A skyline in constant change

From the south of New Zealand, we continued our journey northwards, this time to the east coast of the South Island. I warmly welcome you to Christchurch, the city of eternal change! This may sound positive and progressive, but it actually isn't. The constant change in the skyline is enforced by regular earthquakes. On average, the city experiences an earthquake every 10 years. The last noticeable quakes happened six and seven years ago (2010 & 2011), but the city center still resembles a construction site. 82% of the city was at least partially damaged. Buildings constructed before 1980 were particularly affected. Despite being the largest city in the South Island, Christchurch's skyline is nowhere near as impressive as larger metropolises like Auckland or Wellington. I'm not even sure if it can be called a skyline. Since the last earthquakes, the buildings have been kept low to counteract the devastating effects of future quakes. We rarely saw a building taller than five floors. On one hand, this created an open and relaxed atmosphere, where we felt free and unencumbered as opposed to being in a big city. But on the other hand, there was a constant melancholic feeling. There were almost no streets without construction sites. If it were possible, I would almost say that there were more construction sites here than in Berlin. To learn more about the background of the earthquakes, we visited the local museum called 'Quake City.' We spent a good three hours absorbing all the information available to us. I was particularly impressed by the eyewitness accounts. Of course, one is always aware that such a natural disaster is devastating, but this made it personal. Tangible. And emotional. 185 people lost their lives in the 2011 earthquake, including children. The pain of the bereaved is unimaginable. After this museum visit, it was clear to me that even though I am somewhat curious about what experiencing such an earthquake feels like, I never want to experience it and I don't wish it upon anyone. It was a disconcerting feeling to stand on this ground. Just two days ago, in Queenstown, we witnessed the breathtaking landscapes that the convergence of the Pacific and Australian plates creates, and now we were standing here faced with the terrible consequences.

However, what impressed me was the resilience of so many people who still choose to live in such a dangerous city. I don't know what it was, but the people of Christchurch loved their city with all their hearts. And they gave everything to make their city worth seeing again. Perhaps their intense interest in art can be derived from this because there were almost as many exhibitions and galleries here as there were construction sites. For this reason, we couldn't miss the city center's art gallery. I was particularly drawn to the works of Len Lye. They were dynamic, constantly moving. You could stand in front of one piece for ten minutes and it would never look the same. It simply suited Christchurch. And so, something good always emerges from something bad if you draw the right conclusions.

In addition to earthquakes and art, Christchurch is also famous for the Botanic Gardens, one of the largest in the world. And yes, it was truly enormous. I'd rather not list how many times we thought we were walking along the right path and ended up somewhere completely different. But compared to the Botanic Gardens in Germany, it was somewhat unstructured. In Berlin, for example, the entire garden is divided into several smaller areas and greenhouses, each representing a particular culture or continent. That was very different in Christchurch. Things that visually matched were grouped together. The repetition of many plants didn't necessarily make orientation easier. Additionally, while there were individual areas, they were intertwined and blended together, often making it unclear whether we were entering or leaving. However, it was still beautiful, I must say. I saw blossoms that I've never seen in my life and probably won't see again. And having that knowledge in the back of my mind is quite remarkable.

Christchurch truly is a unique city with a unique history and unique residents who achieve unique things. I hold all my respect and admiration for this city and look back on it with mixed but ultimately positive feelings.