Since the opening of the market in the CBD, Christchurch feels like a town again! There are crowds of people walking in the CBD, the roads are full of cars even on weekends, it feels bustling and alive!
Sure, some voices complain about not having enough parking spaces, traffic congestions, and general being “too crowded” – but hey, we live in a town with a population of more than 400,000, and these are, everywhere else in the world, facing the same traffic congestions, parking problems, etc. Just us, the Christchurch Kiwis, stroke by the earthquake, had to go redirect the center of our lives to the malls in the suburbs instead of going to the CBD. Because there was no CBD. Some of us kiwis would prefer to live back in the 1920s – the rest has helped re-building.
And now, finally, our wonderful town is reborn! Better than ever before, with modern infrastructure, top notch buildings of a broad range of styles, arts everywhere, a modern traffic system, tourists actually liking it, bustling on weekend evenings along the riverside, with venues to go out to, and much more to come. Welcome to the 21st century, Christchurch!
So what do we see at that new market, that calls itself “Riverside Market”?
We have a bunch of food places. Some of them have been in the “Container Mall” at the same place or Little High before, and others have moved in from other places. This is what every other place in the CBD and in the whole country has, too: Food, food, food. Especially international food. Kiwis do not seem to be really proud of their own cuisine – some might even wonder if they have one at all.
There is more: A large produce shop, with actually good prices and a good choice (Dans Produce). A fish shop, with fresh and good looking catch (Little Fish Co). A butcher, proud of their meat quality, – a local family business the big companies just cannot compete with (The Butchers Mistress). Cured, a shop famous for handmade salami. A cheesery shop, operated by a sheep dairy farm (Charing Cross Sheep Dairy). A “collective” called area, where small producers share one shop floor and sell their products together. A Christchurch based startup that bakes wildlife shaped, like kiwi-shaped pretzels (Aha Wildlife Bakery). A pie shop, a Maori food stall, – this is innovation, this is local business, and this is what Christchurch needs on its market. I have talked to some of them, and all that I have met want to seriously make our town a better place. This is the future, this is life!
Our town has a reputation for resilience. “The Christchurch Spirit”, they call it. When everything collapsed, people found solutions and made the best out of the situation.
Christchurch is back!
