BoomerGirl Diary

Early in the morning we get a taxi to the Inter-Island Ferry Terminal on Wellington’s Harbor so we can take the ferry-train combination to Christchurch on New Zealand’s south island. Our check-in takes no time and we are pleasantly surprised to learn that we can check our luggage on through to the train without having to drag it from the ferry port to the train terminal. We have been having some luggage issues because both of our large-wheeled pull-along suitcases have lost a wheel each, and our carry-on sized bag’s handle broke just as we started this journey. The Inter-Island Ferry is a probably the largest boat I have been on. It takes both walk-on and drive-on passengers, and makes the trip from one island to the other in three hours. The trip between islands is smooth and scenic.

After a brief wait after departing the ferry, we board the Trans-Scenic train that travels south down the east coast of the south island. There is an open-air viewing car on this train where you can ride standing up with the wind whipping through your hair and the noise roaring in your ears. The scenery is very lovely, but we become disenchanted with the train as the seven hours it takes to make the trip slowly tick by and we are wedged in seats with little legroom and no carry-on storage.

Much later that same day we finally arrive in Christchurch, which is just as beautiful as we had been told it would be. There are gardens and flowers everywhere! Our temporary new home is bright and breezy, and there are roses blooming in the yard. The windows have no screens on them, which makes the views even brighter. We are amazed that the house does not fill with flies and mosquitoes when we open the windows.

Our first adventure in Christchurch is to go to the Arts Center. We arrive there via the public bus system on Saturday morning and enjoy the market that is held outside the Arts Center on that day each week. The Christchurch Arts Center is in the gothic revival buildings that formerly housed the University of Canterbury. It is a maze of shops, galleries and cafes. There are two works of art on display inside the Arts Center “quad” that immediately catch our interest. The first is a floating sculpture of pipes called “Echo” by Neil Dawson. The second is by Korean artist Lee Joong Keun, who has wrapped 29 of the center’s stone columns in kaleidoscope images of people, actor and body parts. From a distance these coverings look like decorative tile work, but the photos that make up the designs become clear when we get closer. Inside the Arts Center we check out a very complete bead store along with other shops that sell art and supplies to make art. We get to meet two permanent Artists in Residence; Terry Park and Serena McWilliam, both of whom are more than willing to stop work on their current projects to answer our questions.

Next, we visit the local nature reserve Willowbank. Willowbank is a very kid-friendly zoo with farm animals to pet and ducks and eels to feed. I enjoy seeing several endangered species of birds, such as the Morepork Owl and the Buff Weka. But our main purpose for visiting this particular tourist site is that we have been told that this nature reserve has a Kiwi House with no glass between you and the Kiwis! This turns out to be true, and I am pleased to be able to stand inches away from a foraging Kiwi.

A few days later we learn that there is an area of untouched forest within walking distance of our house called The Riccarton Bush. This is a 30-acre reserve bordered by the Avon River, and it is probably the oldest protected area of bush in New Zealand. We strolled through Riccarton soon after hearing about it and marveled at the size of the trees and the diversity of plant life in this now inner-city treasure. As with all bush areas that hope to preserve native birds and plants, this bush is carefully maintained with predator-proof fencing and predator traps and monitors. Just outside the Riccarton Bush is Riccarton House, a Victorian/Edwardian mansion built in three stages during 1856, 1874 and 1900 for Christchurch’s pioneering Deans family. This beautiful structure now houses a very nice restaurant. Also available to explore is an original settlers’ house built in 1843, which is now the oldest surviving building in Christchurch.

We will continue to explore Christchurch in future days, but next up are two daylong trips to nearby vineyards and harbors ...