The Garden City

Monday 8 January 2007 – Christchurch was bathed in sunshine on our arrival and we went straight to Rydges Hotel where we stayed one night last month on our way down to Dunedin. This time we had booked a suite for the 4 day stay which had been done on the internet at a very reasonable rate, in fact we had paid more for no so good accommodation in some other places. It is very comfortable with good furniture and fittings including a large walk in wardrobe off the bedroom. It also has a microwave, large fridge and a sink and drainer. January is a good time to come to Christchurch as it is the main school summer holiday month when families are in resorts elsewhere.

The hotel is situated right by the River Avon on which punts operate in good weather and looks much like Cambridge in England. It is set in parkland and makes for a very pleasant walk at any time.

Tuesday 9 January 2007 – A lovely day so we set off to explore the Banks Peninsula as this was one of the things on our list to do on this trip. Like with the Coromandel, we had missed this on previous trips and heard much that was good about it. It did not disappoint. We paid a very brief visit to the port of Lyttelton which is reached from Christchurch via a tunnel through an extinct volcano of 1.8km. It did not appear to be very remarkable and we had a long round trip so we took the scenic route around the inlet to Governor’s Bay where we had a coffee at the delightful She Café & Restaurant. It had a small garden with an eastern theme but see for yourself at http://www .shecafeandrestaurant.co .nz/

Our destination was Akaroa near the end of the peninsula and we travelled their over the Gebbie’s Pass which, like so many here, is quite hilly and spirals up the mountainside and down the other side and calls for much concentration from the driver. We got a great view of Akaroa from Hilltop and elected to take the direct route to the town as petrol was running low. We had the choice of taking another scenic view but did this on the return instead and that was quite spectacular, providing views at times of both sides of the peninsula.

Akaroa was founded as a French colony in 1840 and it seems that France had designs on New Zealand at large but this was confounded when the British and Maori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi in the same year. It plays much on its French origins with Gaelic street names, shops and restaurants. It has a charming harbour with deep blue water and in the sunshine it was lovely. An enjoyable lunch was taken at L’ Hotel on the waterfront – see http://www.lhotel.co.nz/

In the evening we went to see “Guys and Dolls” at the Court Theatre in Christchurch and it was absolutely superb! There are two auditoria called “Courts” and this production is in Court One, which is a very intimate auditorium with just 291 seats and it was packed out. We were in the second row and it felt as if we were on the stage with the performers. All the performances were excellent and we thoroughly enjoyed it. We have seen three theatre productions on this trip and although they were all excellent this easily was the best. It was so full of energy and the comic timing was spot on.

Afterwards, in our hotel suite, we watched the 20/20 cricket match from Melbourne only to see Australia thrash England yet again!

Wednesday 10 January 2007 – We had planned to visit a farm south of Christchurch run by the daughter of John, who we had visited in Hamilton, but we would have had to be there early and it was very wet. Tanya, John’s daughter, had to be at work for 11am and we felt that we were putting her out too much so we cancelled. As a result we had a late lazy breakfast in the hotel and spent the day in the city. We took a ride on the tourist tram and it was a gentle way of seeing the central area and is recommended – it only takes 30 minutes and your ticket last for two days. This allows you to use it and get off where you want. We visited the Anglican cathedral which is very much on English lines and Christchurch does consider itself to have much influence that is English.

In the evening we met up with Rob, the son of Elizabeth’s cousin, who is living and working in Christchurch on a 3 year contract. He is carrying out research at the University of Canterbury on how the vision of certain species of spiders works. We went out to dinner at Oscars in Hereford Street, one of the best meals that we have had on the trip.

Thursday 11 January 2007 – Today it was to the Antarctic Centre, which is located right next to the airport. It has twice been judged the “must see” attraction in New Zealand and it is easy to see why. There are many audio visual displays and it could take all day to go through. Among the highlights is a room that has real snow and ice where, suitably dressed, you are subjected to a wind chill of -18c, a fascinating history of Antarctica and why it is so cold, and a recent addition is that of penguins. These are mainly young birds that have been injured in some way and would have died if not rescued by man. Here are very well cared for and are viewable in an easy way which they seem to enjoy. An excellent attraction!

We got a lift back to the city on a bus run specifically for the Penguin attraction and were the only passengers. We had an interesting chat with the driver who turned out to be a pilot for Air New Zealand on domestic routes who was on holiday (a busman’s holiday?!!). He was standing in for a friend for a few days and then plans to have a proper holiday. He is leaving the airline to work for British Midland in the UK where his brother already works.

This evening we did another touristy thing - the line between traveller and tourist is becoming rather blurred! We had dinner on a tram circling the city centre on the Tramway Restaurant and it was an enjoyable experience as we ate and drank as we circled the city centre, feeling a little bit like monkeys feeding at the zoo! The manager of the restaurant was the spitting image of Ross Kemp, the actor. We chatted to him and he was born in Wales and grew up in Oxfordshire – he did not sound at all Welsh. He was aware of the likeness and told us that he had once played rugby against him. He has lived in New Zealand for 11 years and, like all immigrants from the UK we have met, love it. The staff were very good and cheerful – which always help. They clearly enjoyed what they are doing.

As we walked back to the hotel we were saying that we may never see Christchurch again and then heard a busker playing “Leaving on a jet plane” where the next line is “ don’t know when we will be back again” – very apposite!