Kaikoura

A coastal paradise: Kaikoura is an international destination (that you won’t need a passport to visit)

If a stunning peninsula town encircled by majestic mountains and life-filled craggy coastlines takes your fancy, a weekend getaway to Kaikoura is pure paradise – for all senses in all seasons. A $1.3 billion-dollar rebuild after the 2016 quakes returned its infrastructure and accessibility. However, the community’s vibrancy never really faded. Visitors are […]

Christchurch Activities

What’s on: keeping the kids entertained

With little minds to inspire and little legs to tire out, the role of a parent can be beautifully relentless. We might not offer a babysitting service here at Metropol, but we do love to brainstorm on your behalf. Here are some of the fun things our city and surrounding areas are throwing […]

Rangiora Showline

Rangiora’s heart & sole: go visit Rangiora Shoelines and get excited about their Autumn range

Autumn has arrived, so step into Rangiora Shoelines and check out their new season collection, brimming with the softest pastel colours, metallics, bold patterns and sumptuous leather styling. The charismatic ownership duo behind the store, sisters Sandra Blackadder and Jill May, are passionate about their footwear collection, which absorbs the latest trends from […]

Electrical Testing Services

Exceptional electrical services: Electrical Testing Services can make it easy to keep things in tip top shape

Let’s face it, keeping compliant with workplace safety requirements takes precious time away from things you’d rather be doing in your prized business, but Electrical Testing Services (ETS) is here to ease that aggravation. Covering New Zealand and Australia for all aspects of electrical, testing and tagging, fire safety, thermal imaging and emergency […]

Evolution Series

The future of building: Queenstown firm Rilean Construction is evolving to meet the Christchurch demand for energy efficient homes

When the Queenstown market leaders of energy efficient homes ‘Evolution’ (a division of Rilean Construction) wanted to expand to Christchurch, potential clients were keen and kept asking “is there one we can see?” There are 50 such homes, but they are all in Queenstown, so Rilean Construction Canterbury Manager/Director Trevor Meikle decided to […]

PurePods

A luxuriously small footprint: PurePods are doing some ridiculously awesome things with building space

“We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us,” Churchill once said, and Canterbury’s pioneering company, PurePods, is leading from the front to ensure we are in the best possible shape. Humans’ stress response reduces just moments after entering a green space, and the term ‘biophilia’ is defined as the inherent human inclination to […]

Photography: The Perfect Line

A momentous occasion: Christchurch Adventure Park is back and ready for action

Christchurch Adventure Park staff gathered last month to mark the one-year anniversary of the devastating Port Hills fires. The fires, which broke out in February 2017, burned 1600 hectares of land on the Port Hills, claimed the life of firefighter Steve Askin, destroyed eleven homes and tore through the Christchurch Adventure Park, forcing […]

The Terrace

King of the rebuild: we talk to Antony Gough about The Terraces and his take on post-quake Christchurch

The recent opening of The Terraces represents a formative moment in our long rebuild process. Replacing our late-lamented ‘Strip’, not only literally and physically, but viscerally in both hearts and minds, it symbolises the awakening of the city from its developmental coma. One of so many wonderful new builds in the city, the […]

Casa Construction

A southern expansion: Casa Construction heads south to Wanaka’s booming market

It’s going to be a big year for the Casa Construction team. With Wanaka’s population continuing to grow, Casa Construction has decided to start operating across the area, beginning early 2018. Casa will primarily focus on residential new builds, working with local architects and building teams to deliver beautifully crafted homes. Working in […]

Gorgeous Food

A gorgeous variety: checking out Wigram’s delightful bakery Gorgeous Food

It’s something of an institution on Springs Road in Wigram. For more than ten years the Gorgeous Food specialist bakery has been delighting locals and those from further afield, with its ‘gorgeous’ range of tasty classic and not-so-traditional freshly-made treats, both savoury and sweet. “We are proud to have served the community for […]