13 Darvel Street, Christchurch, Christchurch-Canterbury, New Zealand
Check Rates and Availability
of people enjoy staying here
4 Opinions
Avon River towards firefighters reserve
An impressive display of paua shells.
Looking west
Turn left when you see this airplane!
Hi,
I am planning a trip to New Zealand sometime Nov this year.
I have 2 questions which I hope you can help me out
1) What time does the weekend market opens at the Art Center?
2) What time does the food stall opens?
Thanks a lot
The weekend market and the foodstalls are open every Saturday and Sunday from about 10am to 4pm.
More info about the Arts Centre here:
www.artscentre.org.nz
Thanks. Trying hard to fit in the weekend market to my schedule :)
It would be great if you suceeded. I always regret when I have visitors who are not here on the weekend, so we could have lunch from the food stalls and sit in the courtyards for enjoying it.
However, if you cannot be here on the weekend - the beautiful shops with arts and crafts inside the Arts Centre are always open, you can watch artists at work, and there are also some cafés and restaurants. However, you will not get food for the little money you pay at the foodstalls, and at the market you can really make good deals. If you are lucky you also find nice things during the week at the market on Cathedral Square - but it is not as uniquely NZ as the weekend market at the Arts Centre.
You should also visit Canterbury Museum just across the street. The latest exhibit is a replica of the famous Paua House from Bluff, with all the original Paua shells on the walls. It is faaaaaantastic. And if you want to feel like Harry Potter visit the Provincial Chambers, just five walking minutes away on the Avon.
Thanks. Have included your suggestions in my itinerary. Any other places I should not miss? I am thinking of Willowbank Reserve.
Yesssssssss - the Willowbank! It is my favourite wildlife park in NZ. You get to see all animals - mostly birds - at close range, walk through a kea aviary, and get to see and hear kiwi half a metre from you, only a low fence between you and the kiwi. Make sure to be there in the morning. The kiwi start foraging at 10.30am, and they block access to their burrows at this time, so you can be sure they will be around.
The most important thing to me is a trip to the top of Mt. Cavendish (gondola) from where you have fantastic 360 degree views of Lyttelton Harbour, the city, the plains, the sea and the Southern Alps. Plus an inner-city walk and the things we have already talked about. I have a 1 to 10 things to do list on my Christchurch intro page. As you have limited time you will miss out on some great things but gondola, city walk, Arts Centre are possible.
Ah - another idea for the Willowbank would be to go there in the late afternoon and then stay for the Maori cultural performance. In this case, however, you will most probably miss the kiwi. But I am rather sure they also offer kiwi night tours...
John Britten, inventor extraordinaire. Christchurch is the home of the Britten motorcyle. It has a revolutionary motor, quite different to the conventional and previous styles. This motorcycle goes very fast and blitzed all other makes in the Superbike class. Unfortunately John Britten died at an early age of cancer. His staff continue his business and we hope will keep producing revolutionary stuff. They also build prostheses for amputee athletes.
When you are entering into Maori cultural exhibits, the visitors must be invited in to join the community before entering. Your group must select a chief or king for the group, and then that leader must meet with the leader of the Maori tribe. When presented with the opportunity to enter, the visiting leader must show that he and his people are not a warring party, and must accept the gesture peacefully.
On our trip to Ko Tane, Sarah's father got to be the chief for our visiting tribe. This worked out well for us as a whole, because it meant his entire group got to sit in the best seats, enjoy the first bite of the Hangi, and the chief even got to rub noses with quite a few Maori women!
If you go to Ko Tane, I would recommend volunteering for chief duty!
Several people have asked me for indoor swimming pools in Christchurch, so let me post a selection here.
The best pool is at QEII (Queen Elizabeth II) Park, between Burwood (Travis Wetland) and New Brighton. It even has an Olympic 50m pool, and other nice waterlands.
The other City Council swimming pools are at the Pioneer and Centennial Leisure Centres, the latter even in the city centre but a bit hidden in Armagh Street, and Jellie Park, and Wharenui Sports Centre.
Directions to Centennial Leisure Centre:
Coming from Cathedral Square walk up Colombo Street north, turn right into Armagh Street, the Leisure Centre is after some metres on the left. You also reach it via Oxford Terrace. There is a carpark (parking fee).
The other pools can be reached by bus.
The addresses:
QEII Park, 171 Travis Road, New Brighton, ph. (03) 941 6849
Pioneer Leisure Centre, 75 Lyttelton St, Spreydon, ph. (03) 941 6851
Jellie Park Aqualand, 295 Ilam Rd, Fendalton, ph. (03) 941 6856
Wharenui Sports Centre, Corner Matipo & Elizabeth Streets, Riccarton, ph. (03) 348 6488
Centennial Leisure Centre, Armagh St, City Centre, ph. (03) 941 6853
The Waimakariri River Regional Park near Christchurch International Airport opened for the public at the end of September 2006. The first stage covers about 11.000 hectares and is mainly aimed at recreational activities. The main features are a 10.5 km specially designed fast mountainbiking track, separate walking and jogging tracks and a big picknick area including toilets. If you do not race you should do the walking track within 2 to 2.5 hours.
The great thing about the mountainbike track in the peaceful pine forest setting is that it is one-way, so no oncoming traffic. With its banked curves and very winding line it is technically more challenging than the track in the Bottle Lake Reserve, but as there are only some artificial hills in the flat area it is not a big physical challenge, so you can do the lap several times if you want to have a real work-out. You really have to focus on the track, otherwise you could easily lose the ideal line and crash into a tree or land beside the track.
So if you want to watch the big variety of birds singing from every tree, you better get off your bike or go the walk ;-) There are fantails, silvereyes, gold and green finches everywhere.
Since April 2007 you can hire a bike next to the carpark, right now just on the weekends but this will be extended.
Do not praise the Christchurch City Council for the great park - it has been created by Environment Canterbury (ECan).
Check with the rangers if the tracks are open after heavy rainfall as so close to the Waimakariri they could well be flooded.
If everything is fine the biggest danger could be flying golf balls from the courses near the forest - as indicated on one sign along the track ;-)
The brochure and map of the park can be downloaded from the ECan website.
-
Update March 2010
Everything is getting more expensive, so the Five Dollar Bus has become the Seven Dollar Bus. Just updated this, the rest of the info stays the same.
The slogan of the Seven Dollar Bus is simple: Turn up, hop on, gone within 5 minutes.
Departures from Cathedral Square, next to the Tramway stop on Worcester Blvd, every 20 minutes between 8am and 5pm. As the name of the bus suggests the fare is NZ$7.
As it is a shuttle service you can also get a ride from the airport to the Square.
The buses are mini-buses, not big coaches. As it is a direct service it is the fastest way to get to the airport - apart from taxis.
The fastest public bus (Metro System) would also cost you $7. This is the Airport Flyer which goes directly to the airport from Cathedral Square. This trip takes about 25 minutes.
Between 7am and 8pm departures every 30 minutes from Monday to Friday, on Saturday from 8.35am and on Sunday from 9.05am. Stops outside the Bus Exchange on Lichfield Street, in Gloucester Street opposite the City Library and on Cambridge Terrace by the Bridge of Rememberance.
More info about the public airport bus which operates from 6am to 11pm on weekdays:
http://www.metroinfo.org.nz/docs/Airport%20Route%20Map.pdf
http://www.metroinfo.org.nz/timetable_A.html
http://www.christchurch-airport.co.nz/airport/Transportation/
It takes only four or five minutes longer to travel on the regular #10 bus (Cashmere - Airport via Bus Exchange; destination: Harewood) which stops several times along the way - but if you have the Metrocard it would cost you only $ 2.70 (otherwise $7 like the other airport bus). On weekdays the first bus leaves at 5.21am at the Bus Exchange, and the last one at 11.40pm.
http://www.metroinfo.org.nz/timetable_10.html
There are also door to door shuttles which you share with other travellers. The costs range from $12 to 20. Taxis to the city centre cost about $40.
See more details about those shuttles in an extra tip.
Sponsored Links
Similar to Hagley Park Motel Christchurch
Near Hagley Park Motel Christchurch
Cheapest in Christchurch
Great Hotels for Less
Q: Bus from airport to Dorset House at 23:00 PM "Our flight will arrive at CHC at around 22:20. The hotel we booked is Dorset House. Can we （2 couples) take Bus 29 to..."
A: "The last No 29 bus from the airport leaves at 10.20 on weeknights and 10.40 on Saturday and Sunday. Here's a pdf you can download for the timetable and..."
Sponsored Links
Latest Christchurch hotel reviews
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
