Most of the time I take living in Christchurch for granted, when new things crop up rarely do I go and check them out and get stuck in going to the same mall, same bars etc. I've only been to the Re:Start container mall a handful of times and haven't ventured around much since the earthquakes happened, but there seems to be so many exciting things cropping up around the city that I really need to get out more and explore them. So I have decided to have a little series devoted to my hometown of Christchurch (aka. CHCH) where I will go and find and explore these exciting new developments around the city. The Tannery was at the top of my list.
The Tannery has only recently been completed, but there are still ongoing developments and new shops being added. It is definitely a growth area of Christchurch but it is all the way in Woolston, which is a little out of the way for most people. However it is well worth a visit; they have attempted to keep the more historic look of the brick work and arcade style shops using a lot of wood and iron as well.
The main arcade that is lined with shops is pretty amazing inside and if you're like me, it is well worth the visit purely for the architecture. It is bright and open and feel very spacious inside; a contrast from the exterior. The detail of the metal work is really beautiful and intricate and is keeping within its historical context. The website has some interesting info of the history of the site and its significance in CHCH if you are interested (here).
The Tannery is well fitted out with lots of boutique style shops; there's stuff for the home, clothes, books, jewellery, art pieces etc, it has a nice mix of everything there. The above shop was called The Flock and was filled with amazing pieces for the home, as well as unique jewellery and clothing - it was like Etsy in real life.
There are a couple of eateries; the place we had lunch was called The Woolston Market. Along with having delicious rolls and savoury foods they has an incredible selection of cakes and slices that all looked amazing. I opted for one of the vegetarian baguettes that was stuffed with mushrooms,courgettes, swiss cheese,carrots and pesto - it was delicious. And the one thing that really matters... the coffee was very good! Along with the cafe, they had a nice deli section where you could get fresh meat, fish, cheese and preserves among other things.
The above was a gorgeous looking florist called Aromaunga Flowers.
One of my favourite shops was called Raw Nova which stocks some amazing clothes and accessories, from brands like Stolen Girlfriends Club, StyleStalker and Maurie & Eve to name a few. I fell in love with this neon pink StyleStalker cardy there (which you can see in the right side of the photo above). They also had some amazing home pieces and a full range of Lime Crime lippies that were $29 each. I hadn't seen them for sale anywhere in CHCH so was nice to see the full colour selection as the web never really does them justice!
This shot is from another clothing store called Wanderer and I really loved this quote and how it was displayed.
I was so impressed with The Tannery and will definitely be going back more often, especially to see the new developments and new shops that they will add. Not only is the architecture amazing, there are shops for everyone, and good coffee, so you really can't go wrong with that!
Stay tuned for more in the Explore series and hopefully I can find more hidden gems around the city.
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