New Zealand, again

After long deliberations we had decided not to cancel our trip to NZ. It was a tough decision for me, still not sure whether it was the right choice. Have to buy a flat to get out of the dirty rental this year and I might come to regret spending the money on vacation. But no use crying over spilt plant-based milk alternatives, to NZ we flew on boxing day = Dec 26, 2024. Singapore Airlines, train from Berlin to Frankfurt, then via Singapore straight to Christchurch.

Of course the train was canceled but we’d allowed for plenty of buffer and quickly switched to another train, so no worries here. Singapore Business Class was a bit disappointing, the A380 beds are not comfortable at all and service was patchy on both flights. Compared to Lufthansa still world class of course.

Everything went super smoothly, got to CHC on time, extremely quick immigration and bio security and we were ready to pick up the rental car from Omega and start to enjoy the summer.

Christchurch has morphed into such an exciting and lovely city – they really turned the dreadful catastrophe (earthquakes) into an opportunity. An opportunity to rebuild a modern city from scratch, without legacy baggage. So now you have a thoughtfully planned city for the modern age, for humans, not just for cars. Love it! Still much work to do, but clearly trending in the right direction.

Nice Patisserie at Sweet Soul, good veggie food at The Grater Good, and the still lovely botanical gardens with great penis cactusses. The riverside market has now moved from containers into a permanent home, well done.