4/13/2014 - Christchurch to Queenstown to Te Anau

We took an optional half hour coach tour around Christchurch to view some of the earthquake damage. Some history first. On Tuesday February  22, 2011 at 12:51 PM. This earthquake measured 6.3 and killed 185 people, injuring several thousand. The epicenter was just 10 km from the central business district and was technically an aftershock of the 7.1 magnitude earthquake September 4, 2010 at 4:35 AM. The epicenter of the September earthquake was 37 km west of Christchurch. No one was killed in this earthquake and few were injured because most people were at home in bed. Buildings in the were definitely damaged in the suburbs and Christchurch. After the second earthquake there were landslides, liquefaction of coastal areas, and geysers of sludge the seeped through the cracks in the earth. There were few injuries in residential areas but several thousands of homes were demolished and some suburbs will never be reoccupied. Over half of the buildings in the central business district have had to be demolished. Some multistory buildings pancaked. Many historic buildings were heavily damaged. A half hour was more than enough time to see this devastated area.

Arrowtown

We flew on Air New Zealand from Christchurch to Queenstown. We found our coach and first stopped at Arrowtown - a picturesque gold mining town. In 1862 a small group of miners discovered gold and Arrowtown's population boomed. 

Chinese miners came in after the minors left for the West Coast gold rush. They lived in an area called Chinese Village. Wee visited the small Lake District Museum which shows both Arrowtown and Queenstown's past focusing on gold miners and innovations.

We drove around the countryside and made several stops at scenic spots - beautiful area. We also went to the Five Rivers Cafe for refreshments. We then checked into the Te Anau Hotel and Villas for the night.

A few of us went across the lake to see the Glow Worm Caves. We walked a little through the cave with some very tight spots. Then we boarded a small boat, the lights were turned off and our guide steered along until we were beneath the glowing worms. Very cool. After they showed us a film and we were glad we didn't know what glow worms looked like before the ride!