Creative Christchurch

This morning’s port was Akaroa - a charming town that strives to recreate the feel of a French provincial village, down to the names of its streets. The ships used to dock in Lyttelton, but since the earthquakes Akaroa has been a popular substitute.

Given the weather this morning, which was cool and a bit wet, we decided to take a trip on a local tour coach to Christchurch, 1.5 hours away. Beautiful scenery of mountains and lakes en route reminded us of our homeland.

Christchurch is in the middle of an epic rebuild that has completely reconstructed the city centre, where over 80% of buildings needed to be demolished after the earthquakes of 2010 and 2011, which left 186 people dead. There are still lots of vacant lots and most buildings in the city are only a few years old. We took the historic tram ride around the city centre, visiting the ruined cathedral, Canterbury Museum and another Botanic Gardens (Ken, you would be proud of us!).

Christchurch is like a Phoenix rising from the ashes and seems to have a burgeoning Arts scene, with numerous art galleries, museums etc. It’ll be nice when it’s finished.Read more