Christchurch: "There seems to be a lot of construction going on..."

Tuesday, 8 December
Christchurch, New Zealand

We are cozily ensconced in the darling Centre Point on Colombo where we have a kitchenette and every conceivable amenity. It is owned and managed by locals Jeff and Naomi Peters who live on site with their two sons, aged 16 and 19. It is most comfortable and certainly well-situated.

The day dawned sunny but a bit cool after the rains yesterday. We walked up the street to Mama Hooch for brekkie (good recommendation from Jeff and Naomi). We then caught the tram, paying a warranted $20NZ/per person for an all-day pass.

Our first stop on the tram was Regency Street.

Christchurch, NZ has endured two major earthquakes in recent history. The most recent was February 22, 2011 (Richter 6.3). The previous was September 4, 2010 (Richter 7.1)

Many of the heritage buildings were either severely damaged or reduced to rubble. Consequently, many of the residents (and even the politicians) redefined "creative" in the efforts to rebuild their picturesque city, bisected by the shallow and lazy Avon River. Needless to say, the creativity is not without controversy. However, the best quote-to-date of the trip was when Ned exclaimed, "Wow! There seems to be a lot of construction going on. I wonder why." It was definitely a "duh!" moment.

Damaged Cathedral - fuzzy shot b/c of tram moving, but symbolic

Perhaps the most creative response to the earthquakes is Re:Start Mall, near the Bridge of Remembrance (and on the tram route!). Comprised of 27 "temporary" shops - all owned by locals - it is entirely fashioned from shipping containers. Unfortunately, it advertised as the first "pop-up mall" and was immediately contested for "breach of intellectual property rights" by Cholula, Mexico and Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Nonetheless, what began as a temporary response we hope will become permanent, as it is most delightful! 

 

Despite being tempted by the myriad of food trucks, we hopped back on the tram and headed to the Canterbury Museum, which many people had recommended. We now agree that when in Christchurch, this is a must! We especially loved the dioramas, the history of the Maori and Moriori People, the bird halls, the weather hall (Nor-westers are similar to our Santa Anas in terms of how they are created and affect our mental health - who knew?). Admission is free, donation of a mere $5NZ per person is suggested. It is truly worth the several hours we spent there - and we are not museum-type folks! 

In addition to all this, there was an exhibition of a Kiwi artist named Jeff Thomson whose work we fell in love with! He works exclusively in corrugated iron, much of it screen printed.  

Contraband photo of Ned and the corrugated car 

Next to the Canterbury Museum are the Botanic Gardens, so we meandered over there to have a look and a spot of lunch. 

Kayaking on the Avon River

We missed seeing the 185 white chairs commemorating the 185 lives lost in the February 2011 earthquake. Each chair is unique, representing the individuality of the deceased. It is on the corner of Madras and Cashel Streets @ the site of the earthquake-destroyed St. Paul's Trinity Pacific Presbyterian Church.

Cardboard Cathedral 

This is the pro-cathedral of the Anglican Dioceses of Christchurch and is yet another example of this community's creative response to the tragic effects of the earthquakes. 

Shuttle pick up at 7:15AM tomorrow to catch the 8:30 Trans-Alpine to Greymouth on the upper western coast.