Despite living on the South Island for longer than I ever did on the North, Christchurch has never been very much on my radar. (It’s the largest city on the South Island, for those of you who don’t know, and the second-largest in the country, bigger even than capital city Wellington). I first visited in the late 1990s and was mildly awed by the Victorian Gothic architecture because I was in a romantic period of my teenage years. For a while I thought I might go to university in Christchurch, but then I chose Otago (in Dunedin) instead and that was pretty much the last time I gave Christchurch much thought.
During the five years I lived in Dunedin, I visited Christchurch (a six-hour drive away) twice, and one of them was for an interview for a job in Japan. The other time, I stayed with friends in Lyttelton and we drove into the centre one day and sniggered about all the sex shops. (I was 22; old enough to know better?)
In 2010 and 2011, Christchurch was devasted by two earthquakes that destroyed or seriously damaged many of the beautiful old buildings, as well as thousands of people’s homes. What was Christchurch without the Christ Church Cathedral or the Victorian Gothic, I thought?
But they really have built back better. They’ve done an impressive job of building the city centre back up and although the redevelopment isn’t complete (the cathedral is still a few years away from being finished) there’s an impressive mix of hip new developments, old culture stuff, and the lovely gardens and green spaces it’s known for. I think Christchurch might actually end up being the best of New Zealand’s big cities, one day, when the recovery is as complete as it ever will be. I have pretty lukewarm feelings about both Auckland and Wellington, cities I know better, so I’m rooting for Christchurch.
Why my sudden enthusiasm? That will be the subject of a travel article or two, no doubt, so watch this space.
This week’s press
“‘No longer just a pit stop’: Whangārei now a destination in its own right, Lonely Planet says,” by Peter de Graaf, The Northern Advocate/New Zealand Herald. Lonely Planet says? Yep, that was me.
What I’m working on
I’m six days in to my second research trip to the West Coast (of New Zealand’s South Island) so literally the only things I’m working on are this guidebook, and single-handedly keeping my child fed/clothed/entertained/clean. It’s been an incredible week but rather than write any more here, I’ll invite you to come and follow me over on Instagram, where I’m posting pics from my travels.
At the Blue Pools along the Haast Pass Road, Mt. Aspiring National Park, Otago/Westland