Christchurch bares its soul
Christchurch, I owe you an apology. You are an unexpectedly exciting place to visit. Let me explain. I lived in Christchurch before the afternoon that changed everything, almost nine years ago. I returned early last year for a family holiday, disappointed. I wrote a strongly worded piece about visiting the city as a tourist, calling the city ‘‘soulless’’.
The reaction was swift and brutal. I’ve been called a fair few things, including a ‘‘puffed up little s...’’ by Pam Corkery in my old job as a political reporter. But the colourful language that flowed my way after the Christchurch piece made Corkery’s outburst look like a verbal bouquet. It was impressively brutal.
In August, I wrote about a ‘‘sense of decay’’ – where ‘‘big groups of tourists gathered around the Cathedral, gawking. The holy rubble felt like a monument to paralysis. People were poking their heads over fences to look at ruins. Others seemed lost, not really knowing what to do. Trams still glide around the city, but it almost felt like an amusement ride through a disaster zone.’’
I continued, ‘‘politicians will tell you of all their grand plans. But, as a visitor, why after eight years does rubble still rule the landscape? Surely, there’d be some urgency to at least get rid of the eyesores that blot the landscape. Tourism is hugely important for the city and first impressions matter.’’
The article, published on Stuff, ended up on the front page of The Press. While some locals got in touch to agree, many took it as a personal attack.
The messages were generously flavoured with expletives. One of my favourites ended, ‘‘I’m not insulting you, I’m describing you.’’
Discussion about the article swirled for a few weeks. The idea was even floated that owners of derelict sites should be given a deadline to clean up their properties.
Then something unusual happened. The city’s promotion agency got in touch, inviting me down: they wanted to show me I’d got it wrong: I accepted.
Like any trip, they have no control over what I write: it was a risk, and they knew it.
The itinerary arrived, and I kid you not, it included a meditation class. They clearly thought I needed to get rid of some pent-up frustration. And, let’s be frank, they were probably right. Fast-forward to the end of my stay, and Christchurch, I owe you an apology. I still believe progress in some areas has been slow, but the city’s soul is very much alive and dancing to an exciting beat, albeit one that can be a little hard to find if you’re new to the city.
It’s a region full of exciting secrets. You just need to know where to look.
Melbourne has arrived
The Riverside Market is a bustling hub of local artisans, tucked away in a cavernous building near the Avon River.
The entrance is a little laneway off Cashel St, lined with local gems such as the The Butcher’s Pie Shop. Walk through the sliding doors to the market, and it’s like you’ve arrived in the city’s hidden temple of food. And worship takes place seven days a week.
There are dozens of enticing stalls, from the Bohemian Bakery, The Donut Dispensary, Kombucha Girls, Empire Chicken, Cluck Cluck Slurp, The Kathmandu Momo House, and the social media sensation that is Moustache Milk & Cookie Bar. The brilliant thing about the market is that local artisans can rent a single shelf, so even those just starting out can show off their goods.
Across town, Little High is the kind of place where your ‘‘coolness index’’ rises sharply when you enter: it’s a funky food court, food-truck style. The family-run eateries include a bacon burger bar and Eightgrains Dumplings & Bao.
The final place to visit, making up a golden triangle of chic collections of eateries is The Welder, where six heritage buildings have been rebirthed into a health and wellness centre.
Aside from the delicious organic food, tasty pastries and a yakitori bar, there’s O-Studio: a yogi’s paradise that includes relaxation classes, massages and even float pools.
Drop in for a 20-minute meditation. It’s like a massage for the soul.
A new perspective
If Christchurch is the Garden City, its snaking green artery is the Avon River.
I lived in Christchurch for three years and, like most, never thought of exploring the city by river.
We spend so much time looking at the Avon, but very little time looking at the city from the Avon. It’s a completely different perspective. We started on our Christchurch Sea Kayaking tour just after dawn and, thanks to a spritely current and buoyed by sunshine and constant birdsong, we floated through the botanical gardens into the central city, under the Bridge of Remembrance, and on to the Margaret Mahy Playground – the largest in the Southern
Hemisphere. If you bring kids to the city, a stop there is compulsory.
If I had more time, I’d have loved to do the extended tour the company offers that goes further: floating through the Red Zone, out to meet the sea.
New adventures
Forget rock walls, bouldering is what the cool kids (and adults) are now doing. If you’re like me, and have a fleeting relationship with being cool, and need an explanation, bouldering is similar to rock wall-climbing, without the help of ropes. The walls are therefore not as high, but much harder: think smaller grips and more overhang, with padded mats if you fall.
It’s big in Christchurch: the city is home to Uprising, one of the largest bouldering gyms in the southern hemisphere. While hugely popular with locals, tourists can also pop in for an affordable day of fun: a day pass is just $18 for adults or $14 for kids. It’s challenging and addictive. And nonclimbers can watch from the elevated cafe for free.
Walk the crater rim
One of the country’s most spectacular day walks is a short distance from the central city, at Godley Head Park in the Port Hills.
Few realise it, but Lyttelton Harbour is an ancient caldera, formed more than eight million years ago. Crater Rim Walks took us on a spectacular guided day trip around the dramatic cliff-lined trails, with views of Lyttelton Harbour, the Southern Alps and Pegasus Bay.
Our ever-knowledgeable and bubbly guide, Nicole Ellwood, punctuated the trip with fascinating bits of history, such as the unexploded World War II minefield that some believe sits off Lyttelton Harbour. We then descended to Boulder Bay, where historic baches cling to a windswept shoreline, for a picnic lunch.
And, with that, our two short days exploring Christchurch were over. I think on my previous visit I was a little lazy.
The Cathedral is no longer the compass of the city. Before the earthquake, it was the natural starting point to explore the region. Now, you need to work a little harder to find the city’s soul. But when you do, the city becomes the country’s most exciting destination for a visit.