Christchurch .. Trams and Taphophiles... Christchurch An Evolving Modern City

It’s another visit to Christchurch ,  the largest city on the South Island of New Zealand .Its population is about 400k. Our old Blighty friends immigrated there  two decades ago.

They pick us up from the airport  and we arrive at their  modest 24-acre homestay, or “lifestyle  block ” as they call it. There’s the boat, caravan, boys’ den, the wife’s creative centre - basically a shed outdoors, the English Labradors, and a modern, well-designed, panel-boarded house with open aspects to trees and manicured lawns.

“The boy done well.”

We are off to see changes from the last city visit, especially in terms of development, transition and rebuilding . The 2011 earthquake killed over 185 people and damaged or flattened 170,000 properties. 

We arrive in the city centre of Christchurch and, no surprise to me or my buddy Richard, the girls’ first stop is Ballantynes department store. It’s been around since 1854.

We decide to use the hop-on, hop-off tram service to see the city and find a few watering holes. The tram service has a long history, dating back to 1882, and today gives an opportunity to see much of the central city. 

The tram driver is chatty and has a sense of humour. He points out all the wall graffiti – or street art, as some call it – from elephants to rugby players  and more. We get the lowdown on the new buildings since the earthquake.    

As a taphophile, I am keen to take my local friends to a cemetery they have never visited. Barbados Cemetery dates from the 1850s and, with over 7,000 people buried there up to the 1950s, it’s a good walk through the early history of the island

There are lots of new apartments , shops , cafes and malls, we take a short walk down Colombo Street to Whisky Galore. Later we find the statue of Queen Victoria, I do a selfie. Most immigrants from the UK are proud of their ancestry.We are standing in front of the old cathedral, which looks quite sad, with no  visual improvement since our last visit. I’m told the refurbishment is no longer  on hold , it will never get funded .

We pass a massive new convention centre , looks like a huge grey whale and a humongous sports complex nearing completion. 

The temporary “cardboard “ cathedral is quite an odd-looking building. The open-air “185 Chair Memorial” to those who lost their lives in the last major earthquake has sadly now gone. Their memorial is now on the riverbank in the city .Kids at heart, we all want to go to the International Antarctic Centre near the airport. A stern lady, over retirement age and likely of Germanic ancestry, makes it clear what we can see in the building, in what order we must do it, and by what time. It’s a fun few hours in rugged vehicles on a set course outside, freezing temperature rooms, educational and interactive exhibits,  meeting husky dogs and penguins. Christchurch is the link to and departure point for the Antarctic.

As a taphophile, I am keen to take my local friends to a cemetery they have never visited. Barbados Cemetery dates from the 1850s and, with over 7,000 people buried there up to the 1950s, it’s a good walk through the early history of the island. We read on the tombstones the names of ships that brought people from Europe. E.g. The Randolph and The Bangalore, vessels that carried migrants to Christchurch. This is a cemetery for many of the day-to-day pioneers of this country: bakers, builders, fishermen, seamen. Not for the hoi polloi, with the exception of the odd bishop.

​Well, no doubt we will be back to New Zealand hopefully in the next few years to visit friends and monitor progress. It astounds me that people and companies still have a desire to be in the city and pay an earthquake tax. They just wait and prepare  for the next earthquake. It must therefore be a great place to live and it’s close to the sea.