The Weston House-luxury accommodation Central Christchurch New Zealand

CHRISTCHURCH EARTHQUAKE 4 SEPT 2010

THE WESTON HOUSE…..  SHAKEN – NOT STIRRED…

CHIMNEYS DOWN - GRANDFATHER CLOCK SPARED -
WINE SAVED - WINE O'CLOCK RESCHEDULED 
(to start earlier!! ) 

RE- OPEN THE END OF OCTOBER

Initial reports , from a competitor no less- no names mentioned , were of Peterborough Street covered in our bricks – but they were from the chimneys which aren’t structural but are very prone to earthquake damage.

A lot of roofing slate is damaged but we are getting priority from our slater in return for prompt payment for previous work.

Did I panic ....hell, yes! Len kept saying don't waste a good panic...but that wasn't going to work...He got very deep and meaningful regarding his racing car though... unscathed -  just dusty.

And where exactly were we when we heard , one of ‘those’ moments , we were sipping wine in Portofino  , Italy. Not particularly good (the wine) and far too expensive (everything) - gorgeous place though.

Having established that our family were safe- including our new granddaughter Jola (and they are far more important than anything else)

.......our thoughts immediately turned to our beloved home.

Of course, we cut short our holiday by a month, as you do…and were amazed that after such a huge trauma very little damage was sustained by either the building or the contents!

There is no structural damage whatsoever.

No, I am not about to become a minimalist and repairs are mostly minor but will be irritatingly fiddly and time consuming …in fact it would take less than 2 days to make the small repairs necessary in the guest suites.I hate cleaning up after tradesmen - although our plumber is a gem - even offered to make me coffee once!!! I was so stunned I said 'no thankyou' ...but then I figured he had worked that out for himself!

I had previously ascertained that wine,perfume and shoes were all ok - the wine wasn't really a problem as we had depleted most of it before we left for the UK and Europe!

We envisage being open again for business by the beginning of November ….why so long?…well, we insist on the best of tradesmen- after all our Historic Places Trust Category 1 Listing means that a very high standard, having been attained must be maintained – the Travel Tradeand our discerning guests throughout the world expect no less from The Weston House and we will be working very hard to keep our reputation intact.

I am so grateful that we are all okay and even more grateful we weren't here on the day.. but would I leave Christchurch ...not likely.

I would rather have shakes than snakes...and today was beautiful and sunny and in spite of all the Media hype the damage to the city is not too bad.We have not been flattened ...a few buildings are missing but we still have plenty left....and the locals have become even nicer...

PS ...have you any idea what comes down the chimney when you have an earthquake?

Well it isn't Father Christmas -that's for sure!! ...and to think I cleaned before we went on holiday!

WHITIANGA TO ROTORUA VIA THE COROMANDEL PENINSULA

Well only a few more entries for this trip and then we are back in Christchurch.
I find that my enthusiasm for NZ has grown and our desire to spend more spare time (what's that?) travelling within the islands is at the very top of our 'bucket' list.Amazing how many miles we have to travel before we discover our own backyard.
The Coromandel Peninsula has the most amazing view around every corner ...and believe me there are many of them.The road is good and stopping points plentiful - thank God for digital photography - Kodak must have made a fortune out of this area.
It is quite a drive but we managed it in one day and that included exploration stops and photo stops around 300k and upto 5 hours driving.


View Larger Map

We left Whitianga mid morning and arrived in Rotorua late afternoon - having meandered through farmland and towns servicing every sector of our agricultural economy.
Around Cambridge (which is a gem of a town - gorgeous autumn colour),  we are in horse breeding country - doubt there are many poor farmers here.Bloodstock sales here are legendary and success of the animals in every aspect of horse sport  has been well covered - google can match my information with millions of hits so I will leave it to them.

The drive between Cambridge and Rotorua is leisurely and by this stage you may be getting bored by superlatives and beauty but it is all true.This coupled with the fact that the population is sparse makes the country a joy to travel through - even at the height of the tourist season.
But one little surprise on the journey into Rotorua is Fitzgerald Glade - out of the blue you journey through this small glade of  lush greenery sweeping down to the road - do  not blink or you will miss it - but all my life and many trips to Rotorua I have been stunned by this gem of nature - I'm sure you will too.
No .... I am not going to include a photo - it is best experienced first hand.
And so on to Rotorua - the heart and soul of NZ's thermal wonderland ...where the earth bubbles up to meet the sky.Once again I will leave the numerous websites to 'sell' the destination - I can add nothing - a visit here is a unique experience and it is worth a day or two to explore the delight....we were there for 3 days ...mainly at a conference ...but it was great to catch up with the people  and the city ...Len is very familiar with it as he completed his High School years there...so some questions may go unanswered!
Where did we stay in Rotorua - well at the Regent of Rotorua - more motel than hotel but newly refurbished, good facilities and wifi.
Our accommodation of choice though would have been Nicara Lodge Lakeside Lodge , a little way from the center of town and on the shores of Lake Rotorua. I am familiar with this fabulous B&B - the founder member of 5 Star Accommodation - a marketing group of Qualmark 5 star properties throughout NZ. We also consider Heather and Mike to be friends as well as collegues and the service they offer would make Rotorua  so much more than a destination - staying at Nicara would make the destination shine.
Next stop... New Plymouth