My quick flight to Christchurch was not departing until 2:00 in the afternoon on Friday and so I was free to do a little more exploring that morning. After breakfast in the Cordis Hotel’s Executive Lounge, I headed to the concierge desk to see what they might suggest. A visit to the Auckland Art Gallery was highly recommended and it was within easy walking distance. I entered the gallery between majestic columns of native Kauri trees to begin discovering four floors of exhibitions. The gallery was initially dominated by European old master paintings following the standard tastes of the Nineteenth Century. Today though, their holdings have expanded to include the largest permanent collection of New Zealand art in a wide variety of periods, styles and media. Pacific Island artists are also represented. The main gallery building itself is quite impressive. The three-story structure was constructed of brick and plaster in an early French Renaissance style. Completed in 1887. the gallery is one of Auckland’s most iconic buildings set right in the heart of the city and houses the country’s most compelling visual arts experience. The Gallery offers a lively calendar of talks, performances, film screenings and children's activities to complement its exhibition program and proved to be an excellent way to spend my final morning in the city.
I was ticketed on Air New Zealand and so there were no more Emirates chauffeur-drives for me that day. In fact, my airline experience couldn’t have been more different. To begin with, the carrier had an all-coach configuration on their Airbus A320 domestic aircraft which was fine with me. But, that meant I wasn’t eligible to access the domestic Air New Zealand Koru Lounge in Auckland as it was only open for the elite-level members of their Airpoints Frequent Flyer Program. That wasn’t really a problem as I busied myself with a good terminal walk and while I didn't see any high-end designer stores, the number and variety of passenger services available was adequate. These included several shops, restaurants and bars, terminal-wife Wi-fi connectivity, showers, printers, copiers, and a dedicated children's area. I really got a kick out of seeing a Krispy Kreme shop at this far-away airport. Krispy Kreme is an American doughnut company and coffeehouse chain founded back in 1937 in, of all places, Winston-Salem, North Carolina! I booked a window seat for the short, one hour and twenty-minute flight to the South Island that covered about 463 air miles. Air New Zealand had 174 economy seats on this aircraft in a 3 x 3 configuration across 29 rows. Our cabin crew were very friendly and even managed to offer a selection of snacks, along with a beverage of choice. We landed on time at 3:25 PM.
There wasn’t a question in my mind as to where I would stay in Christchurch after I discovered The George Hotel. With its luxury 5-star accommodations, it’s the only hotel in the city with a one-to-one staff to guest ratio. The George is a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World and is centrally located, overlooking Hagley Park and the River Avon. This boutique hotel has only fifty-two stylish, comfortable and rather spacious guest quarters. My Premium King Executive Room featured floor-to-ceiling windows and black out drapes for a good night’s sleep. It was furnished in a contemporary style and the modern bathroom featured heated floors and complimentary amenities. The room also came with a full-sized desk, a Bose stereo, a 42” LCD flat-screen television with a digital movie system and free Wi-fi service, along with a minibar, in-room safe with laptop charging capabilities and tea and coffee making facilities. Room service was offered around the clock, seven days a week. Fine dining was made available in the award-winning 50 Bistro, one of the city’s best restaurants. It was open every day, offering breakfast, lunch, high tea, a light bar-snack menu, pre-theatre dining and full dinner service to guests and locals alike. Al fresco dining was also available on the outdoor terrace.
After settling in, I took a walk towards the city center and discovered a nearby Field of Remembrance. I later learned that in October of 2009, the first Field of Remembrance in New Zealand was created on the site of the World War One parade ground at Fort Takapuna, Auckland. It was comprised of 5,000 white crosses which commemorated the 5,000 New Zealanders who died in action in Flanders. This was a major battle theatre on the Western Front during the war. A million soldiers from more than 50 different countries were wounded, missing or killed in action there. Entire cities and villages were also destroyed, their populations scattered across Europe and beyond. The first Field of Remembrance in Auckland attracted more than 10,000 visitors. That was the inspiration for the Field of Remembrance Trust. The objective of the trust is to encourage and support communities in honoring the 18,200 New Zealanders who made the ultimate sacrifice in World War One. By establishing fields of named White Crosses, they commemorate those individuals who fought and gave their lives in that war. It was a sobering experience for me to observe just one of the New Zealand communities who honored the boys who served in that conflict and never came home.
Saturday morning was a beautiful, sunny day and found me walking down to Rolleston Avenue at Cathedral Square to catch the Gondola Shuttle bus which operates on a daily basis. The Gondola is billed as Christchurch’s top attraction and one not to be missed. The gondola base is located in Heathcote Valley and it traverses the slopes of Mount Cavendish in the Port Hills area. Also known as a cable car, the Christchurch Gondola’s course is 1,100 yards in length and from the summit at 1,460 feet above sea level, I was able to see across the city and the Canterbury Plains to the Southern Alps to the north and west, and down Lyttelton Harbor and Banks Peninsula to the south and east. There are a number of walking tracks on the hills close to the summit that also provide spectacular views of the surrounding areas and I did spend some time exploring those closest to the summit. The tracks include the Crater Rim Walkway and the famous Bridle Path, constructed is 1850 for Canterbury’s first European settlers traveling between the port town of Lyttelton and the City of Christchurch. The Shop at the Top offers souvenir, gift, novelty and clothing items, and the Red Rock Café offers a range of snacks, light meals and refreshments. Once I returned to the hotel, I discovered that in February of 2016, the gondola broke down with passengers trapped in the cable cars for two hours without any communication from the operator. The managing director's comment that the incident was "no big deal" caused an understandable uproar from those affected. Within days, Christchurch Attractions vowed to install a speaker system into the cabins at a cost of up to NZ $50,000. Communication with stranded passengers is now possible and I was only thankful that my ascent and descent were both without incident.
Once I returned to Cathedral Square, I noticed a flurry of construction activity at the Christ Church Cathedral. The original structure was built between 1864 and 1904 but it crumbled in the earthquake of February 22, 2011. Apparently, New Zealand is prone to earthquakes. The Canterbury earthquake of September 4, 2010 was a magnitude 7.1 and caused widespread damages and several power outages. Then, just five months later, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake occurred in Christchurch. It struck the South Island’s Canterbury region and was centered just 4.2 miles southeast of the city. Although officially an aftershock, it killed 185 people and upended countless more lives. The central city and eastern suburbs were badly affected, with damage to buildings and infrastructure already weakened by the initial 2010 earthquake. While the cathedral lay in ruins, years of debate followed over whether the church should be rebuilt or demolished. I’m happy to report the decision was made to rebuild and I observed construction crews busily working on the structure which will be enhanced, making it warmer and safer, even adding extra, much-needed bathrooms. The doors aren’t supposed to open until 2027 as preserving what’s left is more costly and time consuming than demolishing and starting over. But work is progressing.
The Canterbury Museum was right next door so I popped in for a brief visit at the end of the day. What a treat! This museum covered the natural history of Canterbury, the people who’ve made their homes here and their connection to Antarctica. The Māori galleries displayed treasures and tools from the region’s first people. The Christchurch Street and Victorian Museum recreated what life was like here in the Nineteenth-Century city. Finally, the museum also covered the heroic explorers of the icy continent and displayed objects from the its internationally significant Antarctic collection. Heading back to The George Hotel, I walked through beautiful Hagley Park and the Christchurch Botanical Gardens and its world-class displays of flowers and trees from around the world. In addition to numerous green spaces and fields, the park had a golf course, tennis courts, model yacht ponds, cricket fields (including an oval with a capacity for 18,000 spectators), and hosts circuses and concerts throughout the year. Enjoying the sunshine and the park was a superb way to end my busy day in Christchurch.
The following day the adventure continued with my onward journey to Sydney, Australia. I’ll tell you all about it in a future post.
Until next time…safe travels.
Glad you enjoyed the southern NZ experience although I am sure Diane would have been intrigued by the "terminal-wife Wi-fi connectivity" ;-)
Pictures are stunning. Truly a beautiful place.