Day 12: End of an Adventure
This will not be a very long post as yesterday was more of a relaxing day, especially due to the weather being less than ideal. I had to do one more switch with a rental car early in the morning on a day I would have rather slept in. No love from the rental car company to go drop off one white Yaris for another white Yaris. There was an LDS congregation meeting less than five minutes away at 9:30. We spent our morning there hearing some inspired messages and lessons. Sometimes the world is a very small place. Sitting right behind us during Sunday School was a senior missionary couple. After talking to them for a few minutes about where we were from, I found out that they were the parents of one of my church leaders as a teenager and their daughter-in-law was my neighbor growing up in Brooks. Of all the places I would think to run into someone I know the other side of the world in Christchurch was not one of them.
We had planned a day spent in Akaroa. This is a small seaside town about an hour south of Christchurch. The idea was to enjoy the water and walk around. The day had turned quite cold and cloudy while we were at church though. We decided to go forward with the plan anyway. The drive was another typical lovely trip through the countryside. The town itself is situated in a bay. It was settled by French colonists in the 1800s and still has some of the feel of it in the names, buildings, and food, Unfortunately it was just too cold and windy to enjoy walking around so after lunch we drove back to Christchurch.
I wanted to see the rugby stadium that the Crusaders play at. We were staying right next to it. However, as soon as we parked outside one of the gates it quickly became apparent this stadium had not been used in years. There were weeds covering the pitch and it looked like something that belonged in a deserted city. It was a corpse of a building left to rot in the open air. It was actually kind of depressing to see it. I was surprised after it was damaged from the earthquakes that it wasn’t either rebuilt or torn down. I found out where the other stadium is they now play at. It’s much smaller - more like a US soccer stadium than the home of one of the great clubs.
We drove around and found a place to eat dinner. Other than that we relaxed, read, and got ready to leave. It’s never easy to leave a country after visiting for a few days. New Zealand is a beautiful, wide open country with so much to explore. As far away as it is I’m not sure when, or if, I’ll be back. I have loved the time spent here. I met some great people, reconnected with a friend, saw landscapes that I wouldn’t have believed possible. There is so much to gain from traveling. This experience was definitely once in a lifetime. If I have any advice - travel now and travel often. Don’t get stuck living out your whole life in one city and never exploring the world around you. It will enrich your life and help you appreciate it so much more.
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