Christchurch

Overview

Christchurch was devastated by 2 earthquakes in 2011, and it’s quite astonishing how much it still shows. Don’t get us wrong, they’ve done a magnificent job rebuilding, but you can still see the scars everywhere. Some of the downtown is just buildings and empty lots — but one thing we learned is that the historical downtown of Christchurch is built on swampy landfill, which is why the earthquake was so devastating. So … for those who have the resources, many moved away — evidently a good xx% of Christchurch residents moved from downtown to what used to be a suburb 20? miles away (one we did not visit). You just felt it walking around — downtown Churchill isn’t exactly empty, but at the same time it doesn’t feel thriving either. Net/net — few recommend it as a highlight, and we wouldn’t disagree (though we found two great restaurants, see above). Manu in particular is doing some sort of indigenous/pan-Asian fusion, and was awesome.

Link

https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/8945482/Bold-bronze-bull-for-Christchurch

https://www.christchurchnz.com/visit/things-to-do/get-inspired/celebrating-street-art-in-the-city

https://www.misstravelclogs.com/christchurch-street-art-new-zealand/

Street artists started painting after the earthquake.

Why we stayed in Christchurch is because Kevin is obsessed with Tolkien (a recurring theme), and the all-day tour out to Edoras was *outstanding* if you’re into it. Really get a sense of place, it’s such a spectacular spot that even Tiffany (who has managed to basically never see the movies) thought it was an enjoyable day.