GOLF AND TEA WITH SIR BOB CHARLES BUT CHRISTCHURCH IS STILL A DISMAL SIGHT POST-EARTHQUAKES

Email from New Zealand

By JIM HARDIE 
Aberdeen businessman-golfer who spends every winter in New
Zealand, playing golf with ... Sir Bob Charles
 
Greetings from the Antipodes. Hope you are surviving the early winter blasts
I have returned once again to a dismal sight called Christchurch. It is very stressful, as a once beautiful city continues a battle to re-build after the earthquakes!

The city sky line reminds one of earlier boom days on the Costa del Sol, simply awash with high cranes of all descriptions.
Traffic in the inner city is simply horrendous: one-way systems, traffic cones by the millions, and total disorientation the order of the day, as so many buildings have een demolished it's difficult to gauge exactly where you are.
Golf course redesign is going on all over the place also, but sadly a lot of golf clubs in New Zealand are in dire financial trouble !
Had a  couple of games with Sir Bob Charles (pictured below - that's Jim Hardie pictured above) who continues to amaze all with the longevity of his game, and now of course very seldom shoots any where as high as his age. He simply breaks par just about every round

I had, of course, wished that the apparent success of both my rotator cuff operations would somehow have perhaps signalled the late arrival of some sort of Indian summer in my career. Sadly, the opposite has kicked in. Very disappointing so far.
Went for a meal the other night with Sir Bob and Lady Verity. It was very nice. Sir Bob said to me "You cannot miss the restaurant." He was correct. It is the only building standing for about 500 yards in all directions. Eerie!
I go down south later this week, and my other pastime, trout fishing, hopefully will be more productive
I wish all my friends back home and Golfview.com readers a Merry Christman and best wishes for 2014
Best regards
 
Jim Hardie
 
PS Any readers contemplating an Antipodean holiday should take plenty of money with them. The cost of living at both Aussie and Kiwi exchange rates is pretty brutal.