Christchurch, New Zealand

We spent about a week in Christchurch, the largest city on the South Island and the third largest city in New Zealand.  Two things really jumped out at me about Christchurch - first, the number of beautiful murals and graffiti everywhere, and the lasting effects of the devastating earthquake of February 22, 2011.  While a lot of the city is rebuilding, many places remain uninhabitable and damaged.  Many buildings have also been demolished - whole city blocks have been replaced by parks - because the buildings fell, the areas are not safe to build on anymore.  Many suburbs and private homes were also destroyed.  We learned that most home owners had insurance, and the ones who put their claims in first got all their money, but when the cash ran out, later claims were not honored, either to the same degree and in some cases not at all.  It seems to be a complicated issue, though to me it sounds pretty unfair.

The Tannery - a new, trendy shopping center outside of town that has been built since the earthquake.  Jeremy, our host, has his bakery here.  

An abandoned building downtown.  You can see the outline of another building on the right - there used to be appartments here.

New mural.

I like this one a lot.

What the cathedral used to look like.

Cute downtown area - this street was once called the most beautiful street in New Zealand.

More murals.

The cathedral - it used to have a huge bell tower on the right side - it collapsed during the earthquake.

Another view of the cathedral.

Another beautiful building that is no longer used.

More graffiti and street art sheep.

This is interesting - containers are used to hold up a destroyed building's facade - the owner probably hopes to rebuild someday, and wants to preserve the historical front.

Another view.

More street art.

Cute street installation!

Another of my favs.

Tourist tram.

Many of the people who died in the earthquake had been in shopping centers or large buildings that collapsed.  They have not rebuilt the mall yet - partially because many people are still apprehensive to enter them.  Instead, they have built an open air mall out of shipping containers - a cheap and trendy building material.

A stall outside of the mall.

185 Empty Chairs - A temporary art installation reflecting the loss of life following the earthquake.  Each chair represents the uniqueness of each of the people who died.  

Artist's statement: 

185 square meters of grass depicting new growth, regeneration.  

185 white chairs, all painted twice by hand as an act of remembrance.  

This installation is temporary - as is life.

Pete Majendie

Christchurch Transitional Cathedral - this cathedral was erected after the earthquake damaged the downtown cathedral.  It is constructed primarily out of cardboard.

Side view.