Back ‘and better than ever’
Kiwi travel writer Brook Sabin may have likened a tram ride in Christchurch to ‘‘an amusement ride through a disaster zone’’ but the Garden City is the only New Zealand destination to make a travel guide list of the top 52 places to visit in 2020.
Christchurch’s inclusion on Fodor’s Go List 2020 seems to stem in large part from its response to the tragedies it has suffered over the past decade.
‘‘South Island’s largest city is back – and better than ever,’’ the guide declares, adding it has ‘‘wasted no time getting back on its feet’’ after the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes and 2019 terror attack.
‘‘Not only is Christchurch considered the friendliest city in New Zealand, according to a 2019 poll, but the evolving metropolis rewards visitors with colonial-era British architecture, enormous parks, panoramic gondola rides, relaxing boat tours down the Avon River, and an exploding public art scene that emerged after the earthquakes.’’
This year’s list differs from those in previous years in that it includes destinations the guide believes have bounced back from hardships such as natural disasters, terrorist attacks, dictatorships and streams of bad press. In the past, it has focused on up-and-coming destinations, places celebrating major events or milestones, and locales its team members are eager to visit.
Christchurch was one of three places in Australasia and the Pacific to feature, the others being Brisbane and Bora Bora. In his opinion piece in
August entitled ‘‘Is Christchurch our biggest tourism failure?’’, Sabin said that, while he loves the Garden City and its people, ‘‘it breaks [his] heart to head there as a tourist’’. In large part because of what he felt was an overriding ‘‘sense of decay’’ and lack of soul. ‘‘Big groups of tourists gathered around the cathedral, gawking. The holy rubble felt like a monument to paralysis. People were poking their heads over fences to look at ruins.
‘‘Others seemed lost, not really knowing what to do. Trams still glide around the city but it almost felt like an amusement ride through a disaster zone,’’ he wrote.
Not surprisingly, Tim Loftus, general manager marketing, brand and communications at ChristchurchNZ, disagreed, describing the city as ‘‘an exciting, progressive place of change and opportunity’’.
‘‘If anything, Christchurch has found its soul and has really come into its own with incredible confidence and resilience.’’
The Fodor’s guide did not comment on the city’s soul – or lack thereof – but did advise travellers not to take things – such as the ‘‘strip malls’’ – at face value. ‘‘They might not look like much but these humble establishments are full of surprising restaurants and shops,’’ it said. ‘‘To get you started, check out Dimitris Greek Food for big-as-your-head souvlakis packed with grilled lamb, chicken, beef – or a combo of all three – and wrapped in pillowy pita bread.’’
The new Novotel Christchurch Airport Hotel, The George and The Jailhouse are recommended accommodation options.