Travel icon: Christchurch, New Zealand

The South Island city is rising from the rubble of the devastating 2011 earthquakes, embracing dynamic design, cool culture and a pride in its past. Time to pay it a visit…

Explore the South Island city’s rebirth with a look at its thriving arts scene

Get orientated

Christchurch is in the middle of a rebirth. The South Island city may have been devastated by the 2011 earthquakes, but its reconstruction’s artsy focus and reimagined spaces are restoring hope to the residents of Canterbury’s capital.

There are opportunities aplenty to admire its new look. Shipping containers now house pop-up boutiques and chic cafés, and a converted bus houses a bar and burger joint where locals freely socialise. The Japanese-designed Cardboard Cathedral is a unique creation; a blend of steel and timber with an A-frame structure supported by over 90 cardboard tubes. Elsewhere, the Botanic Gardens has undergone a replanting programme to restore its glory (see overleaf).

Visitors during late summer can witness the city’s dynamic creativity for themselves. The Christchurch Art Festival (26 July-4 August) invites local artists to devise new works, this year inspired by Homer’s Odyssey.

Getting there & around

A number of flight services connect Christchurch to London Heathrow and take from around 24 hours; return fares start from around £800. The best way to get around is by bus – individual fares start from $4 (£2.05), but you can top up a Metrocard ($10/£5.15) to reduce that to $2.65 (£1.36).

The visit

With so much change going on, Christchurch’s Botanic Gardens are a haven for travellers and locals alike. Begin your visit there and walk along the edges of the River Avon, smelling the roses in the very Victorian gardens and spotting tropical orchids inside glasshouses, before sprawling across the lawns for a lakeside picnic. Then examine Maori artefacts and other nuggets of New Zealand history at the nearby Canterbury Museum.

Head back into town and pay tribute to the victims of the earthquake at the moving 185 Empty White Chairs installation. Continue on to the Cardboard Cathedral – a unique symbol of hope within the community, despite its limited 50-year lifespan. Stop by the Bridge of Remembrance, too, which commemorates Canterbury’s fallen soldiers and has now been restored to its former grandeur.

While away the late afternoon on a boat trip along the winding Avon River. Canoes, paddle boats and even guided tours can be arranged at Antigua Boat Sheds, allowing you to relax and appreciate the scenery (from $15/£7.70 per hour). You can rent a bike here, too, if you want to explore greener spaces such as Hagley Park. Finish your tour at Smash Palace – the busturned-bar is a great place to dine while sharing travel stories with the resilient locals. ⊲

Staying up The Christchurch Art Gallery was designed to cope with earthquakes and escaped the 2011 tremors with minimal damage