Christchurch - the city center

We had a full day plus some in Christchurch. This worked out well since the long distance travelers had some time to get on the new time zone.  The thing that struck me the most about Christchurch was how pervasive and ongoing the aftereffects of the earthquake are. All our tour books and TripAdvisor research mentioned the construction going on in the otherwise deserted city center, but I wasn't prepared for just how true this was. We stayed in the center, and we learned that 70% of the buildings were destroyed or had to be taken down after the 2011 earthquake. And it really seemed that way too - there was tons of construction, but also lots of falling-down or partially taken down buildings everywhere we went. 

The earthquake damage is such a part of the city now that there are bus tours you can take to see the damage and hear about the rebuilding plan. We took the tour, and it was sad, fascinating, and incredible at the same time. The tour stopped at the temporary memorial for the earthquake victims. It was a very touching memorial, with a white chair for every person lost in the quake. The saddest one to look at was a baby car seat.

The other really difficult thing to see was the remains of the Christchurch Cathedral. It's stood like this since the earthquakes, and there still isn't a plan for what to do with it. Some people want to rebuild it as it was for millions and millions of dollars, and other people want to call it a loss and start from scratch. Whichever method gets decided on by the mediator, it's for sure that the Cathedral won't ever be quite the same as it was. 

One thing we learned on our tour is that the earthquake actually changed the water table in the city, which in itself caused all kinds of additional problems. Lots of houses that more or less survived the quake were suddenly on unstable, flooded ground, and they had to be condemned. This structure used to be the basement of a building and now ducks hang out there. 

On the bright side, though, the city has worked hard to maintain their public spaces, and create new spaces where there is nothing for the time being. It really shows, too, because the city would be a sad place without these little pockets of color and fun!  

 

This cute little row of shops was mostly closed when we came by, but we did manage to have breakfast at one of the little cafes before we left the city. Hopefully as people start working in the city again, it can fulfill all its potential to be a fun little street!

We also visited the temporary cathedral, which has been built a few blocks away from the destroyed one. It's sometimes called the Cardboard Cathedral, because some of it is made from giant, reinforced cardboard tubes. And even through it can't hold a candle to the original one, it's still interesting and beautiful in its own right.  

Our last city event was a visit to Christ College to hear their Christmas Eve carol singing service. We'd seen some posters advertising the service, so we decided to check it out before we headed out to dinner. Like everything in the city, it seems, the service also put things in terms of before and after the quakes. The leader called out the fact that it was the first time the service had been held in that temporary outdoor location that there wasn't reconstruction happening on the buildings. It was also the first time that no boy in the choir had been at the school when the quakes happened.

Unfortunately, it started raining during the service, so we got cold and wet. But it was still a very fun, unexpected activity for us. 

Several times while walking around, I mentioned that it would be really great to come back in five years and see how Christchurch progresses on its ambitious rebuilding project. For now though, it's still very much a city in recovery.