The morning started with a walking tour of Christchurch aided by our local guide Steve.

He explained more about the impact of the quakes that hit Christchurch in 2010 & 2011, pointing us to an exhibition centre called Quake City, that gives the full story of the horrific events and how the city has changed since.

What is clear is that Christchurch is a city enriched in culture, with a street art scene that left us in awe.

A stroll through the inner city revealed colourful artworks from a range of inspiring artists. Added to this there are ever-evolving murals appearing in the city that reinvigorate areas still affected by the earthquake.

With its arrays of quirky, unique boutique stores, wonderful bars and restaurants New Regent Street was a great place to visit and we made a note to return, notably to Twenty Seven Steps, a modern European restaurant that does some great dining options.

Our guide let us know that Christchurch city is now ranked alongside New York, Barcelona, Berlin and London as one of the street art capitals of the world in the Lonely Planet book.

Christchurch unquestionably has a rich street art scene, in part due to the 2011 Canterbury earthquakes.

The contemporary street art scene was born out of tragedy and street art has become a vital part of the energy of the rejuvenated city.

Around many corners and down newly created laneways, vibrant street art greets you in Ōtautahi Christchurch, injecting colour and adorning the sides of grey concrete and brick buildings that make up the central city.

There is more going on here than just paint and walls colliding into colourful explosions – deeper than that is both a reclaiming of identity and a telling of new stories.

After the walking tour, we headed to The Columbo centre to meet up with our friend Lana, a Christchurch local who we first met back in May on our 30 day SE tour of Asia.

After lunch with Lana, we jumped in our car and headed to our 2 night stay in Mount Pleasant, a stunning B&B perched on the top of the hills looking down on South New Brighton and Sumner Beach.

Later on in the afternoon we drove over to Prebbleton, a suburb on the outskirts of Christchurch where friends Brent and Anne live. We first met this lovely couple on an Intrepid tour in Borneo back in April.

We had a wonderful afternoon and enjoyed dinner in the garden with an incredible platter of seafood, bbq and wonderful salads.

We had a great time catching up and chatting about the Borneo experience as well as our respective travel experiences.

Alfresco dinning in sunny Prebbleton. Truly amazing. Thank you to Brent and Anne for their hospitality.

The lovely evening together sets us up for tomorrow when we get together again with Brent to watch Day 1 of the First Test at the Hagley Oval.

Tomorrow will all be about the cricket. Come on England let’s get a decent session in and show the Kiwis who the bosses are!!