It’s always a good idea when you book a flight to ensure you can get a hotel/hostel/b&b or just a place to rest your head when you arrive in a country, typical then with my last minute planning I arrive in Christchurch and the hostels will be closed and a motel/hotel is $180 plus the $40 cab fare…. Oh cock! On to plan b then, a little hunting around on the net and I find http://www.sleepinginariports.com – as the name suggests it give a pretty good overview as to where is good and what to expect when you want or have to sleep in an airport.
So I get a new stamp in the passport, collect my bag and move through the duty free out the gate and I’m presented with about 60 odd people all sitting around – some even in sleeping bags! Right then, so I’m not the only one who can’t plan flights properly!
What was it like – well actually it was just like a Holiday Inn; fuckin’ uncomfortable, cold and with a carpet that was laid down some time in the early 70’s!!
At 04.00 in the morning I was asleep only to be kicked on the foot by security guard telling me that the cleaners were coming around and its time to move on and I find another spot, 40 mins later or just as I had dropped off to sleep another kick – cleaners are still coming to get you! Sod this I can do better so I wander up the stair and find an area where all the rental car company offices are a sneaky push of the half swing door and result its open! I dive down before anyone see’s me and get comfortable behind the desks in a nice dark quite area and sleep like a baby it was wonderful! That was until my alarm clock went mental and woke me up – the Avis girl has just come into work!! With my thickest Irish accent I apologies profusely, complement on how a standard company uniform can looking very fetching and finish off with a broad ear to ear pearly white smile and I gotcha you’ve just been rpd’ed it worked a charm, she wishes me “best of luck with your trip and it was lovely to meet you if you need to rent a car then give me a call” and with that she gives me a cheeky half smile and a wave, with that I’m off to find my morning cup of Joe.
Next place I end up is in jail….. its a hostel called Jailhouse!! I’ve got a prison cell for the next two nights and as hostels go I think this is the best one so far – a hint to anyone going to open a hostel/hotel/b&b go and stay in a few and see what its like and see what your guests need, quite simple really but so many places have it all wrong… Perth for example but that’s another blog I haven’t got around to telling you yet!
So what about Chch, well I found it a very sad place, it is still in a complete mess I went to see the CBD and the cathedral before its all pulled down and was taken aback by the amount of people posing for portraits of themselves in front of ruined buildings – is it me or is this strange? I mean do people take images of themselves beside building which have been blown up or damage by a fire? Each to their own I suppose but its not something which I wanted to record and look back on!! I seek out some lunch in a place called the Coffee House which is still standing but the building next to it is in bits and that Chch for you, life is going on but you cannot forget about what has happened you are constantly reminded of the shit they have had to injure! Looking into houses and seeing everyone’s belongs in the same place as they day they were forced out, it is impossible to describe the feelings or emotions you get walking around. Stop and talk to people or listen in to conversations and you get another perspective you hear about the issues they are having trying to rebuild their lives, insurance companies not paying out or trying to build or find a new place to live – its really is scary. I suppose its like any natural disaster site around the world as soon as the news groups pull out its old hat and forgotten about that is unless you live there!
For people who are not here I think you need to know; a) 9,000 – 10,000 quakes have happened since the big one in Sept ’10 b) part of Chch has moved 11ft to the right!! c) $4 billion NZD is going to be needed but I think that number will grow however everyone I met in Chch was amazingly up beat, extremely friendly, open and honest and some how very positive, but I’m sure their are a lot of other people who you don’t see who need help in more ways than one!
So after my days events I thought I should have a few pints – well it is St Patricks day after all and why the hell not! So I went on the lash met about a 1001 NZ’ers who turned Irish for the day, had a slaggin match with a fella in a Lenister Jersey and bumped into two dutch lads I met in Byron Bay all in all a good session!
The next day was a bit of a shocker the old melon was hoppin’ off the prison walls however a good strong cup of Joe and a chat to some German girl helped clear the haze – it was a good one the coffee that is and th conversation wad interesting, apparently at 05:00 Chch suffered yet another shuffle underground!
So with that folks, its another rpd fact – rpd can sleep anywhere and even an earthquake won’t wake him up! Although I’m sure my mother has known this fact for the past thirty odd years…….
the bean hunter 