About Christchurch

Christchurch, or ChCh fort short. Destroyed 5 years ago by a terrible earthquake, the broken city carries a sad reputation…

« It’s awful, there is only ruins »
« The city is dead, the companies are all gone! »
« Be ready for a chock! »
« Nobody wants to live here anymore. »

When we changed our plans at the last minute and decided to head for Christchurch to fix Quentin’s camera, we had heard so many things about the city that we really didn’t know what to expect.

So, finally, how is Christchurch 5 five years later?

We spent a week in Christchurch, at Dan and Rochelle’s place (the amazing English couple who picked us up in the Malbourough Sounds). What is better to discover this severely judged city  than to visit it with energetic young locals

The first thing we witnessed is, of course, the destruction. The empty buildings bending on scaffoldings, the many cranes looming over the CBD and the never-stopping humming sound of the jackhammers. Some of the roads are still damaged and the word is that there is more road cones than souls living here! The CBD doesn’t really exist anymore, because the shops and companies had been relocated in the the less-damaged surburbs.

Then, as we take the time to explore further on, we notice the stunning street art that covers old crumbling walls and those new boutiques and restaurants that have been opened in bright-coloured containers. There is also those fashionable old buses painted hippy-style or also those fabulous food trucks, smelling wonderful in the streets! And during the weekend, dozens of events are organised across the city : markets, festivals, exhibitions, concerts…

The streets are full of happy and optimistic young people who came in Christchurch to look for a future, in a city where everything needs to be done anew. Hipsters, steam-punks, hippies, young families, but also born and raised locals who remember the earthquake, and won’t give up…. Everybody is cultivating the same « art de vivre » :
« We lost everything, but we learnt to appreciate the small pleasures life offers us ». Indeed, craftsmanship is thriving here : artists, small gourmet restaurants, coffee makers, wood fired pizzas, fashion designers…

The city is rebuilt with temporary architectures that will finally last, because « we are used to it now and we love it » and because « it’s so cool »! The Re:Start Mall, for example, is made of many containers piled on top of each others. Brand new buildings take the place of the old ones and historical buildings are restored as much as possible. Everywhere we can read words like Rebuilt, Reborn, Restart or Renew.
And just on the outskirt of the CBD, the huge Hagley Park offers many relaxing walks under the shade of centennial trees.

After a week spent in Christchurch, our opinion on the city is quite different from what we thought it would be. Indeed, Christchurch is still wounded, but how people reacted to the disaster is really a positive example, a message of hope and optimism for all. They took the chance to rebuild everything from scraps to create something better. It will probably take many years to see an all-new Christchurch, and they will have to overcome insurances questions. But Christchurch 2.0 is already there, thanks to its people and the new unique spirit they developed!
We really enjoyed dynamic Christchurch, and we’ll have to come back because it seems that we still have a many amazing things to discover! Why not trying to get a job there and be part of it all??

See ya

Tintin & Riette