Christchurch

Somebody once said that Christchurch was more English than England, and having been founded by people from Canterbury, that is hardly surprising.  On the other hand, the number of Scottish names is really quite astonishing as well.  Not least of these is Riccarton, which is a major suburb of this, second largest, city in New Zealand.

However, it is a city without a centre, following the earthquakes of 18 months ago and the following after shocks.  Many of the old buildings have had to be demolished - so many in fact that some are still awaiting controlled destruction to complete the work started by nature.  The centre of the cut is in a state of regeneration which is probably not dissimilar to that undergone by many British cities after the destruction of the blitz.

So what you find for the moment is boutiques which are simply imaginatively gathered containers, painted in bright colours and customised to provide a marketplace for some of the displaced traders and the beginnings of a new focus for the community.