Christchurch - Civilization

Pulling into Christchurch, we immediately felt the the buzz and hum of the city.  Even after weeks of colossal beauty and vast landscapes, the change of scene was welcomed. 

We tucked into an airbnb ready to spread out and stay for a few nights. This would be the first time since Queenstown that we'd stay more than one night in a place that wasn't a tent.

The entire city is under an epic rebuild after the devastating earthquake of February 2011.  And devastating is no understatement.  Get this, over 80% of the buildings needed to be demolished after this quake! This was also because much of the infrastructure had been previously damaged by the Canterbury earthquake just a few months earlier in September 2010.

Due to this, the city has particularly fascinating charm in its combination of historic, modern, and artistic forms all melded together. Someone pointed out, that most cities don't get a chance to rethink their entire layout as far as it's districts and regions are concerned, as cities generally evolve in their identity over time. Whereas Christchurch literally got to start over, essentially from ground zero.

Corey in his fashion, set out immediately to explore, whereas the kids and I decided to hang back and just be in our own little "home" for a moment.  After dinner, we all headed out to explore together on foot. Historic buildings stood in ruins surrounded by scaffolding. Streets were lined with massive murals & art instillations. Historic monuments regally stood tall. Shiny new shops, eateries, and sidewalk cafes sprung up in unexpected corners. And a delightful riverwalk wound into the depths of a 74+ acre park of green space and gardens. 

**Side note: can you believe the mural/wall pictured above is completely flat?!  It was a complete trick of the brain, even in person, I had to walk over to it to be sure it wasn't 3-D! 

On the Arts Centre campus (formerly Canterbury College) we meandered through the historic Gothic Revival buildings and stopped to watch through a basement window a college rock band practicing. Just around the corner, we paused to look up through a towering window to watch an acapela group practicing in a massive hall. Corey and the kids eventually walked on ahead, and though I couldn't hear them, I was mesmerized by their focus, passion, attentiveness to one another. 

As I observed, I remembered my own long dormant ache for musical camaraderie such as this. Suddenly I felt really alone, in the dark, on the other side of the window.  Ahhh..no, don't go there right now Meg.  Shaking that feeling, I ran to catch up with my family and we headed "home" to tuck in for the night.   

The next morning, I snuck out for some solitude in the Botanic Garden.  On my way, I felt the amazing thrill of energy of a city bustling on a weekday morning; joggers, traffic, bike commuters, school kids in uniform, construction workers...and then there was me. Definitely tourist status with my mug of tea, guitar, & sun dress. 

I wound through the Botanic Garden, enjoying the quiet sanctuary in the city's center. I scratched out a song through my residual stuffy nose and fatigue (still remnants of the flu since Omarama) and sat beneath an over 100 year old twisted gum/Eucalyptus tree. 

Heading back, we had breakfast then headed to the The Margaret Mahy Family Playground. It is quite a place with four separate themed zones and equipment large enough for even "kids at heart" to play. Still unable to shake the residual fatigue from sickness, I hung out like a blob in the shade while the fam had a grand time.

We lunched on New Regent St, and then loitered in the beautiful library for an extremely long time - I mean, there were legos, armchairs, a playscape, endless books...what more could a family want?!

That evening, we made our way to the Botanic Garden. We stopped along the way to feed breadcrumbs to a concentration of eels on the riverwalk.  They were quite eerie and we squealed as they stuck themselves up vertically and even up on the dock at our feet in search of food.   

At the garden we reveled in the strange, beautiful, and massive growth, as well as both natural and man-made playgrounds to discover. 

The following morning, Corey departed for a 35+ mile bike excursion and the kids and I took time for actual school work.  Then we departed for our own little excursion for the day...a Trolley/Tram Ride! 

Even though we had already walked much of the city center the evening prior, which was the primary path of the Trolley, we embraced the novelty of the experience getting off and on whenever we wanted!   

 

Our first stop of choice, was Riverside Market; a whole smattering of eateries crammed under one roof.  It was thrilling to be out on the town, surrounded by all kinds of people.  We ended up at Hikari Sushi Train - literally a conveyer belt/train of plates, you pick whatever you want and eat it. And pay for the number of dishes at the end.  It was SO fun, and a first for all of us! Melody primarily gorged on edamame, and we tried crab inari, fried veggies, & of course...chicken. 

We were all quite giddy at the experience and Melody exclaimed "This is the best day ever!"

Back on the trolley we enjoyed sightseeing (not done by foot for a change) and decided for a stop to meander through the Art Museum. 

We met back up with Corey on one of our final stops, The Quake City Museum. 

It was pretty overwhelming learning of the gravity of the scope that the city has undergone to rebuild itself. As we looked at photos and learned of the mass effort of volunteers called upon for cleanup, it was a wonder people didn't just throw their hands up and count the city as forsaken.  

Check out some of these pictures from the exhibit:

Melody had a slight panic meltdown as her bee sting from the day prior got super flared up and unmanageably itchy. I took a brief intermission to run several city blocks to a pharmacy to get some ointment. 

Upon returning, I finished looking through the exhibit. And like any good exhibit, they didn't leave viewers at the overwhelming part.  They shared stories of how people creatively coped with the damage.  From skateboarders making videos out of the newfound terrain on torn up streets, to a gallery of peoples back yard "bathroom" accommodations while the water supply was shut down, to a bicycle powered movie theater that brought the community together in a super depressing time.  We learned of the new ways they were learning to build buildings to make them more resilient to earthquakes in the future. And of ways people can still volunteer to help.  

We left with a whole new level of respect for the city.  Corey took the last two stops of the trolley with the kids, while I lounged on the porch at our airbnb with some yogurt and a book, looking towards figuring out plans since we were leaving in the morning. 

Then one last hurrah at the park.  Myself more energized to engage in play this time.  And we watched our last sun set over the city. 

In the morning, feeling recovered I took a morning run through the garden.  Then we packed up and drove towards the coast and after driving through a massive tunnel rolled into Lyttleton.  We spent a bit of time checking out thrift stores, getting lunch, and being temporarily in the mix of a cruise ship load of folks in the shops. 

Then we were on the road again, off towards the coast and Northward bound! 

-M