Fantastic South Island Trip May-June 2016
Aug 7th, 2016, 02:28 PM
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Annhig, it was a combined response - "Hahaha oh, sorry, are you OK snicker snicker hahaha..."
I've heard that about Birmingham, too. Tolkien really despised industrial development.
Diamantina, no, you can just drive in, and it's worth it.
Lee Ann
I've heard that about Birmingham, too. Tolkien really despised industrial development.
Diamantina, no, you can just drive in, and it's worth it.
Lee Ann
Aug 25th, 2016, 01:02 PM
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My word, I've dragged this trip report out - but I've been busy... 
May 31st Akaroa and Christchurch
We woke to a rainy day in Akaroa. After breakfast, we drove to the French cemetery, thinking it would be interesting and atmospheric in the rain. What we found was a sign saying the graves had been dug up in 1925 and a monument listing the names of those who had been buried there. Okey dokey then.
We found a place to park near the waterfront and walked around for an hour or so, but the rain meant most of the tours and things were canceled for the day, so we decided to leave earlier than we'd planned for Christchurch. It was nice to see the scenery we'd missed the night before!
After the obligatory stop at New World for groceries, we drove into downtown Christchurch to spend our last two nights at the YHA there. It's in a great location, about a block from the Botanic Gardens and Canterbury Museum.
The only problem was parking. We had to pay to park until 6 PM, then in the morning we had to move the car so it wouldn't be towed. If I had realized the other YHA a block away had free parking, I would have booked there.
However, the hostel itself was very nice - a decent-sized ensuite room, two kitchens, two lounges, and everything was in good condition.
After we got settled and fed the parking meter, we walked into downtown. As you all know, Christchurch is still rebuilding from the earthquakes in 2010 and 2011. It was really interesting to us to see the area and try to imagine what it had been like to experience something like that.
We found a pub for a late lunch; I can't remember the name, but they had outstanding pumpkin soup which hit the spot for cold, hungry Mr. Pickle. From there we found the ReStart mall, a group of brightly colored shipping containers which house shops and restaurants, and wandered around there for a while. I liked the whimsical "typical Christchurch residents" sculptures there.
I'd wanted to see the Cardboard Cathedral, so we went there for their Evensong service. The men and boys' choir was excellent, and we enjoyed the opportunity to sit quietly and listen to the Psalms being sung.
After the service, we walked to Cathedral Square and peered into the ruins of the original cathedral. Apparently there is quite a bit of controversy regarding what should be done with what's left. The artwork in the Square is quite striking, especially the Chalice sculpture with its motifs of growth and renewal. We wandered back to the hostel, had dinner, and called it a night.
Lee Ann
May 31st Akaroa and Christchurch
We woke to a rainy day in Akaroa. After breakfast, we drove to the French cemetery, thinking it would be interesting and atmospheric in the rain. What we found was a sign saying the graves had been dug up in 1925 and a monument listing the names of those who had been buried there. Okey dokey then.
We found a place to park near the waterfront and walked around for an hour or so, but the rain meant most of the tours and things were canceled for the day, so we decided to leave earlier than we'd planned for Christchurch. It was nice to see the scenery we'd missed the night before!
After the obligatory stop at New World for groceries, we drove into downtown Christchurch to spend our last two nights at the YHA there. It's in a great location, about a block from the Botanic Gardens and Canterbury Museum.
The only problem was parking. We had to pay to park until 6 PM, then in the morning we had to move the car so it wouldn't be towed. If I had realized the other YHA a block away had free parking, I would have booked there.
However, the hostel itself was very nice - a decent-sized ensuite room, two kitchens, two lounges, and everything was in good condition.
After we got settled and fed the parking meter, we walked into downtown. As you all know, Christchurch is still rebuilding from the earthquakes in 2010 and 2011. It was really interesting to us to see the area and try to imagine what it had been like to experience something like that.
We found a pub for a late lunch; I can't remember the name, but they had outstanding pumpkin soup which hit the spot for cold, hungry Mr. Pickle. From there we found the ReStart mall, a group of brightly colored shipping containers which house shops and restaurants, and wandered around there for a while. I liked the whimsical "typical Christchurch residents" sculptures there.
I'd wanted to see the Cardboard Cathedral, so we went there for their Evensong service. The men and boys' choir was excellent, and we enjoyed the opportunity to sit quietly and listen to the Psalms being sung.
After the service, we walked to Cathedral Square and peered into the ruins of the original cathedral. Apparently there is quite a bit of controversy regarding what should be done with what's left. The artwork in the Square is quite striking, especially the Chalice sculpture with its motifs of growth and renewal. We wandered back to the hostel, had dinner, and called it a night.
Lee Ann
Sep 10th, 2016, 03:11 PM
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Thanks, Adelaidean. While we would have enjoyed spending longer in a few places, we did the best we could with our time.
June 1st Christchurch
A little online research the night before told us we could park our car at the Christchurch Botanic Gardens for free for three hours. Mr. Pickle drove the car there and walked back to the hostel while I finished getting ready and had some breakfast.
After the obligatory flat white stop at Robert Harris, we strolled up the street to the Canterbury Museum. It's not too big, but we enjoyed it very much. Their Antarctic exploration section was really interesting, and as a former punk, I got a kick out of the RDU FM special 40th anniversary exhibit. My inner Regency novel fan loved the little sewing table that wouldn't have been out of place in an Austen or Heyer novel.
A guy at the hostel had recommended a souvlaki place at the ReStart Mall for lunch, and it was an excellent choice - delicious lamb spiced just right with salad and sauce in a really fresh, hot pita.
We had left ourselves enough time to visit Quake City before we had to move the car. Part of the time we sat and watched videos of people's earthquake experiences, which was fascinating. After that, we enjoyed the levity of the "show us your long drop" pictures! It was interesting to see the ongoing debate about what to do with the cathedral and the various efforts to remodel and reconstruct the city.
By now, it was a little past time to move Bill the Pony, so we hoofed it back to the Botanic Gardens - and moved Bill to a different row. ;-)
Mr. Pickle always takes longer to go through museums than I do, so he hadn't finished seeing everything at the Canterbury Museum. While he wandered through the rest of the exhibits, I wandered through the Botanic Gardens, which were still lovely even though it was late fall. I especially enjoyed the New Zealand gardens and what was still blooming in the rose garden, and there was a particularly lovely garden with a variety of maples.
He still wasn't quite done with the museum when I walked in, so I did a bit of shopping. They have a very nice T-shirt selection, and I was able to find something PickleDude would enjoy wearing.
Mr. Pickle surprised me with his choice of restaurant for dinner, C1 Espresso (he isn't a coffee guy). He thought it sounded quirky and fun, and he was right. It's located in Christchurch's old post office building, a short drive from the botanic gardens.
For dinner, they only offer a variety of slider sandwiches. After you place your order (any three sliders), your meal is delivered in a round metal mail container through one of the many pneumatic tubes formerly used to route mail through the building. The bell rings and voila! food! Delicious food, too, and there's something for everyone.
If you want a complimentary glass of water, you go to the antique Singer treadle sewing machine, spin the handle, and water is dispensed from the part where the needle would go. The restrooms are concealed behind a wall of paperbacks which slides out of the way. Star Wars figures indicate which restroom is the one you want - Princess Leia, Han Solo, and R2D2 if you're flexible.
Lee Ann
June 1st Christchurch
A little online research the night before told us we could park our car at the Christchurch Botanic Gardens for free for three hours. Mr. Pickle drove the car there and walked back to the hostel while I finished getting ready and had some breakfast.
After the obligatory flat white stop at Robert Harris, we strolled up the street to the Canterbury Museum. It's not too big, but we enjoyed it very much. Their Antarctic exploration section was really interesting, and as a former punk, I got a kick out of the RDU FM special 40th anniversary exhibit. My inner Regency novel fan loved the little sewing table that wouldn't have been out of place in an Austen or Heyer novel.
A guy at the hostel had recommended a souvlaki place at the ReStart Mall for lunch, and it was an excellent choice - delicious lamb spiced just right with salad and sauce in a really fresh, hot pita.
We had left ourselves enough time to visit Quake City before we had to move the car. Part of the time we sat and watched videos of people's earthquake experiences, which was fascinating. After that, we enjoyed the levity of the "show us your long drop" pictures! It was interesting to see the ongoing debate about what to do with the cathedral and the various efforts to remodel and reconstruct the city.
By now, it was a little past time to move Bill the Pony, so we hoofed it back to the Botanic Gardens - and moved Bill to a different row. ;-)
Mr. Pickle always takes longer to go through museums than I do, so he hadn't finished seeing everything at the Canterbury Museum. While he wandered through the rest of the exhibits, I wandered through the Botanic Gardens, which were still lovely even though it was late fall. I especially enjoyed the New Zealand gardens and what was still blooming in the rose garden, and there was a particularly lovely garden with a variety of maples.
He still wasn't quite done with the museum when I walked in, so I did a bit of shopping. They have a very nice T-shirt selection, and I was able to find something PickleDude would enjoy wearing.
Mr. Pickle surprised me with his choice of restaurant for dinner, C1 Espresso (he isn't a coffee guy). He thought it sounded quirky and fun, and he was right. It's located in Christchurch's old post office building, a short drive from the botanic gardens.
For dinner, they only offer a variety of slider sandwiches. After you place your order (any three sliders), your meal is delivered in a round metal mail container through one of the many pneumatic tubes formerly used to route mail through the building. The bell rings and voila! food! Delicious food, too, and there's something for everyone.
If you want a complimentary glass of water, you go to the antique Singer treadle sewing machine, spin the handle, and water is dispensed from the part where the needle would go. The restrooms are concealed behind a wall of paperbacks which slides out of the way. Star Wars figures indicate which restroom is the one you want - Princess Leia, Han Solo, and R2D2 if you're flexible.
Lee Ann
Sep 12th, 2016, 06:02 PM
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Okey dokey, let's finish this thing!
June 2nd Christchurch
Our flight didn't leave until the evening, so we drove to Willowbank Wildlife Reserve for the morning. They have a wide variety of animals and birds which were brought to New Zealand from other countries, as well as a good number of native animals. We even were able to see two kiwis - since it's unlikely we'd ever get to see one in the wild, it was a highlight of our time there.
After lunch at Willowbank's cafe, we made our final stop of the trip at the International Arctic Centre. This place is definitely more tourist-oriented than the Antarctic section in the Canterbury Museum, but it was enjoyable, and they have a good amount of educational information along with the Hagglund ride and the Antarctic storm experience.
We needed to get gas before we returned our rental car, and stopped at the AA station by the Antarctic Centre. This was the one time a chip and PIN card would have been useful, as the office was closed and there was no attendant available. We ended up driving a couple of miles to find an open gas station, then got a little lost trying to get to the car rental return office. There was highway construction in the area which contributed to the confusion. Eventually we dropped off the car and got on the plane to return home.
Lee Ann
June 2nd Christchurch
Our flight didn't leave until the evening, so we drove to Willowbank Wildlife Reserve for the morning. They have a wide variety of animals and birds which were brought to New Zealand from other countries, as well as a good number of native animals. We even were able to see two kiwis - since it's unlikely we'd ever get to see one in the wild, it was a highlight of our time there.
After lunch at Willowbank's cafe, we made our final stop of the trip at the International Arctic Centre. This place is definitely more tourist-oriented than the Antarctic section in the Canterbury Museum, but it was enjoyable, and they have a good amount of educational information along with the Hagglund ride and the Antarctic storm experience.
We needed to get gas before we returned our rental car, and stopped at the AA station by the Antarctic Centre. This was the one time a chip and PIN card would have been useful, as the office was closed and there was no attendant available. We ended up driving a couple of miles to find an open gas station, then got a little lost trying to get to the car rental return office. There was highway construction in the area which contributed to the confusion. Eventually we dropped off the car and got on the plane to return home.
Lee Ann
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