Earthquake- February 22nd

Thanks so much to everyone for the emails and messages expressing concern for Brad and I! We are so grateful to have such wonderful friends and family and we love you!
We are ok and our power is back on at home. We are in Kaikoura right now, but we may head back later- we aren't sure. There are major sanitation issues and we won't be able to use our toilet- which is a major issue (let alone shower or drink the water without boiling it). But the main thing is that we are ok.
We were both at the university at the time of the earthquake (myself in engineering, and Brad in education) on the 3rd and 4th floors respectively. I was filling up my water bottle in the washroom, and at first I thought it was just a little aftershock but it kept on going. I didn't know what to do or where to stand- the walls were cracking, doors were swinging, lights were smashing. When it stopped, everyone was fleeing the building and I couldn't go back to my office to get my wallet, bag, phone and jacket. At first I was upset and wanted to go back in- even though I was shaking- and knew it was not a small earthquake. I stood in the parking lot with a few other people that had important items in the building- but then another big aftershock hit and the water tower next to the building (which was already cracked and leaking) started swaying, I realized that it was absolutely ridiculous to think I should try to go back in. It's funny how you completely lose your senses. We are so lucky we weren't downtown! Just 45 minutes earlier I was in a big department store- and I am so glad I wasn't there when it hit! Everything falling off the huge shelves.....
A lot of people are still missing and many people have lost loved ones. Please pray for them, and for the people who are still trapped, and for those who were injured.

Lake Guyon

Stanley Vale Hut

Horses (at lake Guyon)

Lake Guyon from a distance

The five hour walk to Lake Guyon follows several valleys and has one mountain pass. We almost got lost but luckily ended up at Stanley Vale hut- which is an old farmhouse made from mud and wood that is now a hut for trampers and cyclists- about one hour's walk from the Lake Guyon hut. The visitors book at Stanley Vale was signed by a man whose grandmother had been born there!
Lake Guyon is a beautiful and clean little lake with a cute 4 person hut. Two ladies at the hut rode their horses in (it's allowed on certain trails)- what a great way to come. Instead of staring at the ground so you don't trip, you could look around the whole time!

Quail Island

Basalt Cliffs

California Quails

Quail island is a small scenic reserve in the middle of Lyttleton Harbour. The boat ride out is only about 10 minutes. The island used to be a leper colony, as well as a temporary quarantine area for farm animals brought over from Europe. It used to be inhabited by hundreds of native New Zealand quails- but they went extinct in the late 1800's due mostly to hunting and loss of habitat (though the introduced California Quail lives on). The island is a few kilometers across and has a couple of nice beaches that are calm and not very busy. The walk around the island takes about 2 hours. It went up to 36 C today, and it was much more humid and less windy than usual. The perfect day for swimming- but we forgot our swimsuits!

Mueller Hut

Sealy Tarns (halfway up)

Top of Mount Oliver (near Mueller hut) (1933m)

Mueller Hut

Mueller Hut is at 1800m, half the height of New Zealand's highest peak- Mount Cook. On clear days at Mueller hut, you get a panaramoic view of all the highest peaks, including Mount Cook. Unfortunately it was foggy up at the top- but we did get to see and hear loads of avalanches on the other side of the valley coming off the glaciers. We were perfectly safe from them at the hut though- there is no snow there at this time of the year.

Port Levy Saddle

What a hot weekend- it got up to 34 C! It stayed fairly breezy though which was actually good. The trip I was originally supposed to go on got cancelled due to 115 km/hr winds in the mountains. But this was a nice 3 hour walk just 45 minute drive from Christchurch. Notice all the dead fall- they cut down all the trees for livestock. It is amazing to see what the forest was like before it was cleared. The last 20 minutes of the walk was in the old growth part of the forest. In the first photo, that tree is supposedly 2000 years old! (I don't know if it's true or not!)

Queenstown, Milford and Otago Peninsula

Playing soccer on the beach on Christmas day in Christchurch

Underwater photo taken while swimming with the Hector's Dolphins in Akaroa

Moeraki Boulders

Yellow Eyed Penguin Reserve

New Zealand Sea Lion

Beach near Catlins Park

Top of Mount Luxmore on Keplar Track

Kayaking Milford Sound (Mitre Peak in the background)

Jack's Point Golf Course in Queenstown (which Brad said was the nicest & most difficult course he's ever played)

Chris riverboarding near Queenstown

Riverboarding

After a relaxing and warm Christmas in Christchurch, we headed to Queenstown for a few days. We went riverboarding and golfing, visited the hot pools, and went shopping- it's a beautiful place with so much to do! After that we headed to Te Anau to see Milford Sound, where we went kayaking in the Sound. We also did a day hike up the Keplar track (one of the great walks in the area) to Mount Luxmore, and an evening trip to the Glow worm caves. Then we took the scenic drive via the southern part of the south island to Dunedin and the Otago Peninsula. The highlight of the Otago Peninsula was the Yellow Eyed Penguin reserve, where strategic hides (trenches in the ground) let you see the penguins up close without them knowing you are there. When we got back to Christchurch, a few of us went to the quaint town of Akaroa just an hour from Christchurch to swim with Hector's Dolphins. They travel in much smaller pods than the Dusky Dolphins in Kaikoura, but Hector's dolphins are a special species because they are endemic to New Zealand.
Chris, Igor and our mom are going back to Canada tomorrow, and it's been a great time. We covered pretty much all of the south island!

Golden Bay, Nelson, Blenheim & Kaikoura

Catching Sea Perch (we also caught some blue cod, red cod, and tarakihi)

We got to keep 5 crayfish caught in metal cages (pots). They are similar to lobster except no front claws)- they were delicious

Dusky Dolphins

Kaikoura Penisula walkway

Beach out front of our rented holiday home

Kayaking near Tata islands in Golden Bay

Totaranui beach where we camped for one night

Christchurch Botanical Gardens

3 hour evening rogaining event in the Port Hills by Christchurch

Chris, Igor, and our mom arrived on December 14th. For the week before Christmas we did a tour of the northern part of the south island. We went to some beautiful spots, and even though we couldn't do our 3 day kayaking trip that we had planned (due to strong winds), we still did a day of kayaking (golfing for Brad), and a bit of shopping, a half day wine tour where we visited 5 vineyards, a dolphin cruise (that was supposed to involve swimming with the dolphins, but it was too windy), and an excellent day of ocean fishing.