Very exciting day today! New Zealand reduced to Covid-19 alert level two – which feels almost like freedom compared to the last six weeks. A taste of what could be around the corner, if we last the distance of playing by the rules of lockdown. So far, most of us have been willing to do the short term pain for the long term gain, and it seems to be paying off. Goddess willing, it will last – if the goddess can be bothered any more with us fools of humans.
There are still social distancing restrictions in place during alert level two, but we’re free to travel out of our area. I celebrated by going to New Brighton beach, about 15 mins drive from where I live. I grew up in closer vicinity to the beach than that, though, so I always feel like it’s a wee return to my roots when I venture back that way.
Christchurch does a great line in a sharp easterly wind. In the days it’s gracing us with its presence – which it does with regularity – the mornings are fairly gentle, it picks up pace during the afternoon, and dies off again in the evening. Today being an autumn morning in May, the breeze was fresh, though not unpleasant.
Here’s my walk in pictures. The tide was still high-ish, but on its outward bound journey. My phone doesn’t take the best photos, but I don’t want to upgrade to a bigger phone, as I like the small size of the one I’ve got.
Then off home, and work for the rest of the day. I don’t go to the beach often, as I tend to walk or ride around the river nearby me, but it was great to get there today.
A B'Old Woman 
I usually walk at Waimairi Beach weekly, and am missing that.
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I bet you are! I don’t go to the beach often, so was surprised at how much I felt I had missed it when I got there today.
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Well done, New Zealand! British Columbia (although part of Canada, provinces have enough autonomy to act separately about certain things) is doing well even if other provinces are struggling. I don’t think we’re ‘over’ this virus’s effects by any stretch, but it’s good to feel we can carefully access some of the things we love/need. The beach is always healing. 🙂
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I also think we have a way to go yet to get out of trouble with this virus.
British Columbia and New Zealand have similar populations, from memory. Maybe land size, too? Not sure about that one, though.
The beach was definitely a good place to go today. Hardly anyone there, apart from two or three hardy surfers. This will also have been their first day back in the water since level 4 lockdown began.
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Congratulations to New Zealand! I’m afraid it’s going to be a long time before California can celebrate, though we’re opening our beaches because a bunch of ninnies insist they will riot if they can’t sunbathe. I won’t be going to the beach yet; too many people don’t get what social distancing is.
Your beach walk did make me sigh. It looks a lot like the beaches of the Pacific Northwest, wild and grassy and windblown rather than flat and sunny like LA’s.
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Fingers crossed that I’m not celebrating too soon, but it did feel good to expand my world a little after all that time.
We’re all going to feel this for a very long time. Yesterday our government announced a budget to take us forward from here, which amounts to around 10 million dollars of debt for every person in NZ. They had to do it, and other countries will be in the same position. The only saving grace is that successive governments, even the ones I haven’t liked, have been fiscally responsible, so we’re in a good position to pay it back. However, I doubt it will be paid back in my lifetime. NZ isn’t as wealthy as the USA, but I guess we’ll still get through it somehow.
Our beaches – both ours and the ones you describe in your northwest – make for interesting walks, even if they’re not the best for lying around on.
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I prefer your NZ beaches and the PNW’s to the hot, flat beaches of Southern California. For one thing, there are fewer people lounging about, making them good places to walk and think. And I find them far more relaxing and beautiful. The SoCal beaches remind me of deserts next to the ocean, which is what they were before cities were built around them.
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We have some flat beaches like Southern California, too, but just not on this particular coastline. Seeing as I’m not much of a ‘beach’ person myself, I’m happy with an interesting beach rather than just a bathing beach.
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Nice to see pictures of my old home. Thank you. Enjoy the freedom.
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