Canterbury Tales

If you’ve read my last few posts, you don’t have to be clairvoyant to realize that I probably needed to proverbially get off the mountain, dry off, put the hiking boots back in the suitcase and feel some concrete under my feet for awhile. So I headed to Christchurch for a couple of nights, the largest city on the South Island. While cities aren’t the big attraction here in New Zealand, and I didn’t need too much urban electricity, I was looking forward to my time there.

A self-styled slice of England, Christchurch prides itself on being the most English of New Zealand’s cities (even the taxi drivers will tell you that). There are definitely a lot of pleasant reminders for the anglophile – the beautiful parks and gardens, the punters on the river Avon (yep, the river’s really named the Avon and you can punt for a small fee – I passed, having been wet enough in my clothes just a few days ago), and the big cathedral in the main city square. Even the region of New Zealand that surrounds Christchurch is called Canterbury. Still, the sunshine and brilliant blue skies yesterday were more Tuscany than Oxfordshire, and the outdoor café culture that seems very prevalent here doesn’t exactly make you think of England. Regardless, it’s probably easier to find a scone at high tea in Christchurch than it is in the rest of New Zealand (and they seem to like it that way).

Allusions to England aside, Christchurch is a really pleasant place to spend a couple of days, especially when you’re a 40’ish guy recovering from several days of rafting rivers, hiking glaciers, etc. If you find yourself here nursing a case of the shakes from your first bungee jump, the following are some ideas on good ways to enjoy the city:

1. Christchurch has a small district called the Arts Centre, essentially a former boy’s school converted to a collection of work/performance spaces and galleries for the local arts community. It really comes alive on the weekend. The highlight is the outdoor market, with local craftsmen selling art, handicrafts, jewelry and the like. Unlike a lot of these markets where it looks like every vendor is selling stuff unloaded from the same truck, the impression you get here is that the people manning the stalls actually made what they’re selling (or at least they know who did). No “made in China” stickers to be found. A great place to find knick knacks for the folks back home. It’s also a great place to grab lunch – there are food stalls from all over the world. These stalls may be the first family business for some of New Zealand’s many recent immigrants, with grandma collecting the money and the kids and grandkids cooking your food, be it from Thailand, Lebanon or India. Great street food – you can munch a kebab or eat a plate of noodles while you’re deciding which wool slippers or ceramic kiwi you’re going to buy. All surrounded by the old Boy’s High School, dating from the turn of the century, making the scene look like the set of a Merchant Ivory film.

2. Christchurch has a great museum. It’s called the Canterbury Museum, named after the region. I was hesitant to enter, especially on a beautiful day, fully expecting to see glass cases filled with snuff boxes from the second Lord Mayor and clippings preserved from the first lawn mowed in town (circa 1887). It was, in fact, worth forgoing the sunshine for a couple of hours. The museum has a great exhibit on Maori culture, with full size war canoes, and an impressive section on Antarctica, including an actual Antarctic research/weather station that was essentially reassembled in the museum after its closure. Cool, interesting stuff. The art museum, just a couple of blocks away, has a collection with a mainly local emphasis, but it’s housed in a great modern building, which in itself is worth a look.

3. It's a very compact city - probably more of a big town. Everything is within easy walking distance, branching off within a couple of blocks of Cathedral Square in the middle of town. The best restaurants and bars seem to be on Oxford Terrace (known as “the strip”, but seeming a lot more gentrified than its name) and around Lichfield Street.

4. My general good mood about being in Christchurch was no doubt enhanced by a really terrific hotel. I can’t vouch for the run of the house rooms at the Heritage Christchurch, but my one bedroom suite in the converted former government building next door to the main hotel was top notch. Built in 1909, the building has tons of character. I had a corner room with very high ceilings – the bedroom itself was a loft – and I thought, “I’m sleeping in the mayor’s office.” The suite was huge and had everything a guy who’s been on the road for 4 weeks could want – even a small washer/dryer (a side note - many thanks to Linda from housekeeping, who saved my butt last night while packing by offering to dry my clothes when my little dryer appeared to be on the blink).

All in all, Christchurch was a good place to rest and revive after spending days battling the great outdoors (and generally losing). Though you don’t come to New Zealand for the cities, Christchurch is a good break between adventures.