Friday, 12 March, 2010  Advertised in TNT Travellers' Magazine - Spring & Summer Editions
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Charming Christchurch on $10 or less
  Architecture enthusiasts will appreciate the High Victorian Gothic architecture in the impressive Stone Chamber at the original Canterbury Provincial Council Buildings. Enter the chamber opposite the bright yellow AA sign on Durham Street in the central city. The Stone Chamber (free entry) is open 10.30am - 3.30pm, Monday - Saturday - www.ccc.govt.nz.   Botanic Gardens, Rolleston Avenue (next to Canterbury Museum) www.ccc.govt.nz/parks Situated on the banks of the Avon River and within walking distance of the central city the Botanic Gardens include more than 21 hectares of colour to wander. Don't miss it. Open from 7am daily.  Breakfast Copenhagen Bakery, 119 Armagh Street www.copenhagenbakery.co.nz Start your day with a danish pastry, croissant or bagel at the Copenhagen Bakery. The bakery is also a good spot for lunch as there is a big selection of filled rolls and their pies come recommended. Eat in the attached seating area or take away. Open from 7am week days only. Drexels Breakfast Restaurant, 96 Hereford Street www.drexels.co.nz Early risers can have breakfast at Drexels American Breakfast Diner from 6.30am. There's a special menu for children and they offer gluten free options. A few doors down from Drexels is a vintage clothing store and second hand book store. Java Cafe, 219 High Street Java is popular with students and travellers. They usually have a breakfast special and they open around 8am. Canterbury Museum, Rolleston Avenue (entrance opposite Worcester Boulevard) www.canterburymuseum.com Discover Canterbury's history here - see a recreation of a Victorian Christchurch street, Antarctic artefacts, a hall of NZ birds and a costume gallery. Free guided tours can be taken on Tuesday and Thursday at 3.30pm and 4.30pm. Open from 9am daily. Free, although donations are appreciated. There is a casual cafe on the 4th floor with good views over the Botanic Gardens.   Christchurch Art Gallery, cnr Worcester Boulevard & Montreal Street, central city www.christchurchartgallery.org.nz A modern gallery exhibiting early and contemporary NZ art, there's also a gift shop and cafe/wine bar. Open daily from 10am. Tip: Visit on Wednesday nights until 9pm. (Free) ChristChurch Cathedral, Cathedral Square www.christchurchcathedral.co.nz Join a free guided tour of the Cathedral - Monday to Friday 11am & 2pm; Saturday 11am and Sunday 11.30am. Climb the tower for a birds eye view of the city ($5).   Design your own jewellery at Beadz Unlimited. Choose your beads and create your own unique piece of jewellery or purchase a ready made creation. Open daily, located upstairs at the Arts Centre, Worcester Boulevard. Visit online at www.beadzunlimited.co.nz. Alternatively visit the Bead Shop, 170-172 Manchester Street for more colourful beads, rings and earrings - www.beadshopnz.com. Eat out on $10 Art Centre market, Worcester Boulevard www.artscentre.org.nz A large selection of ethnic food stalls set up shop behind the Art Centre market on weekends. Free samples at the Fudge Cottage inside the Art Centre will tempt you to have a sweet dessert. Cathedral Square Food caravans park up in Cathedral Square and serve a variety of cheap eats. Fritz's Wieners serves up traditional german frankfurters for $4 and Cochran's baked potatoes will keep you going until dinner, or afternoon tea at least.    G4M, 166 Moorhouse Avenue Cheese rolls are a unique South Island creation. You can try one at the popular cafe attached to G4M (Gifts for Men retail store). Parking is plentiful and free in the large parking area outside the cafe/retail store. High to Hereford Food Hall, High Street This light and bright food hall offers a range of good value meals including Sasha's Kiwi fish n chips for $5.50 and Sasha's mini pizza for $7. Other dishes under $10 are available at the The Greek Recipe, Catherine's Kitchen (Singaporean and Malaysian cuisine) and the Chinese Clay Pot.   His Lordships, His Lordship's Lane, SOL Square www.sol.net.nz Tuck in to meals like shepherd's pie, fish n chips and chef's salad for $10 at His Lordships pub. Available Monday - Friday, 12 noon til 2pm. Add $3 and you can have an express lunch at Yellow Cross, if you don't have it in 13 minutes it's half price. Lunch available daily, 12 - 2pm.   Rob Roy's Irish Pub, 480 Colombo Street Monday - Thursday, 5pm-7pm are $10 steak nights at Rob Roy's. Tulsi Indian Cuisine, cnr Manchester & Gloucester Street www.tulsirestaurant.co.nz Head to Tulsi for lunch less than $10, they also have two branches in Wellington. Two Fat Indians, 112-114 Manchester Street Dine in for an express Indian meal including curry, naan, rice, raita and salad for $9.90. If you're not in and out in 30 minutes your meal is free. Vespa Room, Poplar Lane Stuffed peppers, crepes and meat balls are some of the $10 lunch offerings at Vespa Room. If you're a travelling duo and would like to try some boutique beer visit the i-SITE in Cathedral Square and look out for The Twisted Hop brochure that is stamped with "two for one tasting trays"(value $17). The Twisted Hop is at 6 Poplar Lane and if you enjoy English style ale it's the place for you. To find more boutique beer around the country visit our Brew Pubs list.   E blah blah rents mobile phones for $3 a day, stores luggage and provides Internet access for $3 an hour. Open 8am - 10pm, 7 days. Located at Crystal Plaza, 77 Cathedral Square. PC Bang next to Starbucks on Cathedral Square also has Internet access from $3 an hour. Ferrymead Heritage Park, 50 Ferrymead Park Drive, Ferrymead (15 minutes drive from the city) www.ferrymead.org.nz The Edwardian township at Ferrymead includes a Museum of Flame - firemen will appreciate the display of old fire engines from around the country. Aeroplane enthusiasts can chat to the friendly plane restorer and find out which two planes were used as chicken coops on an Otago farm. Tram rides are available weekends and school holidays, the steam train runs on some Sundays, see the website for details. Tip: Visit during the week and entry is $6, weekends, public and school holidays admission is $15. Open daily from 10am. (Please note: if you visit during the week, you might have the place to yourself, you may appreciate visiting on weekends when the atmosphere will be more lively).    Garden City SummerTimes concerts and events will entertain you over the summer months. To see a calendar of events visit www.summertimes.org.nz. Groynes Recreation Reserve, 160 Johns Road, Belfast (12km from Cathedral Square) www.ccc.govt.nz Take a bush walk and spot the bird life, you can also fish for trout (you need to purchase a licence first) and hire a boat on sunny weekends. Coin operated BBQs are available if you want to make a day of it. Gates open at 7am. Heat up in the spa, sauna or steam room at the Centennial Leisure Centre, 181 Armagh Street. The Leisure Centre is 10 minutes walk from Cathedral Square, it'll cost $5 for a swim and towels and swim wear can be hired. There's also an outdoor BBQ area - www.centennial.org.nz. Open from 7am. Head over the hill from Sumner to Taylor's Mistake, a popular surf spot and home to some classic Kiwi baches. To get there you will need your own transport, look for Taylor's Mistake Road south of the village of Sumner and drive the winding road to its end. Visit www.taylorssurf.co.nz if you want to see the surf conditions on the webcam.   Hot Shot Espresso Bar at 177 Manchester Street is home to a NZ Barista Finalist. If you're a coffee lover you can get your fix there or try one of our old favourites - Bean Scene Cafe, 90 Armagh Street. Like a good read with your coffee? Visit The Coffee Club, 275 High Street, as well as magazines there is an Official BookCrossing Zone - a bookshelf full of books that can be taken by customers free of charge. To find out more about travelling books visit www.bookcrossing.com. Indulge your chocolate craving at Choco Blitz, 141 Nayland Street, Sumner. Chocoholics can choose 20 large chocolates for $10, a bag of chocolate fish for $1 and 20 dark chocolate marshmellows for $5. Choco Blitz is a bit of a drive from the city centre and is best reached with your own transport. Open 7 days, 10.30am - 5.00pm. Walk off your treats on nearby Sumner beach. To read about more chocolate shops in Christchurch and around the country visit our Chocolate Directory. Jump onboard a yellow Central City Shuttle and ride for free - www.redbus.co.nz. Red bus also runs the City Flyer bus which travels to and from the International airport every 15 minutes during peak times - cost $7.50 (return $13). Follow this link for more information www.redbus.co.nz. Kayaks are for hire at the picturesque Antigua Boat Sheds, 2 Cambridge Terrace from $10 per hour. The Boatshed cafe next door is open for breakfast from 7am, boat hire available from 9am. www.boatsheds.co.nz.   Local artists exhibit their work at the Centre of Contemporary Art (CoCa), 66 Gloucester Street - www.coca.org.nz. The Centre opened in 1880 and continues to promote and exhibit contemporary art by local artists. Closed Monday. Admission by donation. Look out for a copy of the free Cityscape brochure that will tell you what's new and happening on the streets of Christchurch - www.cityscape-christchurch.co.nz. Pick up copies of Cityscape at the i-SITE Visitor Centre, Cathedral Square (under the "What's On" board). For more Christchurch events visit www.bethere.co.nz.
  NZ Cup & Show week is a week long celebration of horse racing, fashion and entertainment. The Royal New Zealand show is a highlight and will run from 11-13 November 2010 (entry $20-$25). At the show you can sample local cuisine and wine in the food and wine pavilion, watch sheep shearing competitions, visit horticultural displays, and more. To see a calendar of events for Cup & Show week (6-13 November 2010) visit www.nzcupandshow.co.nz. Oxford Terrace is home to "The Strip", a selection of bars and restaurants that are a popular place to eat or drink until the early hours.   Pay $10 and catch a movie on Tuesdays. Visit www.hoyts.co.nz, https://rialto.co.nz and www.readingcinemas.co.nz for screenings and session times. Public bus transport comes cheap (or free if you ride the Central City Shuttle) in Christchurch. The Orbiter will get you to the Christchurch city shopping malls, follow the link for charges and routes - www.metroinfo.org.nz. Queen Elizabeth II Park Sport & Leisure Centre, 171 Travis Road, New Brighton www.qeiipark.org.nz There is a wave pool and health and fitness centre here. A swim costs $5, togs and towels can be hired. Relax street side with a cup of coffee in the sun on New Regent Street. The tram will rumble by but it's a car free zone.   Riccarton House & Riccarton Bush, 16 Kahu Road, Riccarton www.riccartonhouse.co.nz Wander through the bush and gardens for free, a tour of Riccarton House will cost $15. The bush is a "Kiwi Creche" - Kiwis 4-7 months old are released here until they can fend for themselves in the wild. Kiwis are nocturnal so you won't see them during the day, however please keep to the walking tracks so as not to disturb the wild life. To see a Kiwi visit Willowbank Wild Life Reserve.   Riccarton Rotary Sunday Market, Riccarton Park Racecourse, Racecourse Road (10 - 15 minutes drive from the city) www.riccartonmarket.co.nz There's over 300 stalls to browse here. Every Sunday 9am - 2pm, rain or shine. Rutherford's Den, Clock Tower Building, Arts Centre, Worcester Boulevard www.rutherfordsden.org.nz Visit the cloakroom that became known as Rutherford's Den when Ernest Rutherford and a fellow student used it as a laboratory when they were students at Canterbury College. NZ born scientist Ernest Rutherford first split the atom, and won a Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1908. Rutherford's Den and the exhibition in the rooms around it are open daily from 10am-5pm. (Gold coin donation entry). If you would like to find out more about Ernest Rutherford and visit his birth place visit www.rutherford.org.nz.  Stock up on fresh produce at the s.o.l.e. (sustainable, organic, local, ethical) market. Every Friday, 12 noon - 6pm, Arts Centre, Worcester Boulevard. On other days visit Piko Wholefoods, 229 Kilmore Street for certified organic fruit and vegetables, a range of whole foods and personal care products - www.pikowholefoods.co.nz. There is also a Lyttel Piko at 12 London Street, Lyttelton.  Supershed & Retroshed, 220 Pages Road, Aranui (next to Cowles Stadium) If it's recyclable it will be here - the place to find treasure from other peoples trash. Tea party at the Cupcake Parlour, 48 Salisbury Street. A selection of cupcakes (frosted of course) are available from $3.50 or try a wedge of parlour cake. If you want a tea party with scones visit Truly Scrumptious around the corner at 93 Victoria Street. Truly Scrumptious is a Vintage Cafe / giftware store jam packed with gifts and collectables.    Unique gifts with a local flavour can be found at the Arts Centre market, Worcester Boulevard on weekends. There's over 30 specialty shops in the Art Centre (open daily) and up to 80 stalls at the weekend market, the friendly and lively atmosphere comes free. Visit South of Lichfield (SOL Square) to have a drink in the plush pink cocktail bar Minx or a cup of coffee throughout the day at La Petite Croix. Don't miss walking through the character filled lanes at SOL Square - www.sol.net.nz. Until 27 March 2010 there will be a French Farmers Market from 9.30am - 1.30pm on Saturday.    Walk the Writers' Trail - Begin at the Arts Centre on Worcester Boulevard where there are a cluster of plaques celebrating writers with a Canterbury connection. Follow the link for a Writers' Trail brochure that gives a brief biography of the authors and a map of the plaques - http://christchurchcitylibraries.com. Alternatively pick up a copy of "The Christchurch Writers' Trail" booklet from the Christchurch City Library, 89 Gloucester Street. X marks the spot at Map World, corner Gloucester & Manchester Streets. As well as a selection of NZ and world wide maps there is a travel book section, GPS devices, compasses, travel accessories and guide booklets noting Christchurch picnic spots, walks and local beaches and rivers - www.mapworld.co.nz. You will be entertained street side at the yearly World Buskers Festival held in January each year. The dates for 2010 are 21 - 31 January - www.worldbuskersfestival.com. Zero charge for WiFi at Christchurch Libraries, for details visit http://christchurchcitylibraries.com/Services/Wireless/. Free Wireless Access is available at Central, South, Upper Riccarton and New Brighton libraries.
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