A question I get asked most days is how I ended up in New Zealand and furthermore why I chose Christchurch. One friend even reffered to it as 'a place worse than Syria'.
Christchurch is New Zealands second largest city, so it was no suprise that when searching for job opportunities, this was a good place to start. More than a third of New Zealands population actually live in Auckland and most of the job opportunities other than labour work were actually in Auckland however I some how got lucky and had two job offers in Christchurch.
It was time for another adventure, I had lived and worked in Australia for almost 2 years, traveled some of South East Asia and worked and lived in India for 6 months. Where was next? I could not think of any better place than New Zealand. If you had asked me 3 years ago if I would be here now, I would have probably said no but while in India I began to have this urge to go. I always dream of my next adventure while I am currently on one. So there is no suprise that I am currently dreaming of Canada and a Europe tour.
Back to Christchurch, as the next adventure is a long way down the line from now. I have committed myself to a year here in Christchurch as I am now managing a backpackers hostel with my partner Ben (yes I finally met my wanderlust prince) someone I can now share all of my adventures with. If you stumble accross my blog and are planning a visit to Christchurch then do come and say hello. We are at Foley Towers :)
No where in New Zealand is changing and developing as fast as post-earthquake Christchurch, and being a part of a city as it is being rebuilt and reborn is both interesting and inspiring. It is a city in transition, coping resilently and creatively with the aftermath of New Zealands second biggest natural disaster.
Most recently local artists have designed and decorated 99 giraffes which have popped up around the CBD and surrounding areas of the city. These are part of a Christchurch Stands Tall campaign which when they are auctioned off in February will raise money for charities and to help with the cost of the rebuild of Christchurch. There is even a smart phone app with all the locations of each giraffe so that you can mark them off when you have found them.
I am currently builinding my life in a city that is building around me and it is just so exciting. There is something new every week.
It isn't a city for everyone and certainly isn't a city for the faint hearted. There are 185 chairs that have been painted white which are a temporary art exhibition to represent those that lost their lives. Many shops, banks, post offices, food stores and even bars now operate out of shipping containers. There is a mall known as re: start mall which is mainly built of shipping containers and food outlets in caravans/trailers. It is so rustic and creative. I hope that these will remain because it makes the city so unique and interesting.
Have I made you eager to learn more? I hope so :)
www.christhchurchnz.com
Peace and Love
Zoe xx
