Two years ago Christchurch was hit by a massive earthquake killing 185 people and causing mass destruction. I spent three days in the city trying to make sense of the post-earthquake city, truth is I failed.

Beauty and destruction. The view from my host’s house which still has cracks throughout the place.

I tried talking to as many locals as I could about the quake and life after it. The responses I got were very diverse.  Some didn’t want to talk about it, while others claimed that the weeks after the quake were actually a good experience as everyone was super nice and a special comradery took place. Others yet said many of their friends had left and a lot complained about problems with the insurance companies and the local municipality that has taken a lot of power for itself and remains immune to criticism. The government is actually forcing some people to sell their property because the ground was deemed unstable.

CTV building site, 115 people lost their life.

I wasn’t expecting the destruction to be so bad after all this time. Trying to get to my host or the bus station I encountered whole sections of the city that were still blockaded which made walking with all of my bags an annoying mission. I was surprised to discover some suburbs still don’t have working sewage! There was even a toilet creating contest.

Road blocks in the middle of what used to be the city center.

Christchurch is a city with no ‘heart’, as the whole center of the city was destroyed, which still impacts the lives of everyone. Small hangout places have opened up in the suburbs and some interesting shops built in shipping containers have been created. Still, people go out a lot less. I started out with saying that I failed to make sense of the city because beside these facts that I bring here, the city just feels strange in a way that I can’t really put my finger on. I guess you just have to go there for yourself. But take into account that tourists are still flooding the city but a lot of the backpackers were destroyed making in very hard to find accommodations. I was lucky to find some super cool Couchsurfers!