Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand. It has unfortunately experienced a number of earthquakes in recent times that has caused serve damage to the city. When we were in New Zealand 2016, the damage from the early 2010s earthquakes were still visible.
Unfortunately for us, we didn't intend to spend much time in Christchurch. By the time we flew into Christchurch from Rotorua, got out hire car and checked into our accommodation, we only had an afternoon to explore the city. In that time, we decided to check out the autumn colours at Christchurch Botanic Gardens and a bit of the city centre. It was such a peaceful and beautiful city park. We walked along the river and explored the gardens. Autumn was definitely a great time to visit. The afternoon golden hour light and the yellow & green foliage gave the park a magical look. If you are ever in Christchurch I highly recommended checking it out. The park is open everyday and is free to enter.
After the botanic gardens, we decided to walk into city centre. given it was pretty late in the afternoon on a weekday, the city was pretty quiet and empty. We were keen to check out an area called Re:START. It was originally a temporary shopping district made out of shipping containers. The area was created after the Christchurch earthquake which destroyed most of the buildings in the city mall. Even though it was a temporary solution, it actually became really popular with tourists and locals. I thought the colourful containers created a fun and hip vibe to the shopping area. It was officially closed in 2018 to make way for future development.
Perhaps the most iconic building that was destroyed in the earthquakes was Christchurch Cathedral located in city. The earthquake destroyed the spire and upper portion of the tower and severely damaged the rest of the building. When we were there, the area was sealed off, but we could still see the original church.
As the sky turned orange to mark the end of the day, we decided to find ourselves some dinner at a local Japanese restaurant. We had an early night given we knew we had a bit day of driving ahead to mark the beginning of our South Island adventure.
Thanks for stopping by today. I'm super excited about the upcoming blog posts about New Zealand as South Island is just such a spectacular place to photograph and explore.
Your Friend,
Janice