In a city of four strikingly distinct seasons, I’ve always had a soft spot for autumn’s burnt reds, oranges and browns. The season of mellow fruitfulness, as John Keats famously waxed. But there’s no denying that Christchurch, the Garden City, certainly hits its photogenic straps in the blushing pride of spring. As frolicking lambs populate the Canterbury Plains with playful abundance, take your own frolic through the blooming daffodils in Hagley Park’s Woodland. Nature’s exuberant seasonal beauty sure rivals its brutal flipside.

Friday morning’s jarring wake-up call for many North Islanders serves a sobering reminder of the wrenching horror that jolted Cantabrians from their sleep 6 years ago. As  the anniversary of the September 4 earthquake rolls around, re-creating Christchurch remains an incremental work in progress, with many of the old faithfuls back in action, alongside edgy new constructions,  while vast tracts of the central city remain in a state of slow transition – to put it politely. Wander about the city streets and see for yourself how the future is re-framing the familiar.

Jump aboard a Red Bus Rebuild Tour for a 90 minute fully narrated trip traversing the city centre, serving up a compelling overview of the havoc wreaked by the quake and the re-emerging city, like the shapely Deloitte building, which mimics the curves of the Avon River. If you’re travelling with kids, treat them to the Margaret Mahy Playground, Australasia’s largest urban playground and a runaway hit.

On a similar front, a major new recreational attraction will open later this year on the Port Hills. Like a tractor-beam for mountain-bike fanatics, the multi-million dollar Christchurch Adventure Park is eagerly anticipated. It will be the biggest mountain-bike park in the Southern Hemisphere with 2kms of zip lines as well.

Most of Christchurch’s old standards have purred back into life from the characterful rides on trundling vintage trams to the picture-perfect pastime of Punting on the Avon. Resolutely romantic in springtime, head to the resplendently restored Antigua Boatsheds (circa 1882) for some graceful glide-time with your Edwardian-dressed punter.

Stroll through the radiantly revived delights of New Regent Street. Originally built 80 years ago in Spanish Mission architectural style, this prettily pastel-painted street-  with its uniform palette of blue, green and yellow - boasts several dozen independent retailers and eateries, including boutique jewellers, homewares and unique gift ideas. A brand-spanking new opening that you’ll drool over is Penelope’s Cakery Deli. Need I say more? If vibrant, independent retail is your bag, make a trip to Woolston, to revel in the repurposed shopping emporium of The Tannery, the ultimate manifestation of destination retail.  

Costing $290 Million, the Christchurch Arts Centre’s exquisite reconstruction is the proudest spectacle in town, as storied old spaces bask in the glow of its grand renaissance along Worcester Boulevard. It’s New Zealand’s biggest ever restoration project. Amongst the rolling scrum of re-openings, the Great Hall is a Gothic Revival show-stopper, as is Rutherford’s Den. Later this month, the city’s iSITE opens its doors in the Arts Centre, while one of the city’s best café entrepreneurs, Hamish Evans adds his magic, with the grand opening of Bunsen, on the old Le Café site.  Hamish first began working in the hospitality trade as a kitchen hand at Le Café.

Admire the permanent and temporary exhibitions in the Christchurch Art Gallery, another curved glassy affair in Worcester Boulevard.  Its roof has just been adorned with a head-turning and quirky installation by Ronnie van Hout. Quasi is a giant sculpture of a wandering hand, with the artist’s face creepily rendered above the fingers. It’s just one of many street art confections enriching the evolving urban tapestry. As clear-felled commercial sites await new construction, there’s a swag of gigantic and evolving street art murals, painted on the side of exposed walls, that immeasurably lifts your spirits. Parts of the central city, notably Cathedral Square, will take another decade for a semblance of job accomplished to take hold.  But as painfully protracted as the reconstruction feels across some tracts of the city centre, there is unquestionably plenty to enjoy and admire.

Many grand constructions in the retail precinct are reaching a crescendo, with a roll-call of openings in time for Christmas. You’ll notice the big new retail temples seem to have coughed up their naming rights to trading banks. Who’s your Daddy! I love the ANZ Centre’s shapely glazed glass design. It embodies the gleaming statement architecture of new Christchurch, along with the riverside Deloitte building.

Christchurch’s hospitality mojo is pumping, with more venues than there were pre-quake – and the accent is on inventive, adventurous offerings. A star specimen is Mumbaiwala, an Indian street eats affair, with extraordinary decor. A container-load of authentic furnishings and art pieces were brought in from Mumbai, including antique clocks that previously adorned the platforms of Mumbai Railway Station. It’s a visual feast, to match the fireworks for your tastebuds.  The mouth-watering menu of dishes is a celebratory salute to the roadside street stalls and small snacks revered in Mumbai.

Explore the allure of Strange’s Lane, which boasts five venues, revelling late into the night. Before breaking out some dance moves, savour the chicken waffles and Cajun share plates at Orleans. In St. Asaph St, Baretta Bar & Restaurant is my ultimate go-to, a pocket-sized slice of Italy in the heart of Christchurch. From the moody, theatrical interior to the terracotta paved courtyard, Baretta attracts a diverse crowd, day and night. Their house-made lasagne, bursting with prawns, scallops and squid is magnifico. Other St. Asaph Street standouts include Café Valentino and The Cuban. Nearby, Dux Central should be on your play list, too.

 The new-found verve of Victoria Street is home to a premium sweep of venues. Powerhouse restaurateur, Tony Astle is the King of Victoria, with an arsenal of venues, headlined by King of Snake, which serves Southeast Asian cuisine with a local twist. His fried rice balls in lime cream sauce hit the spot. Add Boo Radley’s, Mexicano’s and The Dirty Land to your check-list too.  www.ChristchurchNZ.com

Where to Stay? For a flavourful boutique accommodation experience, The Classic Villa is a delightful Italian-style home, freshly refurbished and luxuriously appointed, right in the heart of the heritage precinct in Worcester Boulevard. www.theclassicvilla.co.nz

Mike Yardley is Newstalk ZB’s Travel Correspondent on Saturday Mornings with Jack Tame.