A Day at the Beach!

Hello!

Today Alexis and I hopped on the bus and rode out to New Brighton to visit the beach.  Riding through the city center, we got to have a good look at how Christchurch was impacted by the earthquake of a few years ago, and how it is bouncing back.  Some fancy-looking old buildings were crumbled, but bright, modern structures are springing up.  We passed the Container Mall (called Re:Start), which is a mall made out of shipping containers painted in bright, primary hues.  We glimpsed the Transitional Cathedral as well, a building that functions as both a place of worship and as a venue for concerts and events.  The area seems to be focused on local flavor and rediscovering itself as something modern and unique.  Alexis and I made extensive mental lists of things to see here on our next day out.

After a bit, we found ourselves on the New Brighton Beach, and we spent the next couple of hours just walking down the shore.  The sand was dark and dotted with bright white shells.  A lot of friendly dogs came up to say hello to us as we walked.  It was sunny and warm with a nice breeze off the water:  a perfect day to stroll down the beach!
We spent some time walking on a ridge in the dunes just above the beach.  It was adorned with tall grass and a waxy-looking plant that hugged the ground and had round, stringy flowers.  I didn't recognize it.

 Alexis and I stopped at a bench almost submerged in sand to split a sandwich and some chips.  Then we moved down onto the beach itself, where we found plenty of driftwood to play on!  We (I) climbed the branches of huge trees that had been whitewashed by the waves and sun and had come to rest far up the beach.  Some of the wood lay on its side, huge and white against the sand, full trees.  Some of it, however, had been propped up like standards to mark the top of the beach.  Some smaller pieces were stacked into a nest or a teepee.  All was fun to play with, or just to look at.

By the time we reached the South Shore point, we were pretty pooped.  We caught the bus back through town, came back, and sprawled in my room for a bit to recover!  It was a great day out, and it was really good to see more of the city.  Looking forward to my next adventures!

Classes start tomorrow; wish me luck!