An insider’s tips to visiting Christchurch

I confess, as a North Islander, it took me a little while to warm to my adopted city but, after 25-plus years, I’m now the clichéd one-eyed Cantabrian. So let me share a few personal travel tips for those of you heading south for one of the three big health conferences being hosted at our new Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre this year.

Only opening its doors this year, Te Pae is right bang in the heart of the city, opening onto both the Cathedral Square and Avon/Ōtakaro river. So it is perfectly located for taking a stroll down the riverside City Promenade.

Head downstream and you go past Victoria Park, the revamped Christchurch Town Hall, and end at the magnificent Margaret Mahy playground which brings out the child in us all. Along the way there is beautiful brickwork and plaques sharing local Ngāi Tahu history and traditions. If you want a coffee near the playground, I can recommend Child Sister. Or if you are feeling more adventurous, you can cross the river here and walk/bike the 11km Te Ara Trail through the Red Zone to where the Ōtakaro enters the sea via the estuary.

If you promenade upstream from Te Pae you come to the Terrace bars and restaurants, the top of Cashel Mall (turn left for Ballantynes, The Crossing and a mass of great shops) and Riverside Market, a great place for some culinary adventure. Carrying on down the promenade you will pass the national memorial to the Canterbury Earthquake victims and the walkway ends at the hospital and Boat Shed café (for coffee, punting or boat hire). From there you can easily stroll into Hagley Park and the Botanic Gardens.

If the weather turns foul, but worth a visit on any day, the Canterbury Museum, Christchurch Art Gallery and Tūranga library are in walking distance of Te Pae.

Or check out the central city’s boutique cinemas. Alice in Tuam Street is home to a movie buff’s DVD library, as well as indie-movie screenings. It’s homed in the same old Post Office building as the quirky C4 café which delivers your sliders by vacuum tube. The Lumière cinema is in the historic Arts Centre and includes a wee bar with a charming view over the Botanic Garden’s eccentric Peacock Fountain. The popular Cellar Door restaurant and wine-tasting room is downstairs.

I live in south-east Christchurch – at the base of the Port Hills – so am also putting in a shameless plug for my quarter of town.

If your travel party includes craft-beer lovers and shopaholics, check out the Tannery in industrial Woolston. The emporium includes The Brewery (and its international award-winning stout), 50 chic cafés, and shops including a specialist Marimekko shop and “jean whisperer” Benji at EnCompass, who has found the perfect fit for friends of a non-standard shape.

If you are up for a trip over the hills to Lyttleton I suggest you walk the high road over Rapaki Track – a roughly 10km walk that rewards you with stunning views and a feeling of virtue.

For those who like transport of the two-wheeled variety, Christchurch City Council has a great bike-path guide for flat trips to the sea or heading up the hills (see panel). And there is the Christchurch Adventure Park for downhill enthusiasts who prefer a chairlift ride up.

Look forward to seeing you down my way very soon!