A day on the town…

When I first arrived in New Zealand, I flew into Christchurch. It was a Sunday afternoon, and it was dull and rainy. As enthusiastic as I was about being here, the city didn’t seem to reciprocate. The streets were empty and most shops were closed. I decided not to waste much energy walking around when nothing was open so I went back to the hostel. I realize that it’s the off season but I didn’t expect a ghost town. So my initial impression was that it wasn’t so great.

My opinion of Christchurch did a 360 degree turn today. Eckhard had some business in Christchurch (which is an hour and a half drive from Akaroa) so he dropped me off and I had the day to explore. Such a difference from that Sunday on which I arrived. The city was bustling, everything was open. It was still rainy outside but it didn’t take away from the fun of seeing the sights. I grabbed a coffee and started walking. My first stop was the Arts Centre. Check it out:www.artscentre.org.nz The buildings which make up the centre were originally Canterbury College, built in 1877. Lots of beautiful architecture. It’s now home to craft shops and artists studios. The studios are an artists dream. Lots of light filled individual rooms where jewelers, potters, painters and weavers do their thing. Lots to see and do there and I will definitely be back. There is a place called the Fudge Cottage. They practically force feed several different types of homemade fudge to you as you walk in. ☺ I didn’t leave empty handed.

Next, I walked down the street to the Botanical Gardens and Canterbury Museum. The museum was ok. Lots of neat history and exhibits. Perhaps I just wasn’t in much of a museum mood today. I breezed through. I proceeded outside to the Botanical Gardens. It is winter and it was raining, so obviously it wasn’t ideal, but it was easy to see that this place is gorgeous spring-fall. There were all kinds of amazing trees and plants…fountains and a conservatory. I can’t wait to go back in summer. They have a thing called punting on the Avon. The Avon is a small creek/river that snakes through Christchurch. Punting is similar to something you’d see in Venice, with long boats and the driver stands while pushing the boat with a long pole.

I made my way over to High Street because I heard that there were a couple of good book stores. I’m always on the lookout for antique books. I found a place called Smith’s Bookshop. Check it out: www.smiths.bookshop.co.nz I was in antique book heaven. Since I have limited space in my bag (and a limited budget) I forced myself to a maximum of two books. I bought an 1874 illustrated edition of Edgar Allan Poe’s Poetical Works and a 1903 edition of Underneath the Bough, a sweet collection of verses. Both have their unique marks of being from New Zealand (handwritten notes on the inside and what towns the owners were from).

I was famished after all the book browsing so I decided to search for a good place for lunch. After much circling, I decided on a spot called Sticky Hands. It was a bit pricey for me but the food was outstanding. I had mushroom ravioli in a sweet onion cream sauce with bacon and chicken, along with a locally brewed beer called Monteith’s. Yum.

After that, I needed to kill an hour before I was to meet up with Eckhard. I decided to browse the big department store which is called Ballantynes. The usual stuff there…. But by then I was tired of walking and ready for the ride home.

I’m happy that my impression of Christchurch has changed. There are a few things left I want to see such as the Art Museum.

BTW, I’ve posted some photos but not all. My connection is a tiny bit slow and sometimes quits on me so I will continue to post pics piecemeal. Say that three times fast. ☺