It’s been a couple of weeks since the last time I posted a blog. Traveling around New Zealand made connecting to the outside world known as “internet” very difficult. This time my girlfriend and I travelled south of Auckland to a place call Christchurch. Christchurch is located in the southern island of New Zealand. It is the third largest city in New Zealand with Auckland being first, Wellington being second, and finally Christchurch. Christchurch has a population of 366,100; according to UNData. In 2011, a massive earthquake destroyed the city. Many businesses, homes, and schools were obliterated. Thankfully, the casualty were not severe.
Located in the heart of the city, there is a cathedral. Below is a photograph that I took off the internet to show you how magnificent the cathedral was before the Christchurch earthquake in 2011.
Christchurch Cathedral
The next photograph is the picture that I took while I was in Christchurch.
Christchurch after the earthquake.
There are not a lot of attractions in Christchurch due to the closure of many businesses. However, there are still a few things to do in Christchurch. So let’s get to it.
First thing to do when when you go to Christchurch is that you really have to visit the Cathedral Square. Located in the heart of the city as I mentioned earlier, the church is surrounded by parks where you can easily relax and have a picnic. Additionally, there are numerous amount of restaurant and cafe nearby. My girlfriend and I were looking for a place to have a quick lunch and lucky enough we stumbled upon this authentic Japanese ramen place. I must say, the food is phenomenal. The broth from the ramen itself is bursting with flavors. Below are some pictures that I took of the food before we ate.
Pork ramen.
Beef Donbury.
The next thing we did was, we went to to walk around the Avon river. At first, I thought it was going to be a big river perhaps big enough to transports goods in and out of the city, like the Nile River in Egypt or the Yangtze River in China, but it turns out the river was very small and and narrow but very beautiful. Below is the photograph that I took while I was standing on one part of the Avon River.
Avon River.
For a fee of $25NZD you can take a gondola through the river. The advantage of taking the gondola as opposed to walking is that you are saving a lot of energy and time. The river takes you around the city. You can see many buildings such as the city council building and many others.
City Council of Christchurch.
Alternatively, you can always take the tram. Although the tram is a little bit more pricy, costing $40 NZD per person, you get to have a light lunch that is provided for you for free of charge. I wouldn’t really recommend this method because there are plenty of restaurants and cafes.
Tramway.
In conclusion, Christchurch is a unique city with many history and a future that needs to be written. The whole city is currently on a rebuilding stage. There are not many things to do in Christchurch but it is definitely a city to visit when you go to New Zealand. Hopefully in the near future the city would be built stronger and much more modern.
