Christchurch

We arrived in Christchurch ahead of schedule. We were kindly received at the hostel and our first impressions were so much better than our experience at the farm. The hostel was lovely. It was a ‘typical backpackers’ with many (clashing) colours, cubicle showers, a slightly stuffy smell and a relaxed atmosphere. After a rest, we headed out to explore the city. We went to New Regent Street, Cathedral Square, walked along the Avon River and visited the premises of the Arts Centre. It’s still weird seeing the Christchurch Catherdral in ruins though, knowing what it used to look like.

Of course we had to go the Container Mall, previously known as Re:START mall. The mall was an initiative to help start businesses back up after the earthquakes and give the city a boost. I loved the vibe of the container mall. Unpretentious, cute little shops and great places to grab a bite and a drink. It’s now closed, but it was probably my favourite part of Christchurch. On the flip side, I find it’s actually cool that the mall’s not needed anymore because the city has gotten back up again, don’t you think?

I also loved seeing different types of street art and buildings adorning the city. I especially love the three murals.

We didn’t do much for NYE. We just hung out in our room, watched some movies, hugged at midnight wishing eachother a happy 2018, and went to bed. Haha, how eventful! 😛 The next day we visited the botanical gardens, but I’ll blog about that separately.