Touring Christchurch

On February 22, 2011 at 12:15pm, an earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale, struck Christchurch. The center was 10km (6 miles) outside of town but the city center suffered massive damage and the loss of 185 people.

The destruction is still visible today with numerous buildings tagged and waiting for demolition, and most of the city center buildings in some state of rebuilding. Roads throughout the center are in constant excavation and repair, while shops, offices and businesses are trying to reopen. There’s just not much left in the city center at all.

We found a parking lot to rest the Kiwimobile and started walking through the city. There must have been some type of commissioning for street art because there is graffiti everywhere you look. Not the gang crap you see in low rent areas of the states, but good quality murals depicting everything from gremlins and fairies, to animals and humans. Very nicely done and takes your attention away from the fact that the building being used as a canvas is scheduled for demolition.

You know its love when he puts your name on a wall!

We strolled along until we came across “Restart Mall” which incorporated a neat concept to get businesses back up and running quickly. They used shipping containers to house shops! Probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 20-30 containers are bolted / welded together to make a small shopping district of clothing stores, souvenirs, public services and food vendors. Fun idea and seemed to bring quite a few people into what is otherwise just a construction zone.

Down the street from Restart is a temporary memorial installation of 185 various chairs representing the individual’s that lost their lives in the quake.

Pretty much wrapped up Christchurch for us. We’re only here for a few days so we’re going to focus on getting ready for our trip to Thailand. We made arrangements with the owner of our next NZ home to ship a box of our belongings there ahead of our arrival. We won’t be needing long pants, sweaters or fishing poles in Thailand.

So, we finished the South Island of NZ. In short, a beautiful country with wonderful people that are friendly and welcoming. Yes it’s a long flight from Denver, but the people we’ve met and the places we’ve seen make it worth the hassle of dealing with United Airlines. Real shame that when you think about vacations or travel, the worst part is the flight.

One final item from Christchurch. Apparently I’m not the only one wondering…..

Cheers mate.