Street Art in Christchurch CBD

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Some street art in the Christchurch CBD

A defining feature of Christchurch – and a central theme of pretty much every conversation – is the earthquakes in 2011 that devastated huge sections of the city. Nearly 200 people were killed and countless buildings were destroyed. Six years later the business center still has empty lots and ongoing roadworks that frustrate locals and confuse visitors. One silver lining is the abundance of street art that has emerged to fill the spaces. Here is just a small selection of photos taken on an afternoon wandering around.

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Purple Peak Tramp in Akaroa

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The view of Akaroa from just up the hill

I’ve finally started traveling again, this time to Christchurch, New Zealand for a brief working holiday. My first big trip out of Christchurch was a few weeks after I arrived. A Meetup group went to Akaroa — about an hour outside drive away — to do the Purple Peak trek, which was a bit steeper than anything I’d experienced since South America! My legs were killing me for days after. It was worth it, though, for the amazing views and nice company.

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Bondi Beach Murals

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A mural at Bondi Beach, Sydney

A mural at Bondi Beach, Sydney

This is my last post for Australia. Truth be told I’m more than a bit behind on this posting – I actually came back to the United States a couple of weeks ago and am now living in Chicago. I suppose I’ve been dragging out this final photo gallery because I’m in some denial that my year in Australia is not only over but was cut short by two months. But I have an amazing work opportunity here in Illinois and I’m excited to explore the midwest – a region I’ve never spent time in before.

Anyway, these photos were taken at the infamous Bondi Beach in Sydney, where there is a long seawall that is publicly sanctioned for murals. There are a handful of incredibly intricate works, and I love that most of them reflect the beach community.

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Scuba Diving in Manly

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Anemones at Shelly Beach in Manly

Anemones at Shelly Beach in Manly

I didn’t get a chance to go scuba diving in Tasmania, so I wanted to make sure I went in Sydney before leaving Australia to get one last day in. I was referred to Dive Centre Manly, who do regular shore dives from Shelly Beach. The dive site is well sheltered with good visibility, and rather shallow at a max depth of about 10 meters.

The site has several friendly blue gropers as well as cuttlefish, octopuses, wobbegong sharks, sweepers, cockatoo fish, and huge schools of barracuda and others. Unfortunately the rare weedy seadragon is no longer at the site, as the colony that had been there died off a few years ago and they never repopulated.

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