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Christchurch After Earthquake | Christchurch, New Zealand - Ultimate Tourist Guide

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• published: 14 Feb 2017
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Christchurch After Earthquake | Christchurch, New Zealand - Ultimate Tourist Guide Christchurch, known for its English heritage, is located on the east coast of New Zealand’s South Island. Flat-bottomed punts glide on the Avon River, which meanders through the city centre. On its banks are cycling paths, the green expanse of Hagley Park and Christchurch Botanic Gardens. In 2010 and 2011, earthquakes destroyed many of the historic centre's stone-built buildings. Christchurch is the gateway to New Zealand's South Island. You can ski, bungy jump, hike, mountain bike, raft, surf, swim, golf, see whales, dolphins and seals, visit wineries and gardens, shop, be entertained and awed, and so much more, all within 2 hours of Christchurch. From the Pacific Ocean, ancient volcanic peninsula and wondrous marine life, across patchwork plains, home to adrenalin pumping activities, lush vineyards and braided rivers rising to pristine glacial lakes and the majestic Southern Alps presided over by Aoraki / Mount Cook. You'll find something special in Canterbury. Christchurch's art scene is buzzing and is not afraid to put a colourful statement all across the city. Find your way through an urban jungle of cool grafitti, clever scupltures and humourous installations. The grey days are definitely over, roll on bright future! From the neighbour's garden and paddock directly to your plate: The city's restaurants and cafes pride itself of serving freshly made food. Lots of the products used in the kitchens are locally sourced and therefore high quality. Enjoy a glass of Waipara wine, Akaroa Salmon or a real fruit ice cream. In Christchurch you are never to far away from the Alps or the Ocean. Skiing and surfing in one day? Not a problem at all! If you prefer hiking or biking instead, you don't have far to go either: The Port Hills are only a short drive from the inner city and are a great outdoor playground for young and old. The Avon River flows through the centre of the city, with an urban park located along its banks. At the request of the Deans brothers—whose farm was the earliest settlement in the area—the river was named after the River Avon in Scotland, which rises in the Ayrshire hills near to where their grandfather's farm was located. Archaeological evidence has indicated that the Christchurch area was first settled by humans about 1250. Christchurch became a city by Royal Charter on 31 July 1856, making it officially the oldest established city in New Zealand. The Canterbury Association, which settled the Canterbury Plains, named the city after Christ Church, Oxford. The new settlement was laid out in a grid pattern centred on Cathedral Square; during the 19th century there were few barriers to the rapid growth of the urban area, except for the Pacific to the east and the Port Hills to the south. Agriculture is the historic mainstay of Christchurch's economy. The early presence of the University of Canterbury and the heritage of the city's academic institutions in association with local businesses has fostered a number of technology-based industries. The city suffered a devastating series of earthquakes between September 2010 and early 2012, with the worst of them soon after midday on 22 February 2011, in which 185 people were killed and hundreds of buildings across the city collapsed or suffered severe damage. By late 2013, 1,500 buildings in the city had been demolished, leading to an ongoing recovery and rebuilding project. On Saturday 4 September 2010, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Christchurch and the central Canterbury region at 4:35 am. Located near Darfield, west of the city at a depth of 10 kilometres (6.2 mi), it caused widespread damage to the city and minor injuries, but no direct fatalities. Nearly six months later on Tuesday 22 February 2011, a second earthquake measuring magnitude 6.3 struck the city at 12:51 pm. It was located closer to the city, near Lyttelton at a depth of 5 km (3 mi). Although lower on the moment magnitude scale than the previous earthquake, the intensity and violence of the ground shaking was measured to be IX (Violent), among the strongest ever recorded globally in an urban area and in total 185 people were killed. People from more than 20 countries were among the victims. The city's iconic ChristChurch Cathedral was severely damaged and lost its spire. The collapse of the CTV Building resulted in the majority of fatalities. Widespread damage across Christchurch resulted in loss of homes, major buildings and infrastructure. Significant liquefaction affected the eastern suburbs, and the total cost to insurers of rebuilding has been estimated at NZ$20–30 billion. For travel photography follow @worldbytomas on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/worldbytomas