Tuesday 3 April

Woke up and went to watch John exercise the horses. He has a big race this week in Dunedin, a 5 hour drive south for a 4 minute race and then 5 hours back!

Following breakfast we drove into Christchurch…..wow, such devastation! So sad and yet there seems to be an optimism about the place. Most Christchurch people are looking at the earthquake as an opportunity to build a better city rather than the loss of the old one. We drove to the beach resort of Sumner and saw the houses, shops, businesses all boarded up and abandoned. Expensive beachside properties clung to the cliff edge waiting for the next tremor which would send them over the edge. New Brighton used to be a vibrant, busy seaside resort - much in the shape of Newquay in Cornwall. Surfing, drinking and partying was the agenda of the young. Sadly, the bars and shops are now either abandoned or no longer the venue of choice.

In the afternoon John and I set off to the airport to pick up Simon and Shelley _ their aircraft arrived 30 mins late and so we enjoyed a beer together before driving back. A fabulous BBQ in the evening saw the end of an interesting day.