Into Christchurch

We are sad today as we pack up Betty to leave Akaroa this morning as we are traveling today onto Christchurch, which will be our very last campsite, meaning our fantastic New Zealand trip is coming to an end.

Neither of us were really sure what to expect in Christchurch following the devastating series of earthquakes during 2010 and 2011 (1st, 2nd, 3rd).  We drive in through from the South through Lyttleton Harbour where the epicentre of the second most devastating earthquake had occurred in February 2011.  We are fairly stunned by what we see and the amount of devastation still apparent nearly two years on.  Hardly any of the buildings appear to have been left untouched in some way or another and many of the buildings have already been demolished.

We press onto Christchurch, now unsure what we would find and whether the city was ‘open’ to tourists.  Again as we drive into the city so many buildings (including many of the historic ones for which Christchurch was famed) have been affected and are now either cordoned off awaiting demolition, repair or inspection.   

We get a little lost on our way in despite the GPS as the city has changed so much and now many of the roads are closed off due to the extensive construction works being undertaken to rebuild the city.  It feels a sad place as we arrive in the city and make our way to the i-site to see whether we are able to book onto a tour into the ‘Red Zone’ tomorrow morning, to discover the impact of the earthquakes on the city centre, but to also understand the plans to rebuild the city.

We have a nice lunch in a little café which had taken up a make shift location in an old office building close to the botanical gardens –the café had been displaced after its original premises in the city centre were destroyed.   

As we wander further into the city we discover a pop up market, more displaced cafes and then we discover the 'Re:START Mall'.   

This is a really positive and fantastic place – it is a shopping centre entirely made up of brightly coloured shipping containers which have been taken up by many of the independent shops and boutiques which were originally located in the Red Zone.  Much of the area is filled with new art work and we leave here to get to our last campsite much more positive than we had felt on our arrival.

Mrs M