These photos from the Christchurch Botanic Garden include several of the birds there, some who were at our table at ilex cafe. There are also flowers and pictures of the grounds and sculptures, including the Archer Lawn. Our photos from Jenny Gillies exhibition are on another page.
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New Zealand: Flower Costume Exhibition Photos at the Christchurch Botanic Gardens
Christchurch is known as the Garden City in New Zealand. It is one of the more expansive botanic gardens we visited. The ilex cafe is a great place to eat, especially if you sit outside and enjoy the birds. You can punt down the Avon, and enjoy the nearby museum. They also host special exhibitions, like this one featuring the flower costumes of Jenny Gillies in its Enchanted Garden exhibition.
Continue readingNew Zealand: The Christchurch Earthquake: Unexpected Conflicts and Congregations
In 2011, Christchurch experienced a devastating earthquake that left 185 people dead and destroyed much of the center of town. As the city started its recovery, local businesses created a shopping mall out of shipping containers. They sprang up organically, and according to many locals, they gave the shopping area a unique appeal providing Christchurch with something that few other places in the world could boast about. There was a debate about the area, but in the end, the city planning committee decided to remove the containers and build a new shopping mall. Those containers are gone.
Continue readingNew Zealand: Is the Future of Air Travel in Christchurch Already?
The domestic flight procedures in Christchurch are almost entirely automated. You check in online, bring your boarding pass to the kiosk, and scan it. If you have no boarding pass, you can use your passport or credit card to access the information. Once the system has retrieved your information, it asks you security questions and issues a destination tag for your bag. Place the tag on the bag by peeling the back off and attaching the two circles together; they give you drawings to show how its done. You then take the bag to the bag drop off.
Continue readingNew Zealand: Christchurch Gondola Tops Tourist Attraction List
The Christchurch Gondola on Mount Cavendish is rated as Christchurch’s most popular tourist attraction and offers soaring views of Christchurch and Lyttleton. You can sit above the Canterbury Plains and look at the beautiful countryside while eating at The Red Rock Café, which has an interesting assortment of menu items. The Time Tunnel is great for theme park enthusiasts that want to see something a little different than the normal fare.
Continue readingNew Zealand: ilex café at Christchurch Botanic Gardens Is for the Birdwatchers
The ilex café in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens, New Zealand is a glorious combination of amazing food choices, good coffee and, if you sit outside, a personal bird experience. The orecchiette, peas and Parmesan salad was a good starter for our meal. We added the pretzel bread breakfast roll with egg and cherry hoisin. Our flat whites were decent.
Continue readingNew Zealand: A Short Survey of Christchurch
While we’re mostly headed to Christchurch to see our friend Checkers Penguin, we certainly want to make sure that we see some of the sites there before we head to Dunedin.
Continue readingNew Zealand: A Short Survey of New Zealand Destinations – On First Look
At roughly 1600 km long (990 miles), New Zealand’s two islands are about the length of a third of the continental United States. That’s a nice drive in America of about 18 hours depending on which states you go through and the maximum speed limit. I have been told that’s not the case in New Zealand. The roads aren’t highways. They tend to wind and have lower speed limits. The other impediment to drive time is the ferry. It may not run in inclement weather, and of course, it only departs at certain times of the day. The cost is also something to consider. I was told around $200 NZ for a car and two passengers.
With all of this in mind, choosing destinations for New Zealand is going to depend on what we really want to see – not the road or the inside of a car – and what we can get to comfortably. Personally, I don’t necessarily want to spend my time driving at all. On the other hand, my second hand knowledge has said that public transportation doesn’t exist, and the buses that go between towns take even longer than cars.
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Penguinate! Positive Creativity 