Magical Journey through New Zealand, First Stop Christchurch

Kia Ora! Welcome. That Māori greeting welcomed us everywhere we went in New Zealand.

When our Air New Zealand flight departed from LAX airport, four adults were on it. When it landed after 15 hours at Auckland International airport, the adults had become children! Crossing the date line for the first time must have done some magic on us. As we made our way to the domestic airport from the international terminal – about 10 a minute walk – we couldn’t stop laughing and talking. My husband was in the selfie taking mood. For a change, even my children indulged their father with big smiles and posed for the camera. Maybe the first breath of early morning fresh air did its magic. Here we were in New Zealand on a dream vacation as a family after a gap of a few years and a particularly tough past year.

We were on our way to Christchurch, our first stop on a 15 day driving trip through New Zealand. We were flying to Christchurch on the South Island from Auckland on the North Island. We were to spend a couple of days in Christchurch and then pick up our rental car to begin our drive through the South Island and then back up through the North Island.

We landed in Christchurch later that morning. From that first trip to the hotel in a taxi, most of the locals we met were very friendly and helpful. When the taxi driver heard that this was our first trip to Christchurch and New Zealand, he became a tour guide. He pointed out things and answered our questions. Our rooms were not ready at our hotel so we decided to have lunch before we settled in our room. We walked to a quick burger lunch at a nearby Lord of the Fries, a vegan burger and hotdog chain. We enjoyed our spicy burgers and the famous fries. I still can’t believe that we were not even tired after two flights. I guess the magic was still working on us.

The magic became a part of us for the next two weeks. The itinerary for this trip was created by my daughter. I had left it completely to her. She requested me to do research on the major cities. That was my only contribution to the itinerary. We each had a copy of the itinerary and we were ready to hit the road, starting the afternoon we arrived.

Today’s Christchurch is a story in strength and survival. A city that is still going through a revival after a massive earthquake in 2011. There are plenty of reminders of that earthquake. It took the life of 185 people. I still remember watching the clip of the Christchurch Cathedral’s fallen spire and tower on the news. After a long delay finally the repairs of the cathedral has begun. Since 2013 the congregation of the cathedral has moved to the famous Transitional Cathedral or what is known as the Cardboard Cathedral.

We stopped at the New Regent Street after lunch before heading back to the hotel. We walked up and down the colorful street. The street is flanked by rows of colorful buildings, built in Spanish Mission style. There are restaurants, cafes and shops in these buildings. Since it was almost lunchtime, the street was buzzing with tourists and locals. As we were walking, the old fashioned tram made its way slowly on to the middle of the street towards us. The colorful tram created excitement in the tourists like us wandering the street. We all rushed to stand right in the front of the slow moving tram to get pictures. The central station for the trams is at the end of the street. Our plan was to ride through Central Christchurch or what is known as the Central Business District (CBD) the next day. Today was a day to go punting on the Avon River.

Finally our rooms were ready. After a much needed hot shower, we made our way to the Botanical Gardens for punting on the River Avon. The Avon is 26 kilometers long from the beginning to end and it lazily meanders through the Botanical Gardens. We relaxed on the boat and enjoyed the flora and fauna on the river banks. It was spring in New Zealand. The flowers were blooming everywhere. The duck families lazily swam along with our boat. There were plenty of long eels in the water. We were warned against the temptation of trailing our hand in the river. The eel could come and bite your hand. The weeping willows kissed the water surface in places and made little tunnels for the boat to pass under. The serenity of the whole scene was almost meditative. After the punting we explored the gardens and the peacock fountain. We visited the earthquake memorial situated on the river. It has the names of all those who lost their lives engraved on the wall.

We had one more day to explore Christchurch. Our plan was to spend as much time as we could outside the cities seeing the scenic beauty of New Zealand. So we had kept only a couple of days in each of the major cities. The next morning the first thing on our agenda was to visit Mount Cavendish. A gondola takes you up Mount Cavendish from Heathcote Valley. The views from the top are breathtaking. While going to the top, our inner child came out once again. We had heard that there are more sheep in New Zealand than humans, so we were excited to see our first New Zealand sheep on the mountain side. From that moment on they became our companions. They were everywhere we went. Pointing them out became a sort of game during car rides. There is an observation deck and trails to see the views and explore the Southern Alps. You can see Christchurch, the Southern Alps, Lake Ellesmere and the South Pacific Ocean. We walked a short trail to the cliff’s end to enjoy the views and share the vistas with, who else, but sheep.

After a ride back to the city we got on the tram to explore the Central Business District and absorbed the views and vibrancy of this lovely city. We got dropped off near The Transitional Cathedral. It’s a transitional church while the Christchurch Cathedral in the Square is built. Only way to see the Transitional Cathedral is to join a tour. It’s a 15 minutes tour and a donation is requested at the end of the tour. Riverside Market was our next stop. It’s a food market where small eateries serve variety of foods. We decided to get a bite to eat. The Riverside Market came up after the earthquake struck Christchurch. All of us were in mood for something different to eat and we found it there. We found a table outside the market, under the mild spring sun to enjoy our wonderful lunch. Being a vegetarian was not an issue at all here.

We explored the CBD area on foot after lunch. This is a city of green spaces. There is a 400 acre Hagley Park. Christchurch has 1200 parks and gardens. We zigzagged the bridges on the River Avon to explore the opposite bank. Christchurch is surrounded by mountains and lakes. The South Pacific Ocean is not too far away. The city has art installations and sculptures all around. Even the wall art and murals can be seen on the side of buildings everywhere. There are quite a few museums in Christchurch. Amongst them Canterbury Museum, The Art Center and Christchurch Art Gallery are in Christchurch’s Cultural Precinct. With a city like that what’s there not to like?

We were spending only two days in Christchurch. We left next morning to begin our magical drive to explore South Island and the unbelievable natural beauty. Magic continues….