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Published: October 1st 2015
The skyline lingers with hundreds of cranes maneuvering, their necks through the clouds in a methodological fashion. The sidewalks downtown are in shambles, as pedestrian paths are barricaded, rerouted, and covered in construction zones by repurposed connex boxes. Buildings hunch over, innards exposed as theirs bricks pile on the ground below, as if the quake had shaken the city the day prior. Behind wooden fences, chain-linked fences, and green mesh barriers, cathedrals and churches stand devastated and forgotten as if the apocalypse had come and gone.
"Don't waste your time on Christchurch," I overheard one traveler tell another on a boat in Kaikoura.
In a cafe in Lake Tekapo, I heard a German traveler telling another not to bother stopping in Christchurch, "It is just a city demolished by the earthquake," He said. "It will be a good place to visit after they rebuild it….in 15 or 20 more years."
At a backpacker in Queenstown, I heard a fellow US traveler. "Avoid Christchurch," he told his dormmate, also from the States. "There is nothing to do there."
In Wanaka, my bunkmate asked me if I was going there. She was at the end of her journey and
headed to the city for only one night before catching her flight back to France.
"I lived there for two months," I told her.
"Oh!" Her eyes lit up as if she were face to face with someone who had been in the middle of the second quake and lived to tell about it. "It was terrible, wasn't it?"
No matter where I went, the consensus seemed to be the same throughout the backpacker community. I wanted to shake gently her shoulders and tell her she had it all wrong. She took bad advice. She fell for the uninformed backpacker gossip and chose to be just another lamb in a minefield of sheep. Ultimately, she missed her chance to experience a vibrant, breathing city.
"No. It isn't terrible," I told with a smile. "I love it there."
Christchurch isn't just a demolished city to bypass. I suppose if you suffer from a lack of creativity and vision, are unable to develop your own, independent observations, and have no soul, then yes. You will probably hate Christchurch. Believe it or not, there is more to do here than walk around taking photos of broken buildings and
cranes soar above the ruins, and hiding in your hostel complaining about the lack of nightlife.
Sure. Christchurch is under construction. An earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale, shook the city less than five years ago, demolishing over 25%!o(MISSING)f the central business district (CBD, Downtown). If backpackers secretly expect the city to be a thriving, rebuilt metropolis just for them, then of course they will hate it. Rome wasn't built in a day, right?
But imagine Rome.
Imagine being there while it was being built. Feel the movement of the energy, and taste the sweat of the builders. Watch the slow transformation of rubble become pristine walkways and architectural masterpieces. See the progress of history in action, amidst complete chaos.
Out of the rubble, new and profound things are coming to life in Christchurch. It is a city of rebirth, of innovation, of hope. The energy is healing and reviving if you stop to feel it. It is the energy of the phoenix rising from the ashes.
The Art Scene: Everything is going to be alright
The first thing you will notice (after the demolished buildings and the cranes) is
Re:Start Mall
A mall in the CBD built from repurposed shipping containers. the street art. It is everywhere. Massive murals span the sides of buildings, some functioning some condemned. Portraits stare back at you in vibrant colors, their emanating faces looking over the city as if to reclaim it. Silhouettes of movie characters have also popped up all over the CBD. A range of Star Wars figures, Minions, etc., line the base of buildings on the north side of the CBD.
There are sculptures popping up everywhere. A bouquet of upcycled street lamps stands on one street corner. Wind sculptures slide and spin trying to traps your attention away from the cranes. Statues and sculptures memorialize losses and stand as a testament to the oh so recent history. Painted pianos cycle around the city, inviting passer buyers to fill the streets with music.
There are art galleries, the most renown being Te Puna O Waiwhetu. A recent piece installed is massive neon lettering stating: "Everything is going to be alright." across the side of the building.
Dance-O-Mat: Upcycling at its finest
On one of my excursions around the CBD, I noticed a concrete slab laying in a gravel lot. Oddly, there were large speakers and lights
on posts in the corner of its parameter. There was a disco ball hanging from the center of the slab. On one side, there was an old Maytag washing machine - it had a retro poster labeling it "DANCE O MAT." I got closer to inspect the top of the washer:
1. Lift lid and plug in your iPod/mp3/phone to the jack
2. Put in $2
3. Hit play and boogie for 30 minutes
4. Music stopped? Want to boogie some more? Put in another $2 coin and keep on dancing.
There, under the lid of the washer was a utility cord. On the inside, there was a place to insert a $2 coin (inserted into the slots of the washing machine at the laundry mat). There was even a picnic table with a solar panel top where dancers could relax and charge their devices, provided they have a cord with them.
It was daylight when I arrived, and no one was in sight. I checked my bag for a $2 coin. I was in luck. I popped it in and plugged in my iPhone. The party started, and I joined in. I danced away to Old
Crow Medicine show, Taylor Swift, and Brandi Carlile. I attempted to get others to join. Everyone seemed to have a place to be, but that did not stop the party!
As the sun set, I was joined by three others, and then two more! I danced until my phone died and had a wildly great time (I didn't have a cord).
The dance-o-mat is a response to the loss of so many dance studios and performance spaces in the city. It was put up by Gap Filler, which is a creative urban regeneration initiative, that temporarily activates vacant sites created by the earthquakes. In the case of the Dance-O-Mat they "wanted to give the Christchurch Community a unique dance experience whilst bringing life to broken city..."
The Dance-O-Mat was so profoundly ingenious; I would have gone to Christchurch just to experience it.
Cashing in on the Earthquakes
It may seem crude to use the catastrophe of the earthquake as a draw for tourists, but the earthquakes are now a huge part of Christchurch's history, its present, and its future. People are drawn to the scene of the action, and they want to
feel a part of this history.
The city offers many activities for tourists wanting to experience and learn about the earthquakes. I say earthquakes because there were actually two. The first and largest, happened in Septemeber 2010, late in the evening when most people were in bed. Though it caused $4 billion dollars worth of damage, no lives were lost.
The second one happened only months later in early 2011, and is considered an aftershock of the 2010 earthquake. The second earthquake happened during the bustle of a busy workday, while people were out and about for lunch. One hundred an ten lives were lost and thousands more injured.
Quake City, coordinated by the Canturbury Museum, "is a unique multi-sensory attraction aimed at informing, engaging and educating New Zealanders and international tourists about the Canterbury earthquakes." There are also guided bus tours that bring tourists to major landmark site affected by the quakes. You can also organize your own, self-guided walks.
Green Spaces
In the city center, small pockets of green space stand like small oasis' of life. In one area, planter boxes and benches huddle under a wall of graffiti near a
food truck. There are wall gardens in Cathedral Square, and an oversized chess set available for people to play. A fern display, put up by the City, hangs on a chain linked fence blocking the rubble in the lot behind. There are also chic, modern planter boxed that double as benches, strategically placed around the CBD.
Hagley Park, just to the west of the CBD, is stunning and bustling with life. People are constantly playing rugby, and soccer in the main fields. Individuals read in the sun while families BBQ and celebrate birthdays. There are tennis courts and boat races, ducks to feed, trails to walk and small lakes to rest by. Even in winter, we met for Acro Jams and slack line. On warmer days, I hung my silks and practiced yoga.
The botanical gardens are thriving, even in the depths of winter. Flowers paint the ground with color; water sculptures add new dimensions to the sky, and large native trees sweep the walkways with their shadowy limbs. The indoor gardens are housed in a building that looks like an abandoned gothic house. Inside the air is moist with life, greenery drapes down from a second level
Compass on Compass
With my beautiful, flying friend, Maira! and massive leaves sway from the ceiling. Even the rose garden has a romantic charm as it hibernates. Moss drizzled archways, grass walkways, and plump bushes add shades of green to their brown, thorny slumber.
Connecting with Community
While in Christchurch, I house and cat sat for two months. I joined a yoga studio, worked as a massage therapist, and connected with two different AcroYoga groups in town. Through acro I met some incredible people. We were doing Acro 2-3 times a week all over town: at the University, in an aerial yoga studio, at The Base, and at Hagley Park. They welcomed me into their homes, invited me on excursions, and become close friends. When my two months was up, I was really sad to say my goodbyes. The people I met, mixed with the powerful energy of the city, made me seriously question whether I should leave or not. In the end, however, I know my journey is still in motion.
The Bittersweet
My experiences were overwhelmingly powerful and positive. That said, I would be lying if I said that there isn't an undercurrent of devastation, hopelessness, and unrepairable
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Photo Credit: Melissa Zainey loss. Because there is, and it will be the first thing to slap you across the face when you enter the CBD. You will hear the stories of the insurance companies swindling businesses, families losing everything, shortage of government funding for new construction, constant fundraising for the rebuild, and political entanglements that come with a weakening economy. It is all there spewing across the surface of the skyline, blurring your immediate vision.
But underneath all of this, Christchurch is a beautiful, dynamic example of how a community can pull together and find hope amidst tragedy. It is a living and breathing place that is constantly changing and growing into a one of a kind city.=
If you ever get the chance, explore Christchurch for yourself. Watch the rebirth, be a part of the progress, and witness the beautiful dichotomy of the city as it rises from the rubble.
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Susan Pryor
non-member comment
The Afterlife....
Somehow the soul of Christchurch - like our own - has endured the loss of it's material clothes - just as we must and will endure the loss of our bodies when we transition ... What is left is illuminatingly poignant and paradoxically beautiful - life 'real life' has been unveiled - as if the heart is exposed in open heart surgery ... maybe we would with our material eyes want to close up the gapping chest but to a surgeon - to a lover of the anatomy this sight is just perfect ... Christchurch is a soul unclothed, a heart exposed ... maybe in time it will reincarnate into new clothes ... the heart wound will with the best plasrtic sugeon become invisble - and then some people might decide it is 'worth' a visit. However to me last time I went to Christchurch - once the home of my past ... I surrendered all that I had held her to be; and became immersed in who she is ... and my feet trod the paths, broken, my eyes the shambled houses and like the poet turns sorrow into a treasury of love - I too felt my love emerge - for love never changes, and I loved her once before. This was reassurring for my soul. Thank you Rebekah for this moving (no pun intended) work of love on Christchurch! Regards, S :)