Six years ago – before the Christchurch quakes – we did our first house swapping trip to New Zealand and loved it. In Christchurch we stayed in

two different homes. Both were damaged in the quakes but one more severely than the other due in part to liquefaction and it is only

just starting to be rebuilt. It’s been a tough few years for our house swapper friend… We walked past the house yesterday and attempted our favourite walk from that time – along the River Avon into the city.

Parts were as we remembered it, but the city centre took a real hit in the quakes and there is still a lot of building work going on with areas of the river cordoned off. It looks as if it will be some time yet before it feels like the popular leafy track of six years ago.