Our great walk

We are heading to the Marlborough Sounds, at the northern end of the South Island. We’ll be working at The Lazy Fish, and hiking the Queen Charlotte Track. Not sure if we will have internet access.

An overdue photo series on how Kirk enjoyed a chocolate pud with vanilla ice cream at The Saints restaurant in Hanmer Springs.

After a month of being here, Drew finally got his chance to go swimming. We headed to New Brighton beach, the ‘grungier’ of  Christchurch’s local beaches (locals describe it as such but we found it to be a lovely stretch of white, soft sand and reasonable surf). I tested the water with my feet before Drew went it. He loved the spray!

Ringing Christchurch, are the scenic Port Hills, which have been made into a local park system, even though much of the land is still occupied by working farms. Locals use the hills for hiking and mountain biking. We opted to use one of the circuits as a training ground; after our hike of Mt. Isobel in Hanmer Springs we realize we need more cardio if we plan on doing multi-day hikes. One of the unique features of the Port Hills is that when standing on the ridge, you see the remains of a volcanic crater on one side, and the Canterburry plains on the other. Pictures: butterfly; view of Lyttelton harbour and the surrounding Port Hills (Crater Rim walkway)

Fish and chips at one of the greasy spoons in Sumner Beach, the hip beach spot for Christchurch folks. For $3.75, we got enough of the day’s special, tanahiki, to feed a family of four. We opted out of the deep-fried Mars bars.  

The rest of these photos are from Sumner beach. We got there around 6:30 p.m. on a Saturday and it was surprisingly quiet, even according to the locals. Sumner Beach in two weeks time will be the finishing spot of the great Coast to Coast race.

Christchurch is home to many artists. The South Island, for that matter, is particularly appealing to the artistic sort because of the weather, the inspiring landscapes, and the availability of resources (such as clay). Our timing was perfect to explore the Arts Centre and its Saturday artists’ market. The Arts Centre is home to woodworkers, sculptors, jewellery designers, painters, carvers, and a reliable place to purchase a greenstone (New Zealand jade) necklace. Many of the touristy spots sell imported knockoffs, like the Coach bags of Canal Street in NYC.

Photos below: Drew in the sculpture area outside the Christchurch Art Gallery; Kirk in front of the Chalice sculpture in Cathedral Square; posing with the Kiwi women, whom in 1893, became the first women in the world granted the right to vote; Drew pushing the pedal on an old-school bicycle; sculpture in Hagley Park.

To avoid paying for parking (we are thrifty travelers, looking to save money wherever and however we can), we parked in a free zone along Riccarton Road in Christchurch’s beautiful Hagley Park. Their version of NYC’s Central Park, London’s Hyde, or San Fran’s Golden Gate, Christchurch’s Hagley is more impressive than any green space in Toronto. Botanical gardens, outdoor performance areas, rugby fields, miles of track for running and walking, Avon river for punting or even a canoe, lawn bowling greens, cricket pitches, and even lawn tennis – yes, tennis on grass. (Unfortunately, I didn’t find any paddle courts). Oh, and the massive and varied tree species. It puts my beloved High Park to shame.