New Zealand Part 8
Tuesday January 23rd
... after a good night’s sleep we got up and drove into the downtown of Christchurch. Christchurch is the 3rd largest city in New Zealand, and it is definitely a real city. We really only explored the downtown, and that was great, but if you have a chance, the coastal stretch is supposed to be beautiful as well, so take advantage!! The city is centered around Cathedral Square and radiates out from there. It is a beautiful mix of old meets new with classic English Gothic style architecture abutting a more modern style. The Christchurch Cathedral is the centerpiece of the square, as the name implies! The square itself has no real greenery, save a few trees, and is largely a main thoroughfare for the locals and tourists alike. We got there in the middle of the World Busker Festival, so the main square was always filled with large groups of people surrounding the entertainers! We saw glimpses of a few of the shows and they were good fun! Everything from young Irish girls river dancing, to a drag queen juggling machetes while wearing roller skates and standing on a barrel… good wholesome family fun! We were more interested in seeing the city though, so never hung around too long in one spot. The Historic Trolley, an electric trolley system a la The Rice-a-Roni San Francisco Trolleys, can be picked up near the Cathedral, and is a fun and convenient way to see the downtown sites. We had hoped to have dinner on one of the trolley cars that has been transformed into a fine restaurant on the go, but due to its popularity we had to settle for a plan B. We chose to go with The Christchurch Gondola Restaurant on the rim of the extinct Lyttleton Volcano. We'll get to that later...
From the main square we branched out and started exploring some of the coffee shops and stores on our travels through town. The early part of the morning was cold, and we didn’t dress as carefully for the weather as we should have. In an emergency effort to warm up, we made decided to make a quick pit stop into the… anyone? anyone? you guessed it, the Salvation Army and found Phil a long sleeve shirt to wear. Much to our dismay though, it was cash only and we were fresh out! The woman behind the counter was very gracious though, and without missing a beat told us not to worry and just take it. She was much more concerned that Phil was comfortable than making the $5. aw… **sniffle** It was a very kind gesture… and I suspect, in some ways, payback for all of that bad music we bought from them on the trip! I should also mention, as is often the case, as soon as we bought said shirt, the sun came out and the day warmed up considerably!
We made our way back to the center of town to a greenway surround the Avon River. The city is quite charming in this way. There are many interconnected greenways and parks making it a very scenic and outdoor friendly place to visit. The small Avon River snakes lazily through the center of town wrapping around the Botanic Gardens and Hagley Park. There are several Gondoliers along the way, and if you have the time, they can take you punting on the Avon. The walks around the river were all green with weeping willows and tall trees flanking the shores along its length, with picturesque bridges crossing here and there. On our hunt for food, we settled on a restaurant called Ferment which featured a large outdoor seating area with River views. It was a tasty modern twist on the New Zealand Standard (starting to sound familiar!?) We sat outside and enjoyed a nice crisp glass of Savignon Blanc from the region, some good food, and some people watching.
We continued along the water after lunch to the main road over the river, Worcester Blvd, and traveled south towards the botanical gardens through the cultural precinct. The main Art Gallery , http://www.christchurchartgallery.org.nz/ is a large stylish modern structure on your right as you walk south. I should mention that the reason you haven’t heard much about the art and cultural scene is because Phil and I decided that for us, the natural beauty of the country was more interesting to us. It was winter in the U.S. after all, so why not spend as much time outside as we could?!
On the opposite side of the Art Gallery, are the gorgeous stone Gothic buildings of the Arts Center, the old home of Canterbury University. The Center is now home to artisans of all sorts, crafts, candy-makers, painters, music groups, and theater troupes. We picked up a couple of local wares as we passed through, and continued our trek to the Botanical Gardens. The Gardens are open to the public so you can amble about at your leisure, and we did just that. We held hands and walked along the Avon and then through the flowering paths taking in the warm afternoon sun. After spending some time in the gardens, we hopped on the trolley and stopped off at Hagley Park. This park is more for recreation, and is just a wide open expanse of green where folks can play cricket, soccer, or just be silly like we were, doing handstands and cartwheels, and having a little makeshift photo shoot in the bright afternoon sun! My boy Phil looked damn good!
After Hagley Park, we hopped back on the trolley and head to the Christchurch Casino for our last betting chip of the trip! Yeah, we were kind of lame as we never actually bet in these casinos! From the casino we walked back through Victoria Park and stopped to see the famous working flower clock. The park sits along the Avon River, so we strolled back along the river towards the center of town just enjoying the lazy time together. It was nice to just relax and enjoy the day without having to run off to the next destination. After a full day in town, we collected our old girl from the car park, hopped in, and hit the road for the Christchurch Gondola mentioned before on the outskirts of town. The ride takes you up about 1500 feet above sea level on to the rim of an extinct volcano with panoramic views of Lyttleton Harbor in one direction (created after the last great eruption) and Christchurch in the other. The views are amazing. We took advantage of a hiking trail around the rim of the volcano before dinner since we still had reasonable sunlight. It was a nice walk, just a little on the cold side! The wind was brisk, and low clouds were blowing in quickly up the face of the rim on either side of us. It was eerie.
We turned back as the sun was getting lower and the air colder, and decided to enjoy the views from inside the restaurant instead. Unlike the Queenstown experience, the restaurant was a more modest affair, and far less crowded. It was not a buffet, and the menu was wonderfully eclectic. We enjoyed an ostrich starter and quail and lamb entrees. YUM!! During dinner, the restaurant was entirely lost in the clouds, and for a while, it looked like we were eating in the sky. It was amazing. After the hearty meal, we head back down the mountain and drove back into Christchurch proper toward the Jailhouse. We thought about hitting up the local gay bars, yes they actually had a few here, but after our underwhelming experience in Auckland and our plans for an early departure the next morning, we decided not to overextend ourselves. We wanted to be fresh to enjoy a leisurely drive back to Picton for the ferry trip back to Wellington.
... after a good night’s sleep we got up and drove into the downtown of Christchurch. Christchurch is the 3rd largest city in New Zealand, and it is definitely a real city. We really only explored the downtown, and that was great, but if you have a chance, the coastal stretch is supposed to be beautiful as well, so take advantage!! The city is centered around Cathedral Square and radiates out from there. It is a beautiful mix of old meets new with classic English Gothic style architecture abutting a more modern style. The Christchurch Cathedral is the centerpiece of the square, as the name implies! The square itself has no real greenery, save a few trees, and is largely a main thoroughfare for the locals and tourists alike. We got there in the middle of the World Busker Festival, so the main square was always filled with large groups of people surrounding the entertainers! We saw glimpses of a few of the shows and they were good fun! Everything from young Irish girls river dancing, to a drag queen juggling machetes while wearing roller skates and standing on a barrel… good wholesome family fun! We were more interested in seeing the city though, so never hung around too long in one spot. The Historic Trolley, an electric trolley system a la The Rice-a-Roni San Francisco Trolleys, can be picked up near the Cathedral, and is a fun and convenient way to see the downtown sites. We had hoped to have dinner on one of the trolley cars that has been transformed into a fine restaurant on the go, but due to its popularity we had to settle for a plan B. We chose to go with The Christchurch Gondola Restaurant on the rim of the extinct Lyttleton Volcano. We'll get to that later...
From the main square we branched out and started exploring some of the coffee shops and stores on our travels through town. The early part of the morning was cold, and we didn’t dress as carefully for the weather as we should have. In an emergency effort to warm up, we made decided to make a quick pit stop into the… anyone? anyone? you guessed it, the Salvation Army and found Phil a long sleeve shirt to wear. Much to our dismay though, it was cash only and we were fresh out! The woman behind the counter was very gracious though, and without missing a beat told us not to worry and just take it. She was much more concerned that Phil was comfortable than making the $5. aw… **sniffle** It was a very kind gesture… and I suspect, in some ways, payback for all of that bad music we bought from them on the trip! I should also mention, as is often the case, as soon as we bought said shirt, the sun came out and the day warmed up considerably!
We made our way back to the center of town to a greenway surround the Avon River. The city is quite charming in this way. There are many interconnected greenways and parks making it a very scenic and outdoor friendly place to visit. The small Avon River snakes lazily through the center of town wrapping around the Botanic Gardens and Hagley Park. There are several Gondoliers along the way, and if you have the time, they can take you punting on the Avon. The walks around the river were all green with weeping willows and tall trees flanking the shores along its length, with picturesque bridges crossing here and there. On our hunt for food, we settled on a restaurant called Ferment which featured a large outdoor seating area with River views. It was a tasty modern twist on the New Zealand Standard (starting to sound familiar!?) We sat outside and enjoyed a nice crisp glass of Savignon Blanc from the region, some good food, and some people watching.
We continued along the water after lunch to the main road over the river, Worcester Blvd, and traveled south towards the botanical gardens through the cultural precinct. The main Art Gallery , http://www.christchurchartgallery.org.nz/ is a large stylish modern structure on your right as you walk south. I should mention that the reason you haven’t heard much about the art and cultural scene is because Phil and I decided that for us, the natural beauty of the country was more interesting to us. It was winter in the U.S. after all, so why not spend as much time outside as we could?!
On the opposite side of the Art Gallery, are the gorgeous stone Gothic buildings of the Arts Center, the old home of Canterbury University. The Center is now home to artisans of all sorts, crafts, candy-makers, painters, music groups, and theater troupes. We picked up a couple of local wares as we passed through, and continued our trek to the Botanical Gardens. The Gardens are open to the public so you can amble about at your leisure, and we did just that. We held hands and walked along the Avon and then through the flowering paths taking in the warm afternoon sun. After spending some time in the gardens, we hopped on the trolley and stopped off at Hagley Park. This park is more for recreation, and is just a wide open expanse of green where folks can play cricket, soccer, or just be silly like we were, doing handstands and cartwheels, and having a little makeshift photo shoot in the bright afternoon sun! My boy Phil looked damn good!
After Hagley Park, we hopped back on the trolley and head to the Christchurch Casino for our last betting chip of the trip! Yeah, we were kind of lame as we never actually bet in these casinos! From the casino we walked back through Victoria Park and stopped to see the famous working flower clock. The park sits along the Avon River, so we strolled back along the river towards the center of town just enjoying the lazy time together. It was nice to just relax and enjoy the day without having to run off to the next destination. After a full day in town, we collected our old girl from the car park, hopped in, and hit the road for the Christchurch Gondola mentioned before on the outskirts of town. The ride takes you up about 1500 feet above sea level on to the rim of an extinct volcano with panoramic views of Lyttleton Harbor in one direction (created after the last great eruption) and Christchurch in the other. The views are amazing. We took advantage of a hiking trail around the rim of the volcano before dinner since we still had reasonable sunlight. It was a nice walk, just a little on the cold side! The wind was brisk, and low clouds were blowing in quickly up the face of the rim on either side of us. It was eerie.
We turned back as the sun was getting lower and the air colder, and decided to enjoy the views from inside the restaurant instead. Unlike the Queenstown experience, the restaurant was a more modest affair, and far less crowded. It was not a buffet, and the menu was wonderfully eclectic. We enjoyed an ostrich starter and quail and lamb entrees. YUM!! During dinner, the restaurant was entirely lost in the clouds, and for a while, it looked like we were eating in the sky. It was amazing. After the hearty meal, we head back down the mountain and drove back into Christchurch proper toward the Jailhouse. We thought about hitting up the local gay bars, yes they actually had a few here, but after our underwhelming experience in Auckland and our plans for an early departure the next morning, we decided not to overextend ourselves. We wanted to be fresh to enjoy a leisurely drive back to Picton for the ferry trip back to Wellington.
posted by Phil and Shawn's Blog @ Saturday, March 17, 2007
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