It's been two years since the New Zealand city of Christchurch was hit by a devastating earthquake that caused millions of dollars in damage and brought down the spire of the city's popular Cathedral. But today, not only are venue and hotel capacities bouncing back, but the Canterbury Museum has just opened Christchurch’s latest earthquake attraction: Quake City.
Quake City opened on February 15, 2013, in the Re:START Mall during the height of summer tourist season in New Zealand. Quake City provides a place for reflection and education for locals, as well as a point of interest for domestic and international visitors to the region. Its goal is to inform and educate visitors on the seismic activities that have occurred in the region. The exhibit uses large-scale sensitive imagery, iconic objects, sound and film to enable visitors to better understand what the people of Christchurch have experienced over the past two years.
Additional attractions in Christchurch include:
· The Re:START Mall.
· More than 550 cafés, restaurants and bars open (and this number is growing all the time).
· A new central shopping center is set to open in March.
· The city’s unique Cardboard Cathedral (pictured), designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, will open in April ().
· The Port Hills gondola will re-open in April.
· Work will begin shortly to fix the city’s popular heritage tramway.
Best of all, the Christchurch and Canterbury region has has seen international visitor numbers that are at least 20 percent ahead of last year.
For more information about Quake City, visit www.canterburymuseum.com/quakecity.