Well, we got that wrong didn't we! This entry is being started in the departure lounge of Christchurch Airport. Don't panic – we did stay in our hotel last night but after a long day sightseeing, returning the 'van and enjoying the luxury of a stationary room unaffected by the wind (and with a proper bed!) we decided that you would forgive us a day off from the blog. We hope this entry will make up for the delay.
We had spent some time after our arrival at the Christchurch campsite trying to fit everything we had brought with us and bought in NZ into our luggage. Not an easy job and needless to say this was not the last time we did it! We also went through the 'van deciding what we could consume in the next twelve hours and what we would have to dispose of before departure. We found we had not bought much that we had not used at all, the main exception being a roll of rubbish bags – we found those given away at the supermarkets served the purpose – but at around $2.00 we felt there was not a great deal of waste. We were obviously not the only ones with this dilemma as a very nice lady from the Netherlands who was in the next van to us tried to give us lots of cheese and other things the next morning!
We decided that we would not rush to return the 'van but drive into Christchurch in the morning and have a look around the city, assuming we could find somewhere convenient to park. We had been given a map of the city by the campsite and having looked at that, decided that a run in to Hagley Park (named, you will have guessed, after Hagley Hall in the West Midlands) would be the simplest; places to park the 'van and also the Park contains the Botanical Gardens. It was originally laid out to be the boundary between Christchurch and the countryside – urban development has overcome that ambition but the Park still retains its original dimensions and is regarded by the vast majority of the population as sacrosanct.
It was strange to think as we left the campsite that it was the last time that we would be doing that. We have to say that we have found the campsites we have used to be universally much more than acceptable. The facilities at some were old, some brand spanking new but all were extremely clean, accessible and convenient. All the campsites had communal kitchens with good cooking facilities and utensils and crockery, so that we could have cooked all our meals without using the 'van's facilities if we had so chosen. We felt very much at home on the sites and it was rare not to strike up a conversation with someone on site and pick up hints and suggestions about places to see.
Anyway back to Christchurch. We found Hagley Park without any real difficulty and found a large car park where we could stay (without charge!!) for three hours. We walked in to the Botanical Gardens and found the rose garden.
This was quite a culture shock to find a glorious display of colours and blooms in the New Zealand equivalent of August when in the U.K. most roses are done for the year.
We had to walk through a wonderful display of dahlias to reach the roses and Sue could not believe that both were in full bloom, at the same time!
We met a Canadian student who was working in the rose garden who told us that the roses have new flushes of blooms all through the summer. It was wonderful and the scents were lovely. The scale of the rose garden did not match that of Portland's rose gardens, or some of the rose gardens in the UK but the displays were certainly their match.
After a cup of coffee in the Gardens tea room, we briefly explored the gardens information centre and had a very interesting chat with the lady there about re-cycling (but that is another story.) We then walked through the gardens to the city itself.
Bert wanted to go to Cathedral Square to photograph the Cathedral and it is, incredibly, only about a ten minute walk from the middle of the Botanical Gardens to the centre of Christchurch.
However that walk took a lot longer than we had planned for, as we crossed the road heading towards the city centre, we came across the Arts and Crafts Centre. This is in the mainly Gothic buildings of the original Christchurch University.
When the University moved out to its new campus the site became the showcase of the arts and crafts of New Zealand and, more specifically, the Christchurch area. There are shops, studios, cafes, restaurants, workshops all included within the buildings. Bert assumes that a lot of the readers of this blog will realise that he went and took the photographs of the Cathedral on his own and it took him a little time to find Sue once he returned!
However what we did leave the Centre with was a piece of original art as our personal memento of our trip to New Zealand.
Whilst we were there we got into conversation with a lady who was manning the Weavers and Dyers shop. (Sue only bought a little wool and as she says, it didn't weigh very much) This lady had come to New Zealand some 53 years ago and had stayed ever since. We got to talking about the recent earthquake, as the Weavers and Dyers had had to move out of their original premises (The Observatory) in the Centre, as it had become unsafe and will have to be completely rebuilt. The group is very concerned as to whether, when the repairs are done, they will ever be able to return. She also told us that it was being said that a further significant earthquake was forecast for March at 8.0 on the Richter scale – the September 'quake was 7.1. (There were 18 measurable, minor tremors on the two days we were in Christchurch although we didn’t feel any of them.) If you want to track the details of the 4,749 tremors since 4th September 2010 then go to
After the three hours we returned to the 'van and drove out to our hotel for the night to drop off our luggage (which now only needed one final repack!) and then 5 minutes further to return the 'van. We have to say that the hotel was above and beyond our expectations. http://www.commodore.net.nz/ The service was excellent. We went on to drop off the 'van to an uninterested Maui employee who noted our comments about the 'van without any response. He did ring the hotel however and arranged for the shuttle bus to come and fetch us! (At least we would be off the premises.)
We had a very pleasant evening in the hotel. We ate in their restaurant which was excellent. A good choice of menu, good service and pleasant surroundings.
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