ABSTRACT
Drawing on the author’s experience as an urban explorer in the aftermath of the 2010/2011 earthquakes that almost completely devastated Christchurch, this chapter sets out to unpack the idea that in amongst the chaos and rubble of modernity it is possible to invent our own styles, ideas and ways of recreating fallen cities. What is argued is that with a little creativity, imagination and catastrophe people can make memories, express eccentricity, satisfy desires and above all escape what otherwise might feel like a constant bombardment of disenchantment. Inspired by Italo Calvino’s famous anti-novel Invisible Cities, the chapter contends that it is leisure that helps with the construction of certain invisible worlds. In short, through the lens of urban exploration the chapter explores the Christchurch settings New Zealanders temporarily inhabit, and the rhythms of their Christchurch lives, weaving together their social and personal worlds in an attempt to demystify them.
