Go local in Christchurch
#187 Do - Go local in Christchurch in ten snaps! I was north of the Waikati for the day so I thought I'd celebrate New Zealand's lovely Garden City. It's also incredibly flat so I headed straight for the Christchurch I-Site for a 'nextbike' - the bike hire system ($20 for the day - it did take me about 20 minutes to figure out but brilliant once I did). First stop was 1) Botanic Gardens where I did the 2) Kate Sheppard Memorial Walk (quite timely - remember to vote!) then 3) a lap of Hagley Park and found daffodils and blossom and beautiful trees. I biked 30 minutes to reach 4) The Tannery (historic tannery now boutique shops, brewery and cafes) where I love 'looking up' in the Victorian arcade. I biked past the beautiful (and to be rebuilt!) 5) Christchurch Cathedral on my way to a delish clean green smoothie at locally owned 6) Mama Hooch cafe. Nearby is the Margaret Mahy Playground, on a drizzly day it was the quietest you'll ever find it - amazing space for kids, right in the city. Peaked through a metal cage window into the 7) remains of a building post earthquake as I headed to New Regent Street for a stroll and ended up in 8) The Caffeine Laboratory for some banana and chia loaf. Yum! Then a wonderful couple of hours around the 9) Christchurch Arts Centre which was from 1873 to 1975 the Canterbury College, where Ernest Rutherford completed 3 degrees. I also checked out the Canterbury Museum (great exhibition on: Hākui: Women of Kāi Tahu) and the Len Lye exhibition at the Christchurch Art Gallery and 10) walked into the Canterbury Cheesemongers and smelt the deliciousness. Fun day!
