We seem to have a new sport going on in Christchurch this summer, known as Giraffe Spotting, Giraffe Hunting or as I like to call it Giraffe Collecting. Yesterday as I was working in the central city, at lunchtime I thought I’d go for a walk and collect a few.
Perhaps I should explain… you maybe familiar with the Rhino or Cow colourful art installations that have appeared in cities around the world? Here in Christchurch this summer we have a similar setup with over 100 colourful giraffe scattered about the city. With the wonders of modern technology, you can download an app on your iPhone (or even on an inferior Android 😉 ) and “capture” the giraffe when you get within a few metres of them.
Some are easily spotted, in parks, edges of roads but others are sneakily hidden in buildings. I couldn’t for the life of me (in 5 minutes) find the one hidden in the Christchurch museum but I did get close enough to catch it.
I know some of my local friends have had some fun with their families “going on a giraffe hunt” and one keen friend (who I will admit is just a little bit completely insane 😉 ) biked the 200kms or so around all of them… in one day!
On 24th January, these beautiful art installations will be removed, and on 11th February they will be auctioned off to raise funds for some very worthy local charities.
I won’t be going to the auction, as much as I’d love to have one, where the hell would I put a 2.5m tall fibre glass giraffe? But I have had fun collecting them on my iPhone app.
For the official Christchurch Stands Tall website, go here.
And here are a few photos from yesterday –
And a handful I captured at the airport a few weeks ago –
And my very first capture, outside the Casino.
At some point, a dickhead (and I mean that in the nicest possible way), vandalised one of the giraffe out near Sumner. This lead to it being removed for repair. In typical Christchurch fashion, someone fashioned a replacement one out of road cones.
This “Cone-Raff” has since been adopted as Giraffe #100 and is now proudly displayed outside Christchurch Hospital (note – not my photo – taken from The Christchurch Stands Tall Facebook Page).
14 Weeks Worth of Socks 
So how did it work? Does someone make the blank giraffe and you get it and paint it? I seems like a lot of fun and a great idea. And is it a way to get Christchurch people the think happiness thoughts and not earthquake thoughts.?
Yes they were blank giraffes and then artists have decorated them. Many are sponsored by businesses around town. The “stand tall” and giraffe symbolises rising up again and standing tall after the earthquakes.
Now it all makes sense. A brilliant idea.
These are gorgeous!!! Such a nice way to spice up an area. Richmond, VA has murals all over now and more all the time, and I am going on a tour of them soon with little Dorian. 🙂 It is just nice to see color. So sad that one was vandalized though.
It is sad but at least they fixed it quickly and I love the cone giraffe – very original!
That might have been my favorite! When I lived in Raleigh and worked at NCSU, a student made a cone monster and had it in the road. He was fined originally, but everyone loved it so much that it was dropped and then he got to make another one that was on top of a store on the main drag of NC State for months. 🙂 I loved seeing it.
Great story!
How fun! We had the cow installation in New York City and it was a lot of fun to find them all over the city. I think giraffes would be great too! Love the cone one.
Such a neat idea! I hope they do something like this again. I wish I’d started my collection a bit quicker and made more of an effort to catch a few more. 🙂
I love that white and blue one. He’s cute. Though I wouldn’t know what to do with him either.
We are starting to see them pop up again around town so the charity auction winners must have custody of them now