Once beautiful Christchurch city centre now a pile of bricks after earthquake

E-mail from New Zealand
By JIM HARDIE
Well-known Aberdeen golf figure who goes to New Zealand every UK winter so that he can enjoy the summer Down Under

Yes I am in sunny, well, sometimes, New Zealand, but while great to escape the dreadful North-east of Scotland weather, it's been a very harsh reality check in coming back to a Christchurch simply devastated by recent earthquakes.

A once beautiful city centre in now virtually a pile of bricks in places, endless areas simply gone, with car parking space is now no longer a central city problem!

It is fair to say I am bewildered at what I have seen, and a disgrace that the UK media has not given more coverage! There are another 6,000 homes yet to be demolished. It's incredible.

Anyway, after a three-day journey to get here, mainly courtesy of a problem with yet another A380 airbus before take-off at Heathrow, it was rather nice to arrive to a typical Christchurch day - biting north-east wind, and cloudy!

Arriving a day late meant my first game with Sir Bob (Charles)was missed, so a bit disappointed with that, but other days beckon!

The NZ courses played so far are all in awesome condition, seemingly been a lot of late spring rain.

My form has been great - four wins and one loss to date, a very good start, with yesterday's modest 72 less six going down particularly well with the guys at Templeton Golf Club!!

The lure, pardon the pun, of the mighty Clutha River in Central Otago is simply too much to ignore, so early tomorrow I head south-west to cast one's line far out and catch a rainbow trout, or at least that's the plan. 

The 5hr drive through the finest scenery in NZ is also a bonus.

Regards to all back hom

Jim Hardie