Written by Mike Graham, product manager for CHAUVET Professional

I’m back in the US. Just getting home from work and picking up some Indian take out. I bought a phone card and texted Annie to tell her. She texted me back to tell me that she was OK, but there was a terrible earthquake. I told her to not joke about that. At the same time, I was looking online to see if she was for real. Christchurch has been hit with a 6.1 aftershock from the 7.1 that they had last year. I spent the rest of the evening texting her back and forth until her cell battery died. The phones are out, the power is out, and the water is out. The damage in town is terrible, but luckily, they were out-of-town. Finally the next day, she called me to let me know that she was OK and I spoke to Connor as well. I am just so happy that they are OK and that the airport is open. They leave tomorrow.  I can’t wait to see them.

All in all, it was a fantastic trip. Getting to see the family and making new friends has been amazing as always. With the recent earthquake, I am rather glad that I got to see the city of Christchurch in its best light as I know that it will never be the same again. Some of the photos in this blog are pictures of things that don’t exist even a week after taking them. It’s amazing to think that the church bells are silenced and that many of the oldest buildings are gone forever. With regards to the people I met that are in our industry across the country of New Zealand, thank you for your hospitality.