When we opened our advent calendar we were thrilled to discover a turkey wearing a christmas hat. We had decided to go into the city centre today so after brekky we walked to the bus stop. The bus journey took about forty minutes on the bumpy quake ravaged roads. We passed quite a few damaged houses and loads of empty plots where presumably houses had stood before the earthquakes. Some houses had been split in half by the force of the quake. As the bus got close to the city centre the destruction became very apparent. Much of the major damage it would appear was in the city centre. The bus took us past row upon row of empty blocks and damaged buildings. A few streets were cordoned off. In places it looked like a war zone with buildings still lying in ruin. Empty cleared blocks sat next to buildings that are being held up by elaborate displays of steel reinforcement. It was sad to see. When we got off the bus we explored on foot and and the full extent of just how bad the earthquakes had been set in. The evidence of that terrible day in February 2011 was everywhere we looked. It was a real shame. We walked over to the Restart Mall where a temporary shopping area had been created out of old shipping containers. The area was bright and colourful and had a good vibrant atmosphere. After a bit of souvenir shopping we walked over to the River Avon and along to the Christchurch Botanic Gardens. The gardens were absolutely gorgeous and a haven of tranquility. We walked amongst the trees and beautiful flowers for a while before returning to the city centre. We then walked up to Cathedral Square where we saw what was left of Christchurch Cathedral. It was very severely damaged and is now scheduled for demolition which is a real shame. From here we wandered through the city's desolation to Latimer Square where they have built a temporary cathedral out of cardboard. We cut through a nearby park where they had a huge tinsel and bauble covered christmas tree. On a hot day and under a blue sky it didn't feel right. It is hard to believe that christmas day is only five days from now. Next we walked to some shops on the edge of the city centre where we discovered the best supermarket in New Zealand. They had a whole aisle dedicated to organic and natural food. We then completed our city centre walk by going back to the bus station. Once back at the camp site we had our tea and chilled out until bedtime.