Christchurch Rising

I spent a couple of days in Christchurch city in January 2011 as I made my way south to my new island home. It was four months after the September quake and there was an air of positivity as they fixed the damage whilst counting their blessings that nobody was killed. I had a yummy sushi lunch opposite the casino and walked around adjacent blocks looking for a Telecom store. Just over a month later the February aftershock dashed hopes of an early rebuild but gave rise to the indomitable spirit of Cantabrians. It's been exciting to see the changes each time I've visited the Garden City; still a lot of empty space but in several places this time I counted 3-5 cranes in every direction as the new buildings rise from the rubble.

Here are some pics of my wander around the CBD last week...

The new bus interchange - Stage I opened today and Stage II (shown here)
is expected to be finished in August 2015

A skyline of cranes

The great Re:Start pop-up shopping mall

Looking down the tram lines to the Bridge of Remembrance

Cathedral Square

The damaged ChristChurch Cathedral with an interesting plant-covered
whare to the right

Close-up showing the mass of plants

New Regent Street

Chapman's Homer sculpture by New Zealand artist Michael Parekowhai
temporarily on display on New Regent Street



Love the artwork on the blue tarpaulin - very clever

The Cardboard Cathedral

Still a lot of space but Christchurch is rising once again

A community garden in the middle of the city

Interesting 'tree' sculptures made from what look like fence palings