48 hours in Christchurch

Don’t be fooled, punting
is not as easy as the
boatmen make it appear

Jump on a tram, punt and gondola for a whirlwind exploration of this southern charmer

WORDS CAROL WEST
PHOTOGRAPHY ROBERT MUIR/IMAGEINK

With its blend of contemporary, classic and unusual experiences, Christchurch as an adventure is all pleasure. We give you the quick-fix list.

Day One

Start off slow by heading down to the green-and-white striped Antigua Boat Sheds by Worcester Boulevard Bridge and taking to the water in one of their many watercraft.

Or indulge in some Edwardian fun by lolling back in a craftsman-built wooden punt as a young boatman in a dandy striped blazer and straw boater guides you down the scenic Avon River. Open during summer 9am–6pm. Punting is NZ$20 (AU$17) for adults, NZ$10 (AU$8) for five–12 year olds, free for children under five years.

Photo: Christchurch & Canterbury Tourism

The Twisted Hop

Keep on the move and get your bearings instantly by boarding one of Christchurch’s restored trams. You can hop on and off as it trundles along the 2.5km looped route past the inner-city’s best attractions. A 48-hour pass on the Christchurch Tramway is NZ$14 (AU$12) for adults, NZ$4 (AU$3) for five–15 year olds and NZ$35 (AU$29) for a family (two adults and three children), and can be purchased onboard. Rattling down New Regent Street, trade in the tram for boutique shopping and grazing at one of the Spanish Mission-designed cafés that line this narrow strip.

Photo: Christchurch &
Canterbury Tourism

Walk off lunch by clambering up Christchurch Cathedral’s 133 steps to the top of the bell tower for panoramic views across the city. There are free guided tours at 11am and 2pm Monday to Friday, but a donation is appreciated. Visit Wednesday to Friday when Cathedral Square Market bustles with stalls selling local crafts, fashion, jewellery and homegrown produce from 9am–4pm.

With more cafés and bars per capita than anywhere else in New Zealand, Christchurch offers plenty of options for the hungry or thirsty traveller. Begin by exploring what locals call “The Strip” along Oxford Terrace. Look out for French-styled Boulevard Restaurant & Bar, which plays 80s grooves while dishing up hearty European cuisine.

The lanes off Lichfield Street, formerly an industrial area, now house quirky bars, clubs and designer boutiques. Old English-style buildings like The Twisted Hop brew their own beer on site, while one of Christchurch’s first pubs, His Lordships, attracts the cool crowd. The Tap Room provides a good base for casual dining and social drinking, or slip upstairs to Simo’s for aromatic and innovative Moroccan cuisine and crisp local wines.

Day Two

Photo: Christchurch &
Canterbury TourismWhether you run across it, stroll through it, cycle around it, or play golf or tennis in it, the 165-hectare Hagley Park is Christchurch’s glorious green heart. Hire a bike from The Adventure Centre and cycle the 8km track for NZ$30 (AU$25) a day, hit 18 holes of golf for NZ$20 (AU$17) or play tennis for two hours for NZ$10 (AU$8) before downing a glass of vino and tapas at the 1920s Curator’s House restaurant.

For a change of pace, head for the lively Arts Centre precinct where more than 40 artist studios, shops, cafés, wine bars and an art-house cinema hum with creativity. Come weekends, the action kicks up a gear when the Art Centre’s arts and craft market injects colour and vitality into the heritage development between 10am–4pm. Free tours of the 19th-century gothic revival architecture are available from the Arts Centre information desk, 10am–3.30pm, daily.

Join the culture vultures at the Christchurch Art Gallery (Te Puna O Waiwhetu), with its spectacularly curved sculpture glass wall inspired by Christchurch’s Avon River. Open daily from 10am to 5pm with free admission, the gallery houses one of the largest public art collections in New Zealand, including a great selection of Canterbury works, as well as changing exhibitions. For excellent souvenirs, such as cards, prints and posters, check out The Gallery Shop.

The Arts Centre

Photos: Christchurch & Canterbury
TourismJust 15 minutes from the city centre, the Christchurch Gondola takes you to the crater rim of Christchurch’s extinct volcano to get high on the 360-degree views that, on a clear day, extend all the way to Mt Cook. Open 10am ’til late, tickets cost NZ$22 (AU$19) per person or buy a gondola/tram combo for NZ$30 (AU$25). Afterwards, stretch your legs on one of four Freedom Walks, which come in varying duration and degrees of difficulty.

Curator’s House

Looking for creative cuisine in a sophisticated setting to cap off the weekend? Pescatore, at The George hotel, is renowned for its focus on New Zealand seafood with a Pacific Rim twist. Splash out on a four-, fiveor six-course dégustation menu matched with top local vintages, from NZ$145 (AU$121) per person including wine.

After dark, check out new musical talent that crosses genres from rock and dub to jazz and hip hop at Dux de Lux or admire the cutting-edge designer décor at Minx before busting some serious dance grooves at Base bar and nightclub South of Lichfield. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

For cheap eats, radio DJ Simon Barnett from More FM breakfast show reckons Tandoori Palace on Cathedral Square has the best naan bread in New Zealand. For cool duds he heads south of Litchfield to His Lordship’s Lane.

“All Black Dan Carter’s new fashion store, GAS, is groovy, as is Hunters & Collectors on High St. My favourite summer watering hole is Watershed at Ferrymead, a new waterfront area where I chill and watch the windsurfing. For all-day grazing and the best New Zealand wines by the glass, you can’t beat Café Metro opposite the Town Hall.”

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The woman behind two of Christchurch’s most popular festivals, Jodi Wright, director of the World Buskers Festival (January 2008) and New Zealand’s International Jazz & Blues Festival (April 2008) knows where to eat, shop and drink around town.

“I love New Zealand designer Sharon Ng’s NG Café in her fabulous store on Madras Street. I head for Under the Red Verandah in Linwood for great coffee or a drink and you can’t go past Fat Eddie’s jazz bar on Litchfield Lane where the line-up changes nightly.

“For cheap eats, it has to be Manee Thai on Manchester Street but not before cruising Workshop in Tuam Street and checking-out Plume and High streets, the city’s fashion and design precinct, for some high-end style.”

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FIND IT:

Antigua Boat Sheds
2 Cambridge Tce, tel: +64 (3) 366 0337
Boulevard Restaurant & Bar
Cnr Oxford Tce and Hereford St, tel: +64 (3) 374 6676
The Twisted Hop
6 Poplar St, tel: +64 (3) 962 3688
His Lordships Café and Bar
110 Lichfield St, tel: +64 (3) 366 3225
The Tap Room
Cnr Oxford Tce and Cashel Mall, tel: +64 (3) 365 0547
Simo’s
114 City Mall, Cashel St, tel: +64 (3) 377 5001
The Adventure Centre
69 Cathedral Sq, tel: +64 (3) 366 0302
Hagley Golf Club
Off Armagh Street Bridge, Hagley Park, tel: +64 (3) 379 8279
Hagley Park Tennis Club
Off Riccarton Ave, North Hagley Park, tel: +64 (3) 366 2870
Curator’s House
7 Rolleston Ave, tel: +64 (3) 379 2252
The Arts Centre
2 Worcester Blvd, tel: +64 (3) 366 0989
Christchurch Art Gallery
Cnr Worcester Blvd & Montreal sts, tel: +64 (3) 941 7300
Christchurch Gondola
10 Bridle Path Rd, Heathcote, tel: +64 (3) 384 0700
Pescatore
The George 50 Park Tce, tel: +64 (3) 371 0257
Dux de Lux
Cnr Hereford & Montreal sts, tel: +64 (3) 366 6919
Minx Dining Room & Bar
96 Lichfield St, tel: +64 (3) 374 9944
Base
92 Struthers Ln, tel: +64 (3) 377 7149