So, for anyone living under a rock for the last week, there was a big earthquake in Christchurch and we were very close. The 22nd of February was supposed to be our last day of climbing at Castle Hill, but it was raining so we had a lazy morning and leisurely breakfast, chatting with our Czech friend Yan. We packed up, said goodbye to Cragieburn and went to say goodbye to our Swedish friends Tobias and Janna. They had rented a sweet house in Castle Hill Village. We were sitting around their place, exchanging music and videos and having a nice conversation when I felt the house begin to shake. I said "I think were having an earthquake." The others stopped and looked at the glasses shaking on the counter. Then it became very noticeable and we bolted outside. The trees were whipping back and forth and the sensation was like being on a boat. After a few seconds the shaking stopped and we went back inside. A few seconds later, we were back on the lawn for a comparable aftershock. I was thinking how cool it was that we got to experience an earthquake without it being too bad...
When we left them and went to the hostel, we found out that the quake had caused chaos in town. The whole city center was destroyed and the aftershocks were still rolling through. We sat and watched the news as images of destruction poured in from the places in the city where we had walked through a week before. A couple of times we ran outside with a strong aftershock shaking the hostel. Our flight was due to take off the next day, but we weren't sure if flights would be taking off, if the place where we rented our car was still standing or what. As the evening went on the hostel filled up with people either coming from Christchurch or those who had been heading there. It was a heavy night and a restless sleep.
The next morning we waited around for news about the airport and rental car and eventually made our way into the city. It took a long time to get to the car rental place in town because so many of the roads were closed and the traffic lights were all down. All the roads had cracks and big mounds of liquefaction, which is when water and dirt combine underground and force the earth upwards. When this mixture seeps through the cracks, it looks like wet concrete. The car rental place was a mess inside - glass and objects shattered all over the floor - but it was still there. We left our keys and decided to hitch a ride to the airport. Dimity made a sign that said "AIRPORT" and within ten seconds a nice older man picked us up and drove us there. His name was Tim and he drove us there on many of the closed roads (haha - not sure he realized they were cordoned). He was cool.
The airport was maxed out with people trying to get out of town and everyone was stressed. The aftershocks were still going on, so every now and then a big shake would shock peoples' already frazzled nerves. After a short delya, we took off and made it to Melbourne, solid ground. And for anyone who has the choice, I highly recommend Air New Zealand!
Today we read that the death toll is around 130 and still rising. A few days before the earthquake, we were considering going to Christchurch early to do some shopping and sight seeing, so we're very lucky to have missed it. Aside from the death and devastation to such a beautiful city, it was amazing to see how everyone in this small country (as well as friendly neighbors) are pitching in their best efforts to help the people of Christchurch.
We absolutely loved New Zealand, in fact we wished we'd had more time to explore, and we hope that ChCh gets back on their feet soon!
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