Day One … Welcome to Christchurch

January 16, 2023

Today was the day … after so many weeks of uncertainty … when we finally headed to NZ again, this time to explore the South Island. We woke before the alarm went off … how many of you have a similar experience in that you wake before you have to … excited to get going. Our fabulous driver George picked us up at 5.10 am and dropped us safely at the airport super early. (George had already had two other transfers to the airport before us … one pick up in Romsey at 3.00 am). Check in was a dream, and through the magic barrier into the world of Internationals. With check in online the day before, self check of luggage, ePassports and lots of security stations the process of getting through the airport is so much faster than it ever was.

Our flight was quick. Obviously our pilot wanted to get home so we landed 15 minutes before our scheduled time. The flight over NZ to Christchurch allowed us glimpses of the glaciers, snow capped mountains and endless fields of crops. Again our arrival was smooth and trouble free. We grabbed a NZ SIM card as we passed through the international terminal, wizzed through immigration and baggage collection. Our only hold up, which to be honest we sort of expected, was that we declared our hiking boots and poles and this meant we waited while they removed dirt and seeds from the treads and disinfected them. We collected our car which will travel with us for the first five days and headed out of the airport to the Countdown (NZ Woolies) for some groceries before heading in to the city to check in to our hotel. (Please note that it is important to put your Trundler away!)

Checked in, luggage dropped, car parked in the nearby parking lot and we headed off just after 4.00 pm to explore the CBD, and in particular the Avon River. We had decided to stay close to the city today to just get a feel of Christchurch and had found three Adventure Labs that took us from one end of the river to another, stopping at significant sights, memorials, statues, structures and viewpoints. We wandered along with me stopping every minute to snap another picture. The river is gorgeous, the buildings are unique with a mix of contemporary that have been built after the earthquake, historic buildings that survived and some that were damaged. So many people were out walking or cycling.

Dinner at a local Ramen House where we shared a Bento Box and a Chicken Tonkatsu curry whilst watching the passing parade of people. Dinner was delicious! We sat by the river for a while following dinner to research street names in Christchurch (who knew they were named after Anglican Bishoprics). Our walk back to our hotel took us past the very damaged Cathedral. A sad sight but works are being done to restore it.

And finally … for those who know us well this will come as no surprise … we stopped to visit the incredible Turanga which is the Christchurch City Library. Set over 5 floors it is an amazing building architecturally - full of wood and colourful wallpapers with each floor a different colour representing a different zone - the children’s floor for example is called Community and is bright tones of orange. We only had half an hour as they were closing at 8.00 pm and the staff were reminding us that we needed to exit the building! There were so many things to see and take note of so that we can share them back with our library land friends in the future. I love seeing modern, contemporary libraries serving as a vital community space. With a sewing and printing lab, audio and podcast studios, an entire floor dedicated to local history, a slide in the children’s area and plenty of spaces to relax, read, study and work. Even if you don’t like libraries … 😬 … this is a must visit if you ever come to Christchurch.