Not really transport related, but certainly nice to see some positive views on Christchurch for a change. Lonely Planet has labelled Christchurch as one of New Zealand’s most exciting cities, which may sound odd to many people around the country used to all the negative news and who probably think the place is some sort of dark muddy hole.
Lonely Planet rightly point out some of the innovative responses since February, like the gap filler project, the container mall, and so on, and provide information on where classic eateries and bars have moved to. In particular, there is quite a lot of focus on the “SoMo” area (“South of Moorhouse Ave”), being Addington and Sydenham, where much of the bar, cafe, fashion and entertainment scenes have moved to, calling it ”Christchurch’s most dynamic neighbourhood”.
It is certainly great to see some positive attention, and is a sign perhaps that we are on the road to recovery. It is also eye-opening to see how much is actually out there, and how interesting it all is. Definitely a far cry from “dullsville”.
marsoe
jhumm
Been Benuane
January 12, 2012
I know some of you might not want to hear this; but how much credibility does Lonely Planet’s rankings have anymore? I suspect some money has changed hands over this.
Be honest here; tourists would be well-advised to steer clear of Christchurch for the next few years.
I doubt Christchurch will ever see the tourism it had prior to the earthquakes, the big draw-card of the heritage architecture has been forever lost.