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We decided to head back to Christchurch as there was a busking festival on that weekend. We stayed in Stonehurst, a large hostel/motel complex just a short walk from the city centre. There was alot of interesting acts on over the weekend including a circus performance with some very impressive trapeze artists and a cool Burlesque show in the main festival tent on Saturday night. We also had a delicious meal in Mum’s Kitchen (a Korean/Japanese place) on Saturday night before the show. After the show, we checked out Sol Square (Christchurch’s hotspot) which was buzzing as usual that night. About ten different bars are grouped together around an outdoor area, all very lively.

Seeing pictures of the earthquake that hit Christchurch in the following weeks was quite upsetting, thinking of how we had been there just before it happened.

Our plan was to go swimming with dolphins in Kaikoura as our next stop, however when we got to Kaikoura the trip was all booked up for the next few days. A quick change of plan brought us back on the road the next morning to leave for Christchurch. The weather was pretty grim the whole day so we stayed indoors once we got to there, staying in Excelsior hostel. Due to the earthquakes, Christchurch is down about 800 hostel beds, making it quite difficult to get accommodation. The weather had cleared up by the next morning so we had a stroll around town and a look in the Cathedral before heading off on the road again to Lake Tekapo.

Having been joking about the danger of earthquakes in Christchurch, we just barely missed another aftershock, the morning after we left thanks to our last minute change of plans!