Earthquake in Christchurch

At 12:51 pm today, a 6.3 earthquake hit Christchurch. It was centered
near Lyttelton, and only 3 miles deep. Very bad news. What is worse is
that Lynn is IN Christchurch. Of course I was very worried. It was several
hours until I heard anything, but then our friend Leighton from the
Antarctic Centre called and Lynn was with him. She told me that she
and our friend Brenda were going to meet another friend, Natalie to
go shopping. They were in the lobby of the Hotel So, where they were
staying, when all heck broke loose. They were thrown into the wall and
then they ran out into the street. Destruction was all around. Lynn
said it literally looked like a war zone. What's worse, all of her stuff
is in her hotel room, including her computer and passport and she
probably won't get it back because the Grand Chancellor Hotel, where
we've stayed before is LEANING on the Hotel So! It's the second tallest
building in Christchurch (almost 30 stories) so if it goes down, it's going
to take a lot of buildings with it, including the Hotel So.

After getting their wits about them, Lynn and Brenda, joined by our
friends Jamie, Matt and Kaska (who was barefoot) walked through the
rubble, all the way to the Antarctic Centre/Clothing Distribution Centre (CDC)
(about 6 miles). It proved to be a good meeting point for many other Ice
folks as well and is acting as kind of a command centre for USAP folks
who have recently left the Ice. That's where she found Leighton and
was able to phone me on the Ice.

In the meantime, Christchurch is a mess. This is a much more destructive
quake than the one that struck in September. The entire Central Business
District is closed off, including all of the hotels USAP people stay at and
nobody is allowed there. Dozens of people have been killed and many many
more are missing. Lynn will be staying at the CDC for at least tonight
and probably a few more nights as well.

Facebook has become a huge connector of people during the crisis and
some folks have started a spreadsheet charting the whereabouts of Ice
people who are in Christchurch. So far, everyone is safe and no one from
the programme has been injured.

It's going to be a long few days/weeks/months for Christchurch. Our prayers
and thoughts are with our friends and people we haven't met. Lynn is safe.
Our friends our safe. Not all have been so lucky. Please think of them and
pray for them.

I'm In Christchurch

I've arrived in Christchurch and was able to check into
the same hotel room at the Grand Chancellor that Lynn
has been staying in for the past week. The room is on
the 25th floor so it has a fantastic view of the entire
city and of the Southern Alps. There is a lot of earthquake
damage from the recent shake that took place here, but it's
very spotty. Some blocks have a lot of devastation, while
others look like normal and you couldn't tell anything
had happened. It's sad that so many people, including
friends of ours that live in Christchurch and businesses
we frequented have lost everything.

A Sunny Spring Day

Late in the afternoon yesterday, I found out that I
would again be delayed and the soonest I will be
leaving Christchurch is October 4th (October 3rd in
the States). Oh darn. Another day in Christchurch
AND getting paid for it? A good deal I'd say. I also
received a note under my hotel room door that told
me that this morning, I would be moving to a different
hotel. I dumpier, not so nice place you might say?
No, actually an upgrade to the Crowne
Plaza on Victoria Park. The hotel I had been staying
at, the Grand Chancellor, was nice, but this new hotel
is even nicer, and I get a great view of Victoria Park
and am only two blocks from the Library (yes, that's
important to me). Plus, I still continue to have it paid
for by the company! Apparently many of us had to
move from our old hotel because people are starting
to back up, arriving in Christchurch. I guess they
felt that we have been here so long, they would upgrade
us instead of the new arrivals. Works for me! The
Crowne Plaza is also where several of my
friends are staying, including my good friend Susie.
We went to lunch today at the Cafe Torenhof. It's a
Belgian Beer cafe and one of Susie's favorite places
to eat in Christchurch. I had never heard of it before
but it was located close to the hotel and it's definitely
a place I want to take Lynn the next time we are here
together. Belgian beer is some of the best in the world,
and this didn't disappoint. Really good stuff. Also,
mayonnaise for our French Fries! Definitely a plus!

I'm in New Zealand

After a very long trip, I'm in New Zealand. More precisely, I'm in
Christchurch. This is my 8th trip flying from the States to New
Zealand and I'm getting ready for my 10th season on the Ice.
Lynn won't be with me this season as she's taking the season off,
staying in Grand Junction. However, I'm sure I'll be very busy and
it will go quickly. As usual, it seems, it's very rainy and cool in
Christchurch. I'm sure that the weather here won't affect the
first flight going out tomorrow, but weather on the Ice might.
I've checked into the Hotel Grand Chancellor. It's a very nice
place and I have lots of room, my own bathroom and television.
Things you definitely can't take for granted in some of the hotels
that are offered when we stay in Christchurch. I went to Countdown
this afternoon and picked up some goodies that I'll want on the
Ice and managed to keep it down to a reasonable price since
everything is very expensive. Blame the stock market on the bad
dollar exchange. When the stock market does well, the dollar does
poorly on the international (and NZ market) Tomorrow is
ECW (Extreme Cold Weather) clothing issue day. It should go
smoothly.