Christchurch is an exciting city undergoing a rebirth after a devastating series of earthquakes in 2010 and 2011. The largest city in the South Island, it is a must see destination for travellers and the perfect jump off point to the rest of the Canterbury region.

We started with a tour of Christchurch as we arrived. Wazza our bus driver gave us some ideas of things to do in the afternoon after an informal tour of the city. We had arrived on Anzac Day which meant we caught a glimpse of the memorial taking place on the newly built Bridge of Remembrance.

Whilst you are in the city you can't miss Re:START, Christchurch’s spectacular outdoor retail and café precinct built entirely from shipping containers. Located in the city centre, the vibrantly coloured shipping containers are a funky attraction rising from the rubble of the older city. We sat and enjoyed the live music and a hot chocolate.

Other spaces were turned into memorials, like the arrangement of 185 empty white chairs set up by the artist Pete Majendie on the first anniversary of the quake, in remembrance of those who died.

One of Christchurch’s newest buildings - St John’s Latimer Square Anglican Church, the Transitional ‘Cardboard’ Cathedral. Built by award winning Japanese architect, Shigeru Ban, the place of worship has been constructed from a variety of materials including cardboard tubes and timber beams. In a lot of the demolished areas, street are has brought the streets back to life and brightens up the city.

After we had spent the afternoon exploring the city with Kathy, (who Bobbi and I met on Fraser Island earlier in the trip and who had joined us for the return trip from Queenstown to Wellington) we met up with Sam's friend who was passing by for a lovely dinner and a couple of drinks.

Christchurch is definitely a great place to visit but you don't need to spend a lot of time in the city before heading Kailoura.