SummerTimes Events
by Kakapo2
-
In summer the city offers an incredible lot of free events and festivals. I have posted some of those highlights which enrich the city's cultural life and gives the people a lot of fun in extra tips, most on the page Local Customs.
Now they have created a new website which lists all the events with links and great information, so you can always check what is on while you are in Christchurch.
This is the list for Summer 2008:
17 Jan - 27 Jan ... World Buskers Festival
20 January .......... Sounday
24 Jan - 10 Feb ... Lawyers Summer Theatre
27 January .......... Kite Day
2 February .......... Teddy Bear Picnic in the Park
5 February .......... Classical Sparks
14 Feb - 2 Mar .... Open Air Summer Shakespeare Festival
22 Feb - 1 Mar .... Festival of Flowers
1 Mar - 2 Mar ...... Chinese Lantern Festival
9 March ............... Cheap as Chips
26 Mar - 6 Apr ..... NZ International Jazz & Blues Festival
On most Sundays 6 Jan - 16 Mar Lazy Sunday
On most Sundays 13 Jan - 9 Mar Sunday Bandstand
And over the hills in Lyttelton:
24 February Summer Street Party
On the website you will find also a lot of smaller events which can be quite nice, as well as concerts.
Internet:
http://www.summertimes.co.nz
The Ballantynes Christmas Window
by Kakapo2
Although I have no children, will never get used to Christmas in summer and therefore do not get into the Christmas spirit, I never miss to go to the city and check out the Christmas Window at Ballantynes. This is Christchurch's finest department store, brilliantly located at the corner of Colombo Street and Cashel Mall (City Mall), right at the Bus Exchange.
This relatively new tradition began in 2002, and since then Christchurch people have really got a soft spot for it. When the Window gets unveiled at the end of November, you can expect 2000 people flocking to the city centre, and many, many more in the following days and weeks.
In the weeks leading up to the unveiling the store's display windows are covered in paper and veils. Many people are working on the displays. A guy named Chris Parker is the creative director of the annual Christmas Window. In a newspaper interview with the Press he said that the construction of the display takes seven to eight months. The fibreglass figures are made by hand by artist Caroline Trevella from Rangiora. The life-sized figures are animated, and audio recordings are added. The glass panes of the windows are also decorated and give them the feel of a gingerbread house that animates you to get a step closer and peek inside.
The display is magic and lively, with acting and seemingly talking figures, taken straight from fairytales and Christmas stories. It takes you back into your childhood. Go to City Mall in December, and you will see many people - from small children to grannies - squeezing their noses against the windows and admire the display.
They consider the nose- and fingerprints on the windows as a measure of success. The glass has to be cleaned several times a day.
Cashmere
by martin_nl
These off the beaten path tips were from my road trip with Rosie (rozehill). She drove me around the surroundings of Christchurch. The first stop was at the Cup, a very nice coffee house in Cashmere. The view from the Cup is amazing. You can look out over the city and on a clear and sunny day you can even see the mountains far away in the background.
Centre of Contemporary Art (COCA)
by Kakapo2
I think I had walked past COCA about a million times without really noticing it LOL Somehow it did not attract my attention.
It did when I saw a photo in brochure. This photo showed an installation of the Peacock Fountain by Victoria Bell. It is very similar to the original in the Botanic Garden – and on the other hand totally different. The size, the colours (yellow and red). It looks like made of candies and beads, and I just had to see it.
But what a disappointment! The fountain was not there anymore. This is the problem you know about travel guides. When they are published half of the content should already be rewritten again. And when this brochure with the intriguing photo came out of print the Peacock Fountain went somewhere else.
I am sure they were pleased that I looked into every corner of the two-storey exhibition rooms. But it was just to be really disappointed because my search was in vain LOL
I quite liked some artworks of school children who had designed the most imaginative bags, and some of the huge greenstone (pounamu/jade) carvings. The rest of the paintings and objects were not really my taste. However, this might change within some weeks or months with the ever changing exhibits – although I must admit that I do not have a lot of understanding for ultramodern art and most times do not like it.
The gallery has been an important institution for more than 120 years. It represents established and emerging artists in the genres of painting, printmaking, installation, design, craft and photography. The exhibitions chance every three weeks, so more than 60 exhibitions are held every year.
As photographing was not allowed and surveillance cameras everywhere I only took a photo from the outside… ;-)
Open Mon – Fri 10am – 5pm, Sat and Sun 12pm – 4pm
Entry free
Directions:
Walk down Gloucester Street towards the Botanic Garden, past the City Library (official name: Central Library), cross the Avon. After the next traffic light it is on the left side of the street /no. 66).
Bus Exchange
by fishandchips
The Bus Exchange is located at the Crossing in central Christchurch. All Bus routes go via here and for $2.50 (price increase from 28/11/05) you can get anywhere in Christchurch. There are 4 platforms. A, B and C are inside with platform D on Colombo St (you can see it in the photo).
If you haven't already grabbed a timetable from the Information Centre (see my general tips) you can get on from inside the Exchange. All departing buses are displayed on large digital boards so you can see how long it is until your next bus is going. The website below will let you plan ahead - if you like to do that sort of thing!
With many locations there are several buses that go near where you want to go so grab a bus map of the part of town you are heading off to - there may be a bus departing sooner than you thought!!
The Bus Exchange is only a block & a half South of Cathedral Square on Colombo St.
Sign in with Facebook
Looking down on Akaroa
Our rented TOYOTA RAV 4X4
Historic centre
View over the city.
