Christchurch

We arrived in Christchurch after an uneventful 2 hour drive from Timaru. We went straight to our hotel, the Clearwater Resort on the edge of Christchurch, booked in, unloaded and then charged back to the airport which we had passed to drop off our rental car before we had to pay the extra day. Having dropped the car we then took the shuttle bus down to Christchurch city centre.

By this time, it was about 4 o’clock, we only had a couple hours maximum for going round end displays or exhibitions etc., so after a quick visit to the tourist information centre we elected to a tram around the city centre. The trams existence is pretty much for tourists now and there is only one route a circular route which passes many of the city centre attractions that one might visit, but better than that it gives the visitor a very goof feel for the layout of the city. There is a commentary from the driver, another budding New Zealand comic, as you go round. Your ticket allows you stop off when you want and where you want and is valid for the whole day. If we were spending the whole day in the city we would simply have used the tram to take us from one place to the other. There is more than enough to occupy the tourist on this tram route.

When we had completed one cicuit we decided to alight and go back to couple of interesting streets we had seen and the to explore the cathedral square. By this time our stomachs were beginning to think iur throats had been cut so we decided to take an early city centre pub dinner and the go back to our hotel and put our feet up on the balcony of our room at the Clearwater Resort.

Christchurch, although it is the largest city in South Island is still only some 350m in population. It spralls a little and does not have an easily understood road system, but it is a delightful city with a residual colonial, and dare I say it, British feel about it.