Exploring a Broken City.

On Saturday myself and Sandhu visted my home city, and set off on an exploration of sorts. I haven't been into the heart of the city since the earthquake so it was so new and surprising. We also haven't had a day out like this for ages, so I was really excited to dress in spring gear and enjoy the sun.

Of course I brought my trusty camera along, so thought I would share some pictures.

These signs are basically everywhere around the city, although a lot of the "Red Zone" is no longer, the memory still remains, and many spots are still out of bounds. Its amazing to see how far the city has come since the devastating earthquake in 2012, but there is still a long way to go. 

One of the main things I remember from when I was a child is the Trams in the city, I have always thought they are so pretty and classic. I'm pretty sure I have been on one a couple of times, but can't quite remember so my next mission is to see the sites via tram. 

Some cool new artwork in the container mall. I love this place, the idea is great and it has such an awesome feel to it. I like the idea of it being the new hub; it holds music, food and other fantastic things. These pieces of art are so clever and from a distance I must admit I thought they were real.

I really love this piece of graffiti, I think the words are rather special. Christchurch has a lot of talent, and this piece kind of spoke to me. 

We spent 5 minutes trying to figure out what this means, so if you can be of any help please comment below. 

This beautiful place was once so special, and while it still is, it is so sad to see it so broken. I would love to go exploring in it though!

I felt so summery, it was lovely.

Held back by the signs and fences it was hard to get a clear, good picture but I am reasonably happy with this. The Cathedral, once a place of prayer, love and hope. A place where people died, a place that will live on in Christchurch's heart.

Its hard to fully get the gist of this picture, but it really spoke to me. It is a little alleyway where restaurants and shops were once open most likely bustling on weekends. There are many places like this in Christchurch and they really caught my attention because all I could think about was that one day the owners no longer had their shop, no longer had their business that supported their family. People lost jobs, money livelihoods, and that is really sad. 

New Regent St was definitely my favourite place that we visited, it reminds me of a street in Italy or Greece and I completely love it. If I am honest I have no idea if this is old or new, but it is so lovely. As you can see the shops are painted blue, yellow and green and it is so pretty. It feels so exotic and special; I couldn't believe such a place existed in my home city. The cafes are absolutely gorgeous and I found myself smiling the whole time we were exploring. 

Mmmmm Ice-Cream. It was the perfect day for an icy treat so we sat in the sun and enjoyed. 

I did take quite a few more pictures, but these were my favourite. It was so nice to explore and enjoy the sun. I don't do things like this often enough, and while the idea was simple and basic to many I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a lovely day, and I reccomend you all to do some exploring at the next chance you get. I have many more places on the list to visit and can't wait to explore them! Take some time to look at your surroundings, you may be surprised. I was.

Also I made a wee video of the day, just some basic shots of Christchurch, so thought you may enjoy it. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZ1nkZA0NRk

Until next time, Lucia xxxx