot of beautiful New Zealand together. I really wanted to try a 29er but couldn't pass up the sweet deal on Melba a 26" hardtail. She was sitting there waiting for me to come and get her. 

I pulled everything out of Ervin and sorted out the junk from the good "stuff". Everything has been cleaned and now it's time swab out the interior; I'll save the exterior for last. All of the bedding had to go except the duvet which got a thorough washing and a new cover. I also got new sheets, cookware, etc. I'll take more photos as he comes together. I'm still not sure what to do about curtains. The red velvet ones are now clean and could be modified to work well but they kinda look like they came from a house of ill repute. Oh well, Ervin needs some character, right?

Ouch, I've got a dent in my nose! Ervin has been a little mistreated along the way and isn't the most handsome fellow around but he only had 197,000 Km (~122,000 miles) on the clock which isn't bad for a Nissan.

Mostly stripped down and airing out

Gotta love the red velvet curtains, we'll see what happens there. 

Not a bad cockpit but hey, the steering wheel is on the wrong right side

Can you say subwoofer? The stereo is a good JVC and my Ipod plugs right in. 

Ervin may look a little rough on the outside but hey, I'm not that pretty myself. He has fairly low Kms and completely old school technology including window cranks, a carburetor, points, no electronic anything, and no power steering. I could brush up my rusty mechanical skills and fix anything on Ervin myself. He does have disc brakes in the front though and all the brakes are new thanks to the Warrant of Fitness requirements that a vehicle be safe before it can be sold. We're getting there. I still have some time in Christchurch before I hit the road. I'm staying through Christmas to get me and Ervin into shape. Lots to see and do in the outdoors here plus sitting still for a while and regrouping is good for my soul. We'll be ready to hit the road in January though and see lots of New Zealand.

 I took a break from working on the van yesterday to ride my bike around town and run some errands.  In the evening I decided a walk would be nice so I took my camera and headed into downtown. All of the empty lots represent places where building were before the earthquake in 2011, actually there were two, the first major quake was in February followed by a major aftershock in June. There are numerous quakes and aftershocks here, almost every day but most are minor; I haven't felt one yet. 185 people died as a result of the 2011 quakes and many historic buildings have been lost. The town is currently in the process of dismantling and rebuilding, not only structures but a lot of the infrastructure. Of course, this will take a lot of time, decades probably, but what an opportunity to redefine Christchurch. Out of this disaster will arise a new modern Christchurch but in the meantime "Gap Fillers" and wall art. It will be interesting to watch the new Christchurch grow.

Tui Bird, I saw and heard a few of these on my first hike in New Zealand, The Coastal Walk from Opua to Paihia in the Bay of Islands, Northlands. They have a beautiful three part song.

Christchurch: Destined To Rise

Gap fillers and wall art are many places that buildings once stood

This area along the Avon River was constructed in 1929. I'm sure it was beautiful before the quake.

Forever in Our Memories

Christchurch Cathedral that will be "Forever in Our Memories"

Dali-esque Wall Painting

185 People died as a result of the quake, this memorial with has empty chair for each of them. 

185 Empty Chairs, including some very small ones; very touching. There is also a wheelchair. All hand painted with two coats. You can sit in any and stay as long as you like. 

Faith Hope Love - hard to see but I liked it, located close to the 185 Empty Chairs

More wall art showing the diversity and creativity of the Christchurch Kiwis. 

That's it for now but I'll be back with more fun and interesting stuff.  

Cave Stream, Halpin's Falls, and Tui Canyon

Another Succesful Weekend!
Van preparation had to take a back seat to getting into the outdoors and having some fun. Saturday morning we headed out to do Cave Stream, our second attempt. Last weekend the stream was very high, not so good if you're planning to travel 1/2 a kilometer upstream through a cave.  This weekend it looked good so into the cave we went. As usual we had an international crowd. Jen, Karthick, Rosman, James, Greg, and myself. I'll have to give Greg the Awesome Attitude Award, a very nice Aussie guy who is literally blind in one eye and doesn't see well out of the other. He has been on several of our outings and is always gung ho to go. I didn't realize at first that he can't really see; he is a fine example of living life to the fullest in the face of adversity.   OK, Cave Stream; wading in at the beginning it felt really cold. We didn't bother with wetsuits for some silly reason and as the water got deeper it took my breath away; I was wondering what we had gotten into. Head lamps are defintitely required as it gets really dark.  We had to wade most of the way through, occasionally able to climb up on the sides, it felt warm getting out of the water. Lots of twists and turns with some side caverns but as long as you follow the stream you come out in the right spot. A couple of spots were difficult as you had to climb up mini waterfalls where the stream narrowed and got fairly strong. At the end you have to ascend a ladder built into the wall and then crawl out a narrow ledge, very exciting.

Greg, Karthik, James, and Me

James. Rosman, Karthik, Greg, Jen, and Paul; just before entering the cave

James and Karthik

It was 12:30 when we were back at the car and dried off so someone said, "what's next?" So we headed up towards Arthur's Pass to go see Halpin Falls.  It began to rain as we got close to the pass but a little rain won't dampen this crew's spirits. So, back into wet clothes, brrrrr, and off to walk up the stream to the falls. I mean up the stream too, there seems to be no path to a lot of these places; in and out, back and forth across the stream, over fallen trees, and scrambling up some cascades we finally got aview of the falls, 25 meters or so with a lot of flow. We scrambled up the rocks to the base but the wind and spray coming off were so intense you could not walk up to it, nor did you want to as it was cold. I'll get some pictures out soon, Jen was in charge of the camera. Back down, in and out, back and forth across the stream and we fonally got back to the car. Back into not so dry clothes and off to Arthur's Pass for hot chocolate. A chilly day but worth it.

Halpin's Falls, not easy to get to but worth it.

We made it! although couldn't get close to the falls because of the wind and spray

Lupens, it's nice to have spring time in December

Sunday morning, four of us headed up to do Tui Canyon, NW of Christchurch.  It was a short Canyon so a half day trip or so.   A very short approach if you go the right way  so we suited up in wetsuits for the walk in. A little more than half way around the loop we figured out we went the wrong way so turned a 5 minute walk into a 45 minute walk.  That's ok but it isn't that much fun hiking in a wetsuit. This canyon has a couple of long water falls to abseil down, one puts you right in the flow at the bottom.

Jen Abseiling down the waterfall in Tui Canyon

Karthick in the flow

These canyons are about more than just the waterfalls

Sometimes you gotta swim

Sometimes you just have to jump 

After we got back to town we headed out to a Christmas Party BBQ in the park, shorts and tees were the preferred dress of the day but sometimes when the sun went in it did get a little chilly. That didn't shorten the line at the ice cream truck though. It's definitely interesting to have summer in December but I like it. Another successful weekend!

Kaumira Canyon, Mt. Nimrod, New Zealand

Well, this is my first attempt at ablog so we'll see how it goes. I rode on the coat tails of the Evergreen Blog all the way around Fiji and down to New Zealand but now I'm on my own. I though it would be fun to give blogging a try to journal my adventure and share some photos.It will be awork in progeress but I'll try to keep it up regularly, as regularly as internet access permits that is. I'll be in Christchurch until around January 21 or possibly the following weekend depending on adventure plans. Then it will be time to head out with Melba and Ervin to see the country. My plan while I am here is to ride Melba as much as possible to get my legs in shape, get back into my yoga practice, and get into the climbing gym for some fun getting strong.  Of course there are always the weekend adventures with Jen and her mates. So that's enough of an intro for my very first blog, let me see if I can't get some photos on here.

Success!  Yep, looks like I'll end up in the stream. 

Yes, the end of the rope goes right into that pool

Cool Arch 2/3 of the way up, we bypassed this one because of the high flow. From this angle we can see a hand line to the right and another anchor that would have made it doable.

Your's truly at the anchor watching Mick abseil.

Jen crossing the hand line to the anchor

At least we're abseiling beside this waterfall and not in it

And when you get to the bottom, you gotta swim!

Mick demonstrating the correct procedure for abseiling down a water slide.

That's it for the virgin blog, let's see if I can figure out how to post it. Maybe even get some followers.