{"id":6014,"date":"2018-08-07T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-08-06T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/?p=6014"},"modified":"2020-04-02T05:35:46","modified_gmt":"2020-04-01T19:35:46","slug":"secret-christchurch-local-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/new-zealand\/tips\/secret-christchurch-local-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Secret Christchurch: Top tips only locals know"},"content":{"rendered":"

When European settlers founded Christchurch<\/a> in 1850, they built their new city to English ideals. To be a Mini England, with very English-sounding street names and very English-looking buildings. But that all changed in February 2011, when a Mw 6.2 earthquake irreparably damaged much of Christchurch.<\/p>\n

Today, Christchurch is reborn with cutting-edge architecture, amazing caf\u00e9s, and fantastic bars and restaurants. No longer Mini England, Christchurch is growing into a unique, exciting city that\u2019s all its own.<\/p>\n

Old and new \u2013 Christchurch.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
<\/div>\n

I was born and raised here in Christchurch and, to me, the changes make it feel like I\u2019m exploring a new city with an old friend. Without some insider tips, there are many gems that are too easily missed. So here are my personal Christchurch must-dos.<\/p>\n

1. Walk<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If you like exploring laneways to see what\u2019s around the corner, you\u2019ll love Christchurch. The new buildings are full of passages that run between and through the buildings, often opening out into courtyards. Check out Lord Rutherford\u2019s Den<\/a> in the Arts Centre (named for Lord Ernest Rutherford, the New Zealand-born physicist who became the first person to knowingly split an atom) for educational fun or Rollickin\u2019 Gelato<\/a> in New Regent Street for amazing gelato and sorbet.<\/p>\n

2. Play<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Once the site of a public pool, and covering an entire city block, the Margaret Mahy Family Playground<\/a> is an absolutely amazing park that my kids love (and I\u2019m sure yours will too). It\u2019s a great spot for an inexpensive and fun family day out. You can get coffee and ice-cream there, or you can bring your own picnic too. Make sure you look out for the ducks in the river and the friendly eels that live under the\u00a0jetty.<\/p>\n

Magaret Mahy Family Playground.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
<\/div>\n

For even more excitement, head to the Christchurch Adventure Park<\/a>. Located in the Port Hills, it\u2019s mountain-bikers\u2019 heaven, with a chairlift to take you up to the top of the park and miles of tracks to explore on the way down.<\/p>\n

3. Walk and Play (Victoria park)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Also in the Port Hills, Victoria Park is one of Christchurch\u2019s best picnic areas. There are numerous spots with great views of the Canterbury Plains, as well as a massive slide built into the hillside (leave it to the kids if you\u2019re not feeling brave). There are also loads of fantastic walking tracks that go through the bush and back to Summit Road. If all that walking makes you feel peckish,\u00a0Sign of the Kiwi<\/a> is a great place to stop for a coffee and an ice-cream (yes, there is a theme in this post. I love ice-cream \ud83d\ude09). And a bit of trivia for the film buffs \u2013 a key scene from the Peter Jackson movie Heavenly Creatures<\/em> was filmed here too.<\/p>\n

Victoria Park<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
<\/div>\n

4. Refresh<\/strong><\/h3>\n

After all that walking and exercise, you\u2019ll probably need a drink. So check out The Terrace<\/a> on Oxford Terrace, where you\u2019ll find a dozen bars and restaurants (and more great architecture and laneways to explore) in the one place, all overlooking the Avon River. One of my personal favorites is Kong<\/a>, a \u201820s-style cocktail lounge where you don\u2019t even need to look at the menu, as the staff will specially create a cocktail to suit your tastes. They\u2019ll ask you what flavours (not what drinks) you like and build something delicious around that.<\/p>\n

At Kong with the Christchurch Wotif crew. There\u2019s Teresa (right), me (centre) and Haley (left).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
<\/div>\n

Two more of my favorite watering holes are the Red Light District<\/a> and Loius Champagne & Oyster Bar<\/a>, both on Victoria Street. So many great new bars have opened in Christchurch recently, you\u2019ll be spoilt for choice!<\/p>\n

5. Replenish<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Inati<\/a>. Just writing the word makes me want to go back to this restaurant again and again. The word \u2018inati\u2019 means \u2018to share\u2019 and it\u2019s reflected in the menu \u2013 every dish is designed to shared. Owners Simon and Lisa Levy have created a contemporary and intimate setting, in which you can\u2019t help but embrace their passion for flavour. It\u2019s a wonderful dining experience \u2013 don\u2019t miss it!<\/p>\n

6. Rest<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Distinction Christchurch Hotel<\/a> is one of the city\u2019s newest stays and it\u2019s fast becoming a hit with travellers. Situated in the heart of the city, it\u2019s the perfect homebase for both work and play, and within easy walking distance of almost all of my recommendations above. The rooms are spacious, comfy, and very stylish.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n<\/i> PLAN YOUR OWN CHRISTCHURCH GETAWAY <\/a>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When European settlers founded Christchurch in 1850, they built their new city to English ideals. To be a Mini England, with very English-sounding street names and very English-looking buildings. But that all changed in February 2011, when a Mw 6.2 earthquake irreparably damaged much of Christchurch. Today, Christchurch is reborn with cutting-edge architecture, amazing caf\u00e9s, …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":6016,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[775,80],"tags":[193,108,109,194],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6014"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/41"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6014"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6014\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6099,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6014\/revisions\/6099"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6016"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6014"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6014"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6014"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}