16.02.2018 - Welcome to Christchurch, New Zealand

Exploring CHC at nearly 28 degrees is really fun. The best way to quickly get an overview is to take the Historic Tram. A very nice alternative to the usual hop-on-hop-off buses.

In Christchurch, you can see the traces of the devastating earthquake of 2011 on every corner. Almost 70% of the city center was destroyed at that time. What is not supported by shipping containers was demolished back then. Therefore, there are many vacant lots in the city that have been converted into parking lots. I have never seen a city with so many parking lots in the city center. But one should not believe that they are cheap despite the abundance of availability.

Where there are no parking lots, there are shipping containers that have been converted into shops, etc.

In addition to the many construction sites, cranes, and unoccupied buildings (at risk of collapse), the cityscape is also characterized by the many beautiful graffiti. You feel like you're in an open-air museum at every corner. A different giant artwork at every corner.

I really like Christchurch! It's lively, the Kiwis don't let themselves be discouraged, and you're confronted with creativity at every corner (shops, graffiti, interesting restaurant concepts, etc.).

What I found very interesting was that you can see from the destroyed historic buildings how they were constructed at that time. You get an insight into how they were built (layers), so to speak.

In short, Christchurch should be a must-do, even though many advise against it. You can learn here what it means to have the will to rebuild!