Travelgasm: containing Christchurch

Re:Start - big business getting small business back on its feet

Almost one year ago to the day, the city of Christchurch, New Zealand was rocked to its core, if you can pardon the pun. The city was devastated by a 6.3 magnitude earthquake, killing 185 and injuring scores more. The city remembered those it lost earlier this week in a memorial service.

But juxtaposed with this sadness and devastation are the signs of a city getting back on its feet. Christchurch is recovering and repairing, and local business are reviving their livlihoods in the most innovative way: pop-up shops made from shipping containers. The humble shipping container has been pimped, and the result is Re:Start -  a mean metal example of Kiwi innovation and resilience.

Shipping container chic - Christchurch style

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One-night stand: Melbourne

Melbourne, Australia. She’s a saucy minx of a city.

Given she was named after the rumored lover of Queen Victoria of England, Lord Melbourne, it’s really no surprise.

One-night stand: MelbourneI missed out on the organisation gene, so I regularly find myself somewhere new without enough time to do everything I’d like. I like to see the sights without it feeling like a night of bad speed dating, rushing from one half-baked experience to the next.

With the awkwardness of three-minute dates in mind, I’ve made sure the following is a regular day, not too short and not too long, just right. By that I mean six to eight hours, not a ridiculous list you couldn’t possibly do in a day. I don’t know about you, but when I travel, especially if I’m on holidays, I do not get up before 6am.

9am – Coffee: the breakfast of champions

As my fellow caffeine addicts will know, it’s hard to start any day without a coffee, and luckily enough, Melbourne has the best brew in Australia.

A local introduced me to a funky laneway café which boasts tasty coffee and an interior not unlike stepping back in time to the 30s and 40’s. Complete with a barber and shoe-shiner, Captains of Industry is on Somerset Place, just a few left turns off Elizabeth Street, in Melbourne’s city centre.

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