It’s hard to believe that a 6.3 magnitude earthquake devastated Christchurch in February 2011 and now the rebuilding city has received a coveted spot on Lonely Planet’s top cities list. But that’s exactly the case for the resilient Garden City.

Punting on the Avon River in Christchurch

As the only New Zealand city on the list, Christchurch gained the sixth place in Lonely Planet’s top 10 cities in its Best in Travel 2013 book.

According to the full story from Lonely Planet here, “Healthy doses of Kiwi inventiveness, creativity and resilience have created positive and innovative urban solutions – despite the huge ongoing challenge of totally rebooting the city’s central business district. There’s a sense of energy in Christchurch that is informing and inspiring the city’s renewal. And visitors to the city that get involved can find themselves infused with that same energy.”

Our students participating in community service projects in Christchurch certainly experience the energy to which Lonely Planet refers, as alumnus Bowen Humphreys wrote in his blog earlier this year.

So, congratulations Christchurch! We look forward to enjoying all the city continues to rebuild.