So you've probably heard and forgotten that there was a big earthquake here in NZ. It's true! It was a big deal because it happened very close to Christchurch, the second largest city in NZ and biggest on the South Island. Amazingly, no one was killed and very few were hurt. Most of this is because it happened at 430am and also because NZ has strict building codes in place for earthquakes. To put it in perspective the quake here was the same size as the one earlier this year in Haiti. Some people have complained that there is a lot of building damage, but from what I've been told "earthquake proof" buildings are a lot like cars they are designed to break/crumple to keep the people inside safe.
The quake itself hasn't affected much in our day to day life other than to spice up the nightly news (the headline news before the quake contained riveting accounts in to why the popcorn wasn't popping...). I didn't feel the quake but many people here did (430am.... I was ASLEEP). Christchurch is only a 5 hour drive away and was in a total state of emergency for a week, it is amazing to me how little it did change things here. I suppose it is the same way a hurricane can level a US city, but 99% of people in the country just go "oh yeah... i did hear about that."
A few supply chains did get interrupted or registered, there was some stuff missing on the store shelves and there was talk of a food panic, but it never materialized. There was more of a panic last week when a brewery in Auckland burnt down and there was mad rush to buy up beer....... I love the irony in the world.
Here is a photo I took on my mobile phone (sorry for the low res, don't usually carry the digital camera with me to the grocery store.
