‘Ding, ding’. The old tram’s bell echoes in my hotel room. Gazing down through ornate windows to the street below, the tram’s vintage burgundy carriage rounds a corner and disappears out of sight.
People wander along the cobbled pavement. I spy men clad in caps and wearing braces serving patrons in an old-world-style bar. I haven’t yet visited London but I imagine this is what it might feel like, especially as I’m staying in the Heritage Christchurch hotel in the Old Government Building on Cathedral Square. Authentic, charming and right in the action; the city feels alive.
Perhaps there’s no comparing Ōtautahi Christchurch to other places, though. It’s a city with a very specific and unique history.
On board one of the famous trams – as part of a narrated, hop-on, hop-off city tour – passengers see and hear first hand about some of the city’s past and glimpse a little of its promising future.
Onboard one of Christchurch's famous trams. © Monica Tischler
Of course, among the most significant moments: the 2011 earthquake that took the lives of 185 people, injured many more and literally changed the face of the city. There are reminders of this tragedy everywhere, in poignant and beautifully heartfelt ways.
Beneath new apartment complexes and office blocks are pockets of tranquil memorial gardens that pay tribute to workers killed when entire buildings crumbled to the ground.
Messages, flowers and other offerings to loved ones lost lie beneath the pearly stone wall of the Oi Manawa Canterbury Earthquake National Memorial along the gentle curve of the Ōtākaro Avon River.
The tram passes the heritage-listed cathedral, a wise soul standing tall at almost 160 years old. Work has been ongoing to stabilise damaged stonework on the building, with jarring cranes, scaffolding and workers in fluorescent vests in juxtaposition to its gothic masonry.
More than half of all buildings in the central city had to be demolished when the earthquakes struck. New builds now have a 25-metre height limit and some structures descend 30 metres underground in what’s known as an ‘iceberg effect’ to ensure they can withstand any movement under 8.5 magnitude. That’s significant, considering the deadly tremor in 2011 measured 6.3 on the Richter scale.
Some tram passengers disembark at The Crossing, a shopping precinct and home to Ballantynes. That department store is also burdened with sadness; in 1947, New Zealand’s worst fire claimed the lives of 41 workers there. Post-earthquake, this area housed temporary shops in shipping containers. Now the precinct is made up of a network of laneways where “you never know what you may discover,” the tram driver tells his passengers. “Just last Friday, my wife stumbled upon a very expensive leather handbag shop,” he says, shaking his head.
Shopping at the Tannery in Christchurch. © Monica Tischler
Stepping off the tram, I visit C1 Espresso café inside the old Post and Telegraph Office and marvel as servings of French fries and desserts are delivered from the kitchen to patrons at tables through a network of overhead Perspex tubes.
Inside The Tannery, on the Heathcote River in the southeastern suburb of Woolston, I finish a southern cheese roll then set off to explore the strip of boutique eateries, clothing, homeware and book stores in an industrial brick building dating back to the 19th century.
I take photos along the Avon River, holding my camera up to capture scenes of blotted light streaming through old oak trees. Paradise ducks preen themselves on the mossy banks, where people stroll or sit on garden benches reading and eating lunch. Children dressed in a way that identifies them as members of the Gloriavale Christian Community feed chunks of bread to fat, boisterous eels on what I assume is a day trip to the city from the isolated West Coast commune.
Punting on the Ōtakaro Avon River. © Monica Tischler
River punting provides a true sense of the Garden City, of how Hagley Park and Christchurch Botanic Gardens are treasured. With every swift sweep of the oar, the punter guides the boat downstream, sharing stories of the city’s flora.
Trees within the park are donated from all over the world. The lush willows overhanging the water’s edge have grown from cuttings from France; the sequoia redwoods came from America, and one very special royal oak tree was a gift to the city from Queen Victoria. Generous gifts indeed, as their changing beauty with each passing season lives on for future generations to enjoy.
Story by Monica Tischler for the Autumn 2023 issue of AA Directions magazine.
