The South Island—Lake Tekapo to Christchurch, March 6-9, 2025

Lake Tekapo to Geraldine and on to Christchurch, March 6, 2025

This is the last post for this trip. It covers getting to Christchurch and the last three days there.

James, John, or Jock with is dog Friday.

Statue in Fairle of the legendary sheep rustler.

Geraldine is known for its craft makers of all things agricultural.

We couldn't resist purchasing some of the delicious cheese.

About 90 minutes after leaving Geraldine, we dropped off our car at Apex Car Rentals near the airport. The taxi I prearranged to take us in to downtown Christchurch pulled in minutes later. It was a smooth transition.

 

After checking into Christchurch City Hotel we did our usual orientation walk, and within 30 minutes, were enjoying a beer at the Riverside Market. We followed that up with a tapas dinner and a walk to the edge of the Botanical Gardens before calling it a day. 

 

Sculpture of wheat stalks.

Rise from the Rubble is on the side of the Ibis Hotel.

Robert Falcon Scott in the background, but it was the begonias that captured our attention.

Avon River runs through the town centre.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking down to market shops & restaurants from 2nd floor.

We decided on Castro's tapas.

The aftermath.

 

 

The Arts Centre, formerly Canterbury College.

 

Canterbury College observatory is now a hotel.

Christchurch, March 7th

Today we walked 5.8 miles following the tram tracks in search of murals and other street art. After that we strolled along the Avon River, discovering the Christchurch Earthquake Memorial before enjoying the Botanical Gardens, circling back and through the Arts Centre campus and then over to Riverside Market for some refreshments and good conversation with an Australian couple (Ross & Sandy). We ended our day at Chiwahwah Mexican Cantina for some tasty tacos and margaritas.

This one was finished just this year.

A cameraman from a local news station taped us gawking at the 7 story mural above.

A lot of these murals can be found at Watch This Space. Click here to see its gallery of murals. Everyone of these murals covers the expanse of a building and some are several stories as well.

Sir Edmund Hillary.

Ernest Rutherford, known as the father of nuclear physics.

Drowning in text or is that texts?

This mural is painted on a flat surface.

The illusion is amazing.

Proof the surface is flat.

We walked along the Avon River that...

...runs through the city and borders the Botanical Gardens.

February 22, 2011 is when it struck, killing 185.

Wreaths line the wall under the names of those killed.

Leave trees alone for 150 years you get this....

...and this.

Weeding the river of excess grasses.

The Edward Albert Oak planted in 1863...

..is less impressive than the Ulmus Minor.

The dahlia garden is more impressive than the rose.

You saw this coming I'm sure.

Fountain opposite the Arts Centre, formerly Canterbury College.

Arts Centre entrance.

Just another mural on our way to the Riverside Market.

Love the detail of the bird as well.

This shop is serious about their treats. (see below)

See selection below includes venison, of course.

And we're off to dinner.

 

 

Christchurch, March 8th

Today we joined Gaby, our local guide, for the Hidden Gems and Highlights three hour walking tour where we got a perspective about the ongoing reconstruction/renovation of Christchurch after the 2011 Earthquake. Now we understand why Christchurch seems so new with open spaces. 

 

Those empty spaces once had buildings on them, but when they collapsed in the earthquake, the rubble was removed and used to enlarge the Lyttelton Harbor, now New Zealand's largest deep water port. 

 

Some of the older buildings could be salvaged and earthquake-proofed (mostly), but the rest of the buildings look new because they are. The new buildings are generally no more than 4 stories and the roads have all been repaved and the infrastructure placed underground and, at great expense, expanded to accommodate growth. 

 

The problem has been that some areas, even 14 years later, haven't bounced back and whole neighborhoods east of the city center were deemed too dangerous to build on again. Today they are green spaces and parks.

New Regent Street is lined with coffee shops and...

The Spanish Mission style is colorful.

... restaurants; it's another hip place to hang out.

The Church is now a pub. It reminded us...

...of the one in Dublin. Same concept.

The colloquial name is "The Cardboard Cathedral".

The structure is made from industrial carpet rolls.

Yes, even the cross behind the altar...

...and the pulpit are cardboard carpet rolls.

On one side of a street you might see a trendy, new restaurant.

And the other side, ongoing construction.

For some the recovery was too slow. This guy decided to open a bar in a school bus on an empty lot. The bus is surrounded by picnic tables with umbrellas serving as a roof, protecting customers from the elements. Now it's one of the most popular locals in Christchurch.

Artwork is everywhere in Christchurch.

C1 Espresso is in the first floor of the old...

...Post and Telegraph Office. There used to...

...be a bank upstairs.

Today pneumatic tubes...

...deliver sliders and fries to tables.

You have to be old enough to remember when banks had drive up windows with pneumatic tubes where you could make banking transactions without getting out of your car. C1 Espresso is a pretty playful place. They have a sewing machine that dispenses water and another dentist spit sink that dispenses sparkling water. And the bathrooms are behind a library wall that automatically slides open when you walk toward it.

Turn the "Balance Wheel" to get water.

Door to bathrooms.

Kate Sheppard led the fight for suffrage, which was won in 1893.

The rest of the world followed afterward.

We ended our walk at the Christchurch Art Gallery Extension at the Dreaming Big exhibit.

This is worth enlarging and reading.

 

 

 

 

A wharenui is a Maori meeting house and harikoa is Maori for joyful. This exhibit is a house of joy and...

...it is entirely crocheted. These women show the scale.

Lots of people wove dreams to be sent to Hiwa.

Here's a picture of our guide Gaby and a video I took of a boy feeding lampreys in the Avon River right downtown opposite the Riverside Market. After the 2011 earthquake, a great deal of work went into rehabilitating the river, making it accessible to residents and habitable again for the eels. They have made a comeback. You can read about lampreys here. They are fascinating creatures.

Gaby at C1 Espresso.

The Christchurch Art Gallery Extension is a few blocks from our hotel through Cathedral Square. 

The Citizens War Memorial. Note still wrecked cathedral in the background.

This timeline isn't accurate, because the fund to renovate the cathedral wasn't enough to complete it, so Christchurch Cathedral sits in the square held up by steel beams 14 years after the earthquake while citizens and other foundations figure out how to complete the job.

The Chalice is being renovated.

Obviously, it's next to the cathedral.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tomorrow is a long travel day. We have a flight to Auckland at 10:00 and then fly to Vancouver, B.C. at 13:00, arriving at 06:30 Pacific Time. Our 30 minute flight to Seattle is at 8:50. Thankfully, we meet a town car at Sea/Tac where we'll be whisked to the ferry. We'll be home, mostly likely, before noon.