Christchurch, New Zealand

Christchurch was founded in 1850 by Canterbury Association settlers who punted across the English Channel of their imaginations and planted an Anglican cathedral, a cricket ground, and a network of willow-lined waterways in the plains east of the Southern Alps. For over a century and a half, the city cultivated its reputation as the most English of New Zealand's cities — a place of stone Gothic architecture, immaculate public gardens, and punting on the Avon River that would not have looked out of place in Cambridge. Then, in February 2011, a devastating earthquake shattered the city's heritage heart, and Christchurch began writing an entirely new chapter in its story — one of reinvention, resilience, and creative audacity.

Today's Christchurch is a city in magnificent flux. The Cardboard Cathedral — Shigeru Ban's striking A-frame structure of cardboard tubes and stained glass — stands as both a temporary replacement for the ruined Anglican cathedral and a permanent symbol of architectural courage. The Re:START container mall pioneered the use of shipping containers as retail space, inspiring similar projects worldwide. Street art murals cover entire building facades, transforming earthquake-damaged walls into open-air galleries. And the Avon River, that gentle thread of continuity, still winds through it all, its banks now reimagined as a green spine of parks, promenades, and native plantings that connect the old city to the new.

The Canterbury Plains surrounding Christchurch are New Zealand's agricultural heartland, and the city's food scene reflects this bounty with increasing sophistication. The Christchurch Farmers' Market, held Saturday mornings in Riccarton House, showcases Canterbury lamb, Akaroa salmon, artisan cheeses, and the region's excellent pinot noir and riesling wines. The restaurant scene in the rebuilt city center ranges from innovative farm-to-table dining to authentic Asian cuisines brought by the city's growing immigrant communities. For a quintessential Canterbury experience, drive the short distance to Akaroa — a charming former French settlement on Banks Peninsula — for fresh-from-the-harbor salmon, green-lipped mussels, and the chance to swim with the world's smallest dolphin, the Hector's dolphin.

Christchurch serves as the traditional gateway to the South Island's natural grandeur. The TranzAlpine railway, frequently ranked among the world's great train journeys, climbs from the Canterbury Plains through the Southern Alps to the wild West Coast, crossing viaducts and tunnels that reveal landscapes of operatic drama. Arthur's Pass National Park, Aoraki Mount Cook National Park, and the glacier-carved lakes of Mackenzie Country are all within a day's drive. The port of Lyttelton, where cruise ships dock, is itself worth exploring — a hillside harbor town of Victorian timber buildings, craft breweries, and a Saturday farmers' market that rivals the city's own.

Azamara, Celebrity Cruises, and Princess Cruises call at Lyttelton, Christchurch's port town, connected to the city by a road tunnel through the Port Hills or the scenic Summit Road over the top. The Bridle Path walk, retracing the route of the original Canterbury settlers, offers a rewarding hike between port and city with panoramic views of both harbor and plains. The best time to visit is during the southern spring and summer, from October through March, when long daylight hours and mild temperatures make the most of Canterbury's outdoor attractions.