Character building
ŌTAUTAHI CHRISTCHURCH is a place of fortuitous beginnings and rewarding exploration. The earliest settlers — the Māori tribes Ngāti Māmoe and Waitaha — arrived 600 to 700 years ago, followed by another wave of Māori migration in the 18th century to form the people of Te Waipounamu, Ngāi Tahu. In the fertile, forested land lived the (now-extinct) giant flightless bird, the moa, each of which provided up to 70 kilogrammes of protein, as well as plump forest birds and rich kai moana (seafood). Kaiapoi (north of Christchurch) was a busy trading hub for the valued pounamu (greenstone) found on the West Coast and carried back over alpine passes.
Europeans, arriving in the 1850s, wanted both a new start and to replicate the English society they had just left behind. Representatives of all classes made their way from Lyttelton over the Port Hills on the perilously narrow Bridal Path, with their belongings either on their backs or following on horseback. On the drained swamplands that were their destination, they laid out a new city, even naming the creek, snaking back and forth towards the sea, the Avon. Those early Canterbury
Association planners would be surprised by the metropolis today. Because the quaking and heaving that shook the city during the earthquakes of 2010 and 2011, tragically costing 185 lives, launched an era of embracing the new.
If Christchurch is a model city today, it is not for being a replica of Mother England. There is nothing quite like it in the world; this eclectic mix of architecture driven by boldness and bravery. Christchurch is full of opportunity and young people with bright ideas who see no such thing as an empty lot. No, that’s a garden yet to be planted, street art to be painted, a new building to go up, an adventure yet to be enjoyed.
What Christchurch has preserved are its best classical features and its long history as one of New Zealand’s most visited destinations. It turns a generous face to guests, proudly sharing its story; the physical grandeur of the Southern Alps just a few hours’ drive away, the bounty of its fertile plains on display in the farmers’ markets and ready to eat in the city’s cafés and restaurants, its pride in its history and people, and the ability to offer worldclass opportunities for rest and rejuvenation.