Today has been Phil's favourite day so far. Why? He finally got to try out surfing! We drove to Sumner, Christchurch for a group surfing lesson on Scarborough Bay this afternoon. The sun was shining and it turned out that there were just the two of us, so we got a private lesson for half the price!
The lesson lasted 2 hours and an extra 2 hours using the wetsuits and surfboards afterwards is included in the price. I have to admit, I was pretty nervous and slightly reluctant, but Phil couldn't contain his excitement.
As it turned out, Phil was a natural! After a lengthy introduction all about the waves and techniques, Phil managed to stand up in the very first wave he tried - unbelievable! Needless to say, I fell off my first one, but I did manage to stand on the second one and surf all the way in to the beach. What an awesome feeling! The waves weren't huge but the conditions were perfect for learning.
I had a feeling surfing on my second wave was a bit of a fluke and indeed I was right - I nose dived spectacularly on the next one and fell off pretty much every way possible on the next few! Phil was great though and was totally in his element. Our instructor Ambrose, (imagine your typical long haired surfer dude... Yep, that's him) was clearly impressed with Phil and moved on to teach some turning techniques and more technical stuff. Trust me, this info was of no use to me at this point! What a day though, Phil is still buzzing from it.
On a different note, on driving into Christchurch, we were shocked at how much of the devastation from the earthquake two years ago is still evident. Some buildings with collapsed frontages are still waiting to be demolished and rebuilt, there are temporary buildings, shipping containers and piles of rubble all over the place and still, several roads are closed or very bumpy to drive on. We haven't been to the CBD yet but it really did make us realise just how destructive the earthquake was and how many people's lives must have been affected. Having said that, there is a real sense of community and determination to get things back to normal again.
We've now settled in to Amber Holiday Park, our last campsite and last night in the campervan. Where has the time gone?