There are stories of people who have left Christchurch, too traumatised by the earthquake, or burnt out from months and years of trying to re-establish businesses or rebuild houses. But there are also people who love this city and would never leave. There is, amongst the devastation, a real positive atmosphere of optimism for the future.
There are two shopping areas in the city centre which have a mix of cafes, concert spaces, gift shops and boutiques. One is New Regent Street which was not damaged at all! It was constructed in the 1930s after a particularly bad earthquake on the North Island destroyed the city of Napier. Napier was rebuilt using different building techniques and the same techniques were applied in New Regent Street.
The other shopping area is new. The Restart Mall is constructed using shipping containers. It is intended to be temporary but is such a great quirky space to hang out in that I hope it becomes permanent. I ate a seriously good chicken satay pizza here!
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