Christchurch is a city that has had to rebuild its heart and has done so with imagination and some stubbornness. About three hundred and sixty thousand people live on the flat Canterbury Plains, with the Port Hills to the south and the Southern Alps on the western horizon, and the city carries the nickname Garden City thanks to its parks, the willow-lined Avon River and the Botanic Gardens in the centre.
On 22 February 2011 a powerful earthquake struck, killing 185 people and destroying much of the centre, including the old cathedral in the square, which was left broken and unsafe. Years of clearance followed, and the city has rebuilt with new buildings, street art and open spaces. The transitional cathedral, built partly from cardboard tubes, became a symbol of that patient work. Visitors can punt on the Avon, walk through the Botanic Gardens and see the Canterbury Museum, a good place for a rainy morning.
The setting is full of interest. Banks Peninsula, an eroded pair of ancient volcanoes to the east, has steep bays and old French-settled Akaroa, and the Port Hills offer sweeping views over the city. Out on the plains, the nor'wester, a hot and dry wind from the mountains, can blow hard in summer, and the dust and heat are characteristic. In winter, frost and fog can sit over the plains for days.
For riders, Christchurch is the start of the road north-west towards Lewis Pass. The first stretch is flat, fast and busy, with State Highway 1 and then State Highway 7 crossing farmland and passing through Amberley and Waipara, before the land begins to rise towards the hills. Traffic builds on Friday afternoons and holiday weekends, and speed cameras operate. The real riding begins once you have left the plain behind, and you can see the mountains growing.
Fuel and services are everywhere in a city of this size, with workshops, supermarkets and specialist shops for motorcyclists. Fill up before you leave, since stations north of the city are spaced further apart, and have a good breakfast. Cafes in the city centre serve excellent coffee, and the market on weekends offers local produce.
Leave early to beat the traffic and watch the Southern Alps appear. On a clear morning the first sight of them is thrilling.