So now I will begin my new series on Likes and Dislikes of New Zealand. Each week (hopefully) I will post one thing I like about NZ and one thing I dislike about NZ. This week I will be discussing the beach and driving.
Like: New Brighton Beach. I want to move here! It's a beautiful beach with a pier and an awesome library and I love spending time in this area. There is a mall right across from the beach (which isn't like a CDN mall)...more like a promenade type thing but awesome! There is a wading pool and playground for kids and I think before I didn't give the area enough of a chance before I judged it. Sure there was a junky lying on the picnic table in the kids playground but I think it was a one-off. I do think that there are sketchy people in this area and sketch stuff goes down but I think there is a lot of good in it. I think that when the sun comes out NB (New Brighton) becomes this happening lively community where people from all over Christchurch come for a little day out. I have seen many families there having a good time and it makes me think that overall it's a nice community that gets a bad rap because of the few who spoil it.
The library is awesome, I take Logan and Fox there all the time. They have this thing called Baby time for kids 2 and under and I went with Logan and Fox for the first time last week and it was awesome! They sing songs with the kids and blow bubbles and give the kids shakers and it's really interactive with the little ones. I actually had fun! And the adults in NZ who do this stuff with their tots get right into it so it makes it that much more fun. It's not like in Toronto where the kids would get excited and all the adults are kinda sitting there mumbling the words to themselves looking bored. They do the baby time at all the libraries but the 2 near us are still closed so I figure if I'm going to have to drive to a library, I might as well go to the one on the beach.
Dislike: DRIVING IN NZ! Ok let me retreat a little from that statement a little bit and say for now mostly in Christchurch. Ok first of all driving in NZ outside Christchurch I don't have much experience with but I hate driving through huge gorges and mountains on roads with no guardrail and sheer cliffs right beside you. It's absolutely terrifying being a passenger when you look out your window and you can see straight down a sheer cliff face...not fun! Now you Torontonians might think you have some experience with this but if you haven't been to a place like NZ then you do not understand how large these drops, mountains, valleys, and gorges are! Absolutely HUGE. I can't even describe how big they are! They are super windy roads too, and why they always feel the need to post a speed limit of 100km/h before a very sharp turn I don't know! Because Andrew and me are driving like 30km/h! Who is going 100?! It also is very unsettling when you are driving and then see skid marks that swerve and then kinda just end going over the drop. Very unsettling.
Now to my complaints about city driving/traffic. I am not sure how the traffic was before the earthquake but now that everyone is displaced and roads are closed driving 2 blocks takes 20 minutes sometimes. Frustrating! I also find drivers here to be insanely aggressive. I have had people swear at me because I made a turn too slowly and had people in parking lots almost drive right into me to prove a point.
My biggest hugest dislike about driving in Chch is the roads. Who the heck designed these roads. You REALLY have to pay attention. Driving straight down a road goes something like this: Drive straight, swerve to the left to keep going straight, cross the intersection, swerve back to the right to go straight, swerve to the left, merge with traffic into one lane, road turns into 2 lanes again, go around a traffic circle, merge, swerve left to keep going straight, find yourself in a lane that is only turning right, swerve left to get into the only other lane which happens to be turning left now. Was it that hard to design a road that has a lane that is designated to go straight?! Ever heard of a right-hand turn lane? or a left hand turn lane? If you are going to have 2 lanes on a road...could you just keep it that way for the remainder of the road? Do you need to go from 2 lanes to 1 to 2 to 1 to 2 and repeat? I just want to drive straight Christchurch, that's all I want to do! Do I need to constantly be swerving to go straight?
For those who have spent some time in Christchurch, you will understand this especially if you have lived elsewhere. I have appreciation for the people who designed Toronto roads....man they knew what they were doing. I can't even comprehend who designed this city's roads and thought it was a good idea! End rant...
For some new pictures of our latest adventures please click here.
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