How to spend 24 hours in Christchurch. Photo / christchurchnz.com
How to spend 24 hours in Christchurch. Photo / christchurchnz.com
Here for a good time, not a long time. What to do in Christchurch when you only have 24 hours, no car, and very low expectations, writes Anna Sarjeant.
After 12 years as an expat in New Zealand I know to take Kiwi opinion on New Zealand’s larger cities with a pinch of salt. The first time I visited Hamilton I braced for squalor on a par with East-end London circa 1830.
And as someone who went to university in a UK city dubbed ‘Shottingham”, the bar is low when it comes to uninspiring cities. Hamilton, I found, was green and serene.
I therefore boarded a recent flight to Christchurch with optimism. It’d been 20 years since I last visited the Garden City - pre-earthquake and part of my OE. I’d read good things about the city’s rejuvenation, of new, gentrified suburbs and dining venues to be reckoned with.
Nevertheless, when I raised the subject with Kiwis, I – mostly – got the same unfussed shrug.
Travelling to Christhurch for the first time in 20 years. What to expect? Photo / Supplied
Low expectations versus reality
The day I landed in Christchurch, the weather played in the city’s favour, a belting 30-degree day in February. The Uber driver asked if I’d like to take the long route so I could get the lay of the land, and as we weaved through the wide streets and leafy suburbs, it made for a good first impression. I’d expected a small city tittering on boring, but it struck me as pretty slick, with the exact buzz you want from an urban scrawl: multiple people on the move, the streets throbbing, cafes heaving.
Shopping in Christchurch
I could almost fall out of my hotel, the Muse Hotel, right into H&M. Part of The Crossing, Christchurch’s extra glossy tangle of shopping mall and cool, cutting-edge laneways. It’s the kind of place that threatens the success of online shopping, accelerating the simple pleasure of window shopping, notably because every shop is so darn good-looking. Modern cafes invite you in for a latte, while bars like Franco offer up an Aperol Spritz in between a new Ruby dress and exotic homeware I can’t afford.
Top tip: I later found a set of five (for $30) handmade felt finger puppets for my son from an outdoor vendor called Alpine Peak. They’re glorious and he loves them, so keep an eye out.
The shopping is full of surprising delights in Christchurch. Photo / Supplied
Book lovers beware, this could get expensive
The squiggle of shopping alleys continues to nearby Five Lanes, where you’ll find another handful of handsome shops and courtyards to sit and linger. I defy anyone with a penchant for books who can walk past Scorpio bookshop and resist a flick through the hardbacks. It’s an emporium of literature, full of character and people (both young and old) consumed by the ageless temptation of rifling through a chapter or two. You won’t regret a 40-minute mingle in here, it’s practically therapeutic.
You don’t need a car to see the city
No car? No worries, but a city centre hotel is key. I was based on Manchester Street and I could walk to myriad tourist attractions within five to 20 minutes. Not a hard ask when the weather is drenching the city in blue sky and sunshine.
New Regent Street may be the city’s poster child (and like all local celebs, shorter than you might imagine) but the pastel-coloured facades and eclectic mix of shops are worth a wander. Grab a coffee from Belle Cafe on the corner, sit outside and wait for a tram to trundle past, all but half a metre from your seat.
New Regent Street's pastel-coloured facades and eclectic mix of shops are worth a wander. Photo / christchurchnz.com
In summer, it would be remiss to skip Christchurch Botanic Gardens, walkable from Cathedral Square in 15 minutes. Stop via Riverside Market, an enclosed farmers’ market-cum-food mecca and stock up on fresh juice, just-baked cookies and a crepe. You can devour these (like I did) in the gardens, lounging on a stretch of grass, reading a book and watching kids living out their best, non-screentime lives.
Cool coffee spots and dining in Christchurch
It’s nice to get off the tourist track so head over to Salt district for your morning coffee fix. There’s a compelling boho vibe down this way, and therefore fitting that Bohemian Bakery Cafe opened one of its four outposts in this free-spirited nook of the city. It feels like a local bakery with a village feel.
Is it really a city stay if you don’t do brunch? While a central cafe that is both cosy and contemporary is a hard-to-beat combo, Westend Stories is just that. Sitting slap bang on Cambridge Terrace, with a brunch menu available until 2pm (hurrah). All your faves are here, from eggs bene to French toast and the marathon that is a full English.
For dinner, I recommend Original Sin, right in the throngs of the city’s busiest thoroughfare, directly opposite the river on Hereford Street. One of several drinking and dining establishments flanking the water, order traditional hand-stretched pizza and sit and people-watch while the evening unfolds. This authentic, somewhat brooding Italian restaurant won’t disappoint.
Riverside Market is an enclosed farmers market-cum-food mecca. Photo / Supplied
Christchurch’s best rooftop bar
I’m biased because the Pink Lady is the bar that sits atop my hotel, but who doesn’t love convenience as a cocktail mixer? Judging how busy it was on a Sunday night, I’m not the only one who likes what I see. The views are as pretty as they are far-reaching and with both outdoor/indoor seating and floor-length windows, the sunset is the perfect cherry on top to end your day.
The Pink Lady rooftop bar in Christchurch. Photo / Supplied
Family friendly activities
Albeit travelling solo, as the mother of a gregarious 2-year-old, I’m always on the lookout for energy-expelling fun. The Margaret Mahy Playground is as good as it’s pipped to be, with a multitude of slides, tunnels, water play areas and all manner of apparatus to delight. Plus, there’s a coffee cart for adults. Parents should also check out the Tūranga city centre library which is not only architecturally impressive, there’s also a fantastic kid zone complete with a LEGO area. Not a shoddy piece of plastic hither and thither, but huge troughs of LEGO pieces, with masters of all ages building complicated contraptions to make you feel intellectually inferior.
Short stopovers in any city often come with some tricksy luggage scenarios. Commonly, a 10am check out and a late afternoon flight. No one wants to lug a suitcase around all day. If you’re unable to leave your bags at your hotel, for $8 per day, luggage can be dropped off at various places across the city courtesy of luggagedrop.co. I used the website to find a Metro Mart to safely store my bag until I left for the airport.
