Christchurch

I've wanted to visit Christchurch since I arrived in New Zealand, and was lucky enough to have the opportunity on our way home from Queenstown. Even though I had seen the extensive TV coverage since the 2011 earthquakes, I was still shocked to see the devastation firsthand. Entire city blocks were fenced off, whole streets of businesses and apartments abandoned. Buildings being temporarily supported with stacked shipping containers, and huge empty lots where buildings had been demolished. There was an eerie quiet in the worst hit areas, and hardly anyone around. It was fascinating and very sad at the same time.





 






At the edge of downtown, there was a striking memorial set up to remember each of the 185 people who lost their lives in the February 22nd, 2011 Canterbury earthquake. 185 chairs sit on the site of a fallen church, each one unique to the person it represents. Visitors are encouraged to walk amongst the chairs, which range from office chairs to baby seats, and spend a few moments remembering those who lost their lives.


After walking around the damaged city, and surveying the extensive damage, we wanted to find the site of Re:START, the outdoor shipping container mall. It took a bit of searching, but I'm so glad we eventually found it. A stark contrast to the badly damaged city blocks, this brightly colored, funky pedestrian friendly area is fun and functional. There are cafes, clothing stores, banks, grocery stores, and everything in between. We arrived as most stores were closing, but it was still really neat to see this cool and innovative place for ourselves. Although we didn't have much time in Christchurch, it was well worth a visit, and definitely somewhere I would like to visit again in a few years to see how they decide to rebuild their city.





Comments

  1. Unknown31 July 2013 at 02:48

    It was quite a sad end to a great road trip wasn't it? The whole city is 'munted' as kiwi's would say.

    ReplyDelete

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