After the Christchurch quake, the site of a mall destroyed in the natural disaster on Cashel Street has now seen a revival of shopping activity with shipping containers that now form temporary retail spaces. Shipping containers are just so darn cool.

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HAPA is a design store in Christchurch, New Zealand, that just happens to be located inside a shipping container. Style points. The store was opened shortly after the Christchurch earthquake in 2011 by Maureen Taane and Yuri Bacas Hosaka and offers interesting bespoke gifts, jewelry, and accessories from local and international artists.

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Smash Palace is the ultimate in thriftiness; this cool little pop up bar in Christchurch is decked out almost entirely from furniture made from recycled scrap material. The best part though is that the bars themselves are retrofitted into…yep, old buses!

Run by the same guys who used to run the hugely popular Goodbye Blue Monday bar, Smash Palace was one of the very first pop up bars to appear in the city after the 2011 earthquakes. With a range of craft beers and tasty bar snacks, Smash Palace offers a cool, relaxed vibe and plenty of good times.

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During our recent trip to Christchurch, we were lucky enough to be able to participate in a voluntourism project, run by Gap Filler (the guys behind the Dance-o-mat and a whole bunch of other equally fun projects!)

2000 recycled shipping pallettes and hundreds of volunteer labour later, Gap Filler recently announced that the Summer Pallet Pavilion is now open for business.

The quirky outdoor amphitheatre will be used for a whole host of events, from live music (now that the majority of the city’s music venues are closed following the 2011 earthquakes) to community events – the team at Gap Filler are leaving it up to the community to decide how they want to use it.

The pavilion was built over 6 weeks, powered by the amazing team of dedicated volunteers and help from local businesses. We feel honoured to have joined other volunteers to have made this project possible, and to be able to help out our friends in Christchurch.

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If your daily trips to the local coffee shop are leaving you feeling a little flat and often wondering if the art of coffee making is truly dead, then take a pilgrimage to Black Betty in Christchurch for a caffeine fuelled enlightenment.

Black Betty is a hybrid mix between urban chic and industrial, housing both a cafe as well as the Switch Epresso roastery out the back. Set up by espresso enthusiast Hamish Evans, the joint is a hipster haven. After spending time in cafes in Italty to coffee farms in India, Hamish brought his passion back to Christchurch and started his own boutique coffee company, then soon after opened Black Betty.

If the chic decor and friendly vibe aren’t enough to entice you, the best part is that you can choose how you want your caffeine fix; Black Betty offers a choice between regular espresso or one of their new techniques: siphon or pour over.

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If you’re looking for cheap and cool eats in Christchurch, look no further than The Pedal Pusher in Addington. Featuring an eclectic mix of cycling enthusiasts and foodies alike, this funky little restaurant has something for everyone. The brightly coloured decor is a nod to Christchurch’s glory days of cycling, and is fitted out with bikes galore; from bike seat bar stools to light fittings made from old wheels.

Located in the newly formed precinct dubbed SOMO (South of Moorhouse), this quirky little part of town is quickly evolving to be home to many of the businesses that were formerly in the city. Once you’ve filled up on all the delectables that Pedal Pusher has to offer, make sure you pop down the road to Cargo Bar for an after dinner cocktail treat (maybe leave your bike at home for this one!)

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The Re:START mall is a pop-up mall in Christchurch made entirely of shipping containers, and was temporarily set up in 2011 to replace the previous mall that was damaged in the February earthquake. Since opening, the mall has grown to over 40 retailers, including a mix of Christchurch favourites, some newer names and brands, a food court plus markets on the weekends.

Be sure to check out The General Store for an assortment of quirky goods, have a listen to the local DJs out the front of Cosmic Corner, and then meander over to The Crafted Coffee Company for a tasty alfresco latte.

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If you’re ever in Christchurch with a $2 coin in your pocket and a burning desire to throw some shapes, take a moment to visit the Dance-O-Mat on Oxford Terrace. Gather some friends, plug your smart phone/iPod/MP3 player into the washing machine and you’ll be rewarded with an instant dance party.

The space was created in response to the loss of dance studios and performance spaces around the city as a result of the earthquake, and the folks over at Gap Filler wanted to give a space back to the community while lifting their spirits.

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When the 2011 earthquake hit Christchurch, Henare Akuhata-Brown (more affectionately known as “H”) was one of the many to lose everything he owned, including his house and two bars. H saw this as a perfect opportunity to find a gap in the market and experiment with something completely new – so, a few months later, Cargo Bar was born.

From the inside, you’d never even guess that the entire place is made out of old shipping containers. The rustic wooden interior provides a friendly and relaxed environment that’s perfect for winding down after work, and attracts a fairly decent crowd throughout the week.

The jam jar cocktails are an absolute must-have, and you can either pick from a list of classic cocktails, or if you’re in the mood to try something new, try one of their own signature cocktails. Once you’ve had a few of those, you can muster up some cocktail-fuelled bravado and challenge your friends to a cheeky putt on the putting green, located just next to the bar. Much more challenging than a game of pub pool!

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Our friends over in Christchurch have had a pretty tough time in the past two years, with not only one, but two earthquakes devastating the city centre. Despite all this, the city has come together in true Kiwi style and they’re re-building the city to be even better than it was.

We went over and checked out what the locals have been up to, and we’re super excited to show you some of the cool and creative things going on in Christchurch. Check out what we got up when we were there.

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Black Estate is a little slice of heaven nestled on the slopes of the Waipara Valley, about a 45 minute drive from Christchurch. The family owned and run vineyard combines the kind of service you can only get at a family business, with some serious style; the sleek, minimalist barn with an entirely black colour scheme both inside and out has won a number of architecture acclaims.

All the food is locally sourced and organic, and with a seasonal menu, there’s always something new to try. There’s plenty of delectable wines to sample, and if you’re an espresso junkie like me, be sure to ask for a cup of their drip brewed coffee. Their Chemex brewing method uses an eco-friendly hourglass shaped flask that allows a fuller flavour from their roasted Mexican beans. Yum!

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Reflection of Loss of Lives, Livelihoods and Living in Neighbourhood is an installation by Peter Majendie, standing on a vacant lot in the heart of Christchurch. Where a church once proudly stood, the 185 white chairs each represent one of the 185 lives lost in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake.

Each chair, just like its owner, has its own distinct personality, with the installation including armchairs, dining room chairs, a wheel chair, and even a baby capsule. The 185 square metres of grass that the chairs sit on represents new growth and regeneration – something which you can see and feel across the whole city. The artist’s statement poetically reminds us all that the ‘installation is temporary – as is life’.

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Christchurch was ravaged by the 6.3 magnitude earthquake which struck on 22 February, with the city treated as somewhat of a salt shaker by the unique tectonic regime which is in place across New Zealand. However, the resilience of the people of ‘Chch’ has never been shaken.

The city continues to welcome visitors who now experience a changing city that serves as the heart of the greater Canterbury region and the gateway to the South Island. Christchurch asked for ideas from its citizens on how best to repair the damage from the quake and received more than 104,000 submissions broadly broken into: Sustainable, Green, Open, Engaging. In a taste of what might come, entrepreneurs have popped up instant art and small bars, shipping crates have been converted into make-shift shops, and the suburban regions have a renewed purpose. We’re impressed.

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The Charlotte Jane Hotel in Christchurch, New Zealand, remains open for leisure. The old mansion was originally a school for young ladies, and after managing to survive that run in, the recent earthquakes have done little to harm the Victorian throwback, with huge bathrooms, large, plush rooms and touches of elegance throughout. Our favourite was the stained-glass window near the entrance, depicting the original Charlotte Jane, one of the earliest ships to bring settlers to Christchurch.

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With Christchurch in New Zealand continuing to rebuild and recover from the earthquakes which cruelled the centre of the city, entrepreneurial spirit has organically surged to kick off a range of urban regeneration intiatives. Gap Filler is one independent pop-up project that aims to activate the temporarily vacant sites within Christchurch to make for an interesting, and vibrant city with Bowl’a'Rama, pop-up theatre, dance and music.

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