Apparently, insurance companies won't pay out until the region has gone 6 months without a quake. They almost made it, but there last quake, in June, was two weeks short of the six month deadline.
Upon suggestion of a local, we used the morning before we flew out to observe some of the damage.
All of these photos are from the downtown area. It was very eerie how quite the downtown area was and sad to see so many blocks just gated off.
After a short 3 hour flight we landed in Sydney.
We're staying in a cute B&B in The Rocks district. This means we got to get quick peaks at the opera house and bridge upon arrival :).
We also visited the Tourist Information Center and quickly booked up our long weekend. I have been so impressed with these centers in both New Zealand and now here in Sydney. I feel like we are getting a good look at the city and a little bit outside in a short amount of time! Off to bed, we have a crazy couple of days ahead of us!