After a late flight in, we could not wait to get to our B&B for some much needed shut-eye.
Bram had arranged for us to stay in Chestnuts On Holly. I thought the name sounded very British and the place did not disappoint.
As I was still gawking at all the little trinkets here and there (no way would I ever be able to live here permanently) – the son escorted us to our room. “Oh btw†he said “we upgraded you to a bigger room since you are staying for a couple of nights anyway†(Score 1). He then showed us the sherry (Score 2) and how to make tea. After he left we discovered the cakes (Score 3 – every day they will put a little cake or muffin out) and the softest bathrobes ever (Score 4).
The next morning we awoke –best mattress ever- and were greeted by Sue, who migrated to New Zealand 4 years ago from South-Africa. With no detail left unattended, she ensured the gourmet breakfast was yummy and hassle-free – definitely recommend the fresh fruit salad with of course, lots of kiwis :) They also have plenty of tips for traveling around, offer free wi-fi,DVD’s, lavender, potpourri and local newspapers each day (Score 5).
Anyway, more about Christchurch itself! We were lucky as it was a beautiful 24 degrees outside. First we walked to Cathedral Square in the centre of Christchurch, which also hosts the tourist information centre… to say it is a small city would be an understatement. To think this is the 3rd biggest city of New Zealand!
Christchurch lies at the bottom of the Port Hills in the Canterbury plains. If you drive up these hills on a clear day, you can see the Southern Alps all across the plains. Since we didn’t have a car yet, we took the bus instead to the Gondola base station. Safe to say we should have waited for the car. The sights are worth it, but everything else around the Gondola spells ‘Tourist Trap’. You are better off driving up the mountain yourself and walk a bit of the Bridle Path for example 🙂
Here’s a view of the other side of the Port Hills, looking towards Lyttleton:
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| From New Zealand – Christchurch |
We headed back to the city and basked some more in the sun, strolling around the beautiful Botanical Gardens.
Most of the city sights can be found near here: the old University of Canterbury, which now hosts the Arts Centre and Rutherford’s Den, the Canterbury Museum and the Christchurch Art Gallery with COCA (centre of contemporary art). In the weekends there is also an art & crafts market at the Arts Centre with food stalls etc.
All in all you can take in these sights in just one day if you wish, we spread it over two as we wanted to get a nice relaxing start of our holiday.
Oh and if you ever find yourself looking for places to eat in Christchurch, we can definitely recommend Tutto Bene (on Papanui Rd) if you are in for genuine cheap Italian food, or if you feel like Mexican, try Mexican Cafe in the funky SOL square – a somewhat uninspiring name, but their Paradiso Margarita makes up for it 🙂
