We’ve been saying for what seems like forever that we’d save New Zealand for when we’re older, less adventurous, more, well….. old.

And here we are.

Not that old (yet), but in New Zealand.

In fact, it doesn’t feel like we travelled overseas, the only clue being a Passport in our pockets. It’s so very like Australia that it’s hard to wrap your head around that you’re in another country.

A quick three hours by plane and here we are.

First stop, this trip, is Christchurch.

Christchurch is located in the Canterbury Region on the East Coast of the South Island and sits on the very scenic Avon River (Otakaro). There’s a peacefulness and gentle flow that the river brings to this city in contrast to the trauma and disasters in recent history.

A city made for walking

New Zealand is only a recently inhabited island compared to other lands. Archaeological evidence found in a cave in 1876 indicated that the Christchurch area was first settled by moa-hunting tribes about 1250 AD. The area remained in control of different tribes until the arrival of European settlers around 600 years later who took up residence in a sharing capacity (well, almost).

Many of the city’s historical architecture is in the Gothic Revival style, a popular English style at that time, giving the city an eclectic vibe of old world meets new designs and everything in between. We noticed the odd art-deco style home scattered throughout the weatherboards and modern builds.

There’s still many signs of rebuilding around the city in the aftermath of the 2012 earthquake. You can see painstaking work on historical sites bringing old buildings back to their former glory, slowly and surely returning the city to it’s original stature.

Love this mind bending piece of art above. If you look closely you can see the wires. I called it “Stairway to Heaven” (my own interpretation, but that’s what art is all about).

The streets are wide and neat catering to the trams.

Quake City

Many earthquakes have been recorded in the area over the last two centuries but it’s the last two quakes, the first one on 4 September 2010 and then again the aftershock on 22 February 2011 when 185 people lost their life, that are still in the forefront of Christchurchians.

We found the Quake City exhibit moving and shocking (excuse the pun) at the same time. We have never experienced this type of disaster, and hope never to. The exhibit gives a heart warming account of the 2011 quake and has been put together with such compassion and mindfulness for those who experienced the devastation. It was an emotional learning experience for us both.

The subsequent liquefaction was just as damaging as the destruction from the shaking, oozing up from the ground to cover everything. The very human practical side of city management during a disaster was front and centre with a practical example of managing a city without water or sewerage – Port-A-Loos.

Now for the food

There are many fabulous restaurants and eateries in Christchurch. Too many to taste and experience in our short stay of four nights.

The Riverside Markets is a fabulous collection of eateries made for hungry travellers. So many cuisines with a busy and friendly vibe.

It’s the nighttime dinners where we love to indulge in delicious cuisines. We began our Christchurch culinary journey with a Vietnamese meal of crispy chicken with a lime mayo and fish in green curry.

The next night we found this awesome Burmese restaurant. The Tea Leaf Salad sounded so interesting, we just had to try. It was delicious, and with the eggplant, beef curry and lamb skewers we enjoyed a fabulous meal.

After a beautiful walk through the Botanic Gardens on a sunny day, we stopped at the old Caretaker’s Cottage and enjoyed a mezze of tapas under the umbrellas in the courtyard.

Another night, we opted for Thai. A pork and apple dish paired with a time-honoured red curry with chicken.

Botanic Gardens

Christchurch has one of the best botanic gardens we’ve wandered through (and there’s been many). Set along one side of the Avon River, it’s meandering paths wind through well set out gardens displaying both native and imported plants that thrive in this area.

Christchurch Art Gallery

We love a good gallery wander. Here’s some pieces that caught our eye, for no particular reason.

While on the topic of art, Christchurch boasts examples of fabulous street art. It was while wandering the city, peeking around corners and ducking down alleyways, and stumbling across what used to be uninspiring carparks brought to colourful lift that we discovered these jewels. I was then always on the lookout and wasn’t disappointed.

Thank you Christchurch. You didn’t disappoint.

Next stop, Oamaru.

Jeff & Catherine x