I Love Schnauzers   My life with Schnauzers

On Day 6 we flew from Sydney, Australia to Christchurch, New Zealand. That evening we were lucky to be welcomed to the home of Professor Richard and Mrs. Barbara Rowe for a wonderful home-cooked meal of roast lamb with veg followed by dessert of pavlova, a kind of meringue pastry topped with fresh berries.

The next day, we had a very little time in the morning to walk around Christchurch before boarding the coach bound for Twizel. We used that time to head down the block and across the square to the Transitional Cathedral. 

Christchurch was hit by a large earthquake in 2010, which luckily did minimal damage and cost no loss of life. This earthquake was followed by thousands of smaller aftershocks and in 2011, an even larger quake struck. This quake was shallower than the first and the epicenter was closer to the downtown area. Sadly, 185 persons lost their lives and many of the historic buildings, including the Cathedral, were destroyed. 

In the aftermath, nearly all the damaged buildings were torn down and a fight started over whether to tear down the remains of the Cathedral or to rebuild. This fight continued for years, but the congregation still needed a place to worship so the Transitional Cathedral was built.

The Transitional Cathedral, known affectionately as the Cardboard Cathedral, is constructed using cardboard tubes as infrastructure. It was built to last only 20-50 years. The grounds were in full bloom and the nave was beautifully lit by the morning sun.

  
   
   
Then we boarded the coach, crossing the South Island’s Canterbury plains, stopping for lunch in a lovely town named Geraldine.

 

 
Then a short visit at the Morelea farm for a sheep shearing demo followed by tea with scones and biscuits.  

 Then back on the coach and onward to Twizel, in the heart of the Mt Cook region.

It was a full day, but the weather cooperated. The next day it was on to Mt. Cook national park and on to Queenstown!