Well we arrived early morning....boy it was hot...35 degrees and we had winter clothes on! Off the plane, picked up the car and headed straight for the gondola ride near Littleton where you can see for miles in every direction...the city, the mountains, the ocean and the lakes...beautiful view! Christchurch city is a lovely setting with mountains surrounding it all over. However our tour to the quake centre and our walk around town and the burbs revealed a very sad picture of devastation....here it is 2014 and the earthquake struck in 2011! This week is the third anniversary of the occasion! Since then they have had over 500 more quakes of varying strengths..but nothing like 2011! Why they stay I don't know! One building survives and the next does not...unreal....the city itself is a total construction zone! They have brought in containers to make temporary banks, restaurants and retail shops....other than that they are rebuilding the city! Even in the suburbs every third or fourth house is either completely demolished or a sign saying do not enter ..unstable! Feel so sorry for the poor people that lost lives and homes!