Visit Canterbury In The South Island Of New Zealand

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Canterbury is home for me.

I wasn’t born there, and all up I probably only spent about 4 or 5 years living there as a kid, but it’s one of those places that feels so much like home. My extended family – grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins – have always lived down in and around the Christchurch, in the South Island of New Zealand, and while we were there for a time, we are one of the families who eventually moved away. But we always come back.

My grandparents have lived there since the early 90s, moving around the region, so no matter where the rest of us were in the country we tended to congregate there for Christmases each year. Perhaps that’s why it feels a lot like home.

This past month I’ve been to Christchurch twice – the first time for about 4 days, then back to Auckland for 5, then back down for 6 days. The first time was because my grandma was very ill, the second time was for her funeral. So while the reason isn’t pretty, and it’s sad and hard, it was a lovely time with extended family and in the place that feels like home.

I thought today I’d just share with you some shots of Canterbury in June and July, and if you’re a Kiwi and haven’t been to the region, then you gotta go. If you’re overseas and you’re planning a visit, it’s well worth the stop. Even with the Christchurch earthquakes of 2011, they’re really doing a fantastic job of pulling the city back together again. It’s reforming in a new way and it’s really fantastic to watch it all happen.