I'm still in the UK. Leaving on Monday. It is now Friday, which means I have 3 days left here.

On Tuesday I heard about the earthquake in Christchurch as soon as I woke up. It has been shocking for many reasons. I think something like that serves as a harsh reminder that no matter how developed we think we are as a species, no matter how much money we have, we cannot overcome nature. We don't know enough and we're not powerful enough.

My thoughts are with the people of Christchurch and their families and friends. It is shocking that so many people have died. So many events are big on the news for a day or two, but then they fade away and most people forget about them. Other events, you just know pretty much straight away that they are going to go down in history and that they will permanently change the region, the country or indeed the world. This is one of those events for New Zealand.

I feel sad for all the people who lost their lives and also for the loss of the city itself. I was using Google Streetview to view the city as it was before Tuesday and it was a beautiful, peaceful place with a lovely river running through the centre and streets and suburbs named after quaint English towns. The guidebook I have has a photo of the cathedral on the front cover, so it is shocking to see it lying in ruins.

This has got pretty heavy for a travel blog. It has been something I've been thinking about a lot though. The first stop on our trip is Hong Kong, then Auckland, and then we're scheduled to be flying to Christchurch. We will have to see whether that happens. The most important thing is that the people of Christchurch are supported.