Day 21: Christchurch

Scottie’s Story

We managed to walk into the city centre without getting wet and had a nice time at the Botanic Gardens. We had something to eat in their restaurant before going on a wee tour of the gardens. The guy doing the tour was not at all happy about the invasion of Canada geese – apparently the excrete about 1kg of bird poo each day, and there were a lot of geese and “evidence”. I feel his pain. There were some native ducks and again we heard about how there is a countrywide effort to rid New Zealand on non-native creatures. While we are doing all we can to save our hedgehogs in the UK, they and many other animals are being culled in New Zealand.

We saw a tall tree, can’t remember the species, that had been hit by lightning, went on fire but managed to survive, although some of the bark was noticeably damaged. Another large tree (Twisted Gum / Alpine Ash) had a massive, twisted trunk due to the strong winds. The strength of nature is seriously impressive. There were lots of different themed areas and the gardens are well worth a visit. A hospital was built right beside the gardens so patients can wander there, if allowed and able – this was planned and not just something that happened, it was a conscious decision to do this. What a great idea. Also the gardens are free, which was a pleasant surprise.

After the Botanic Gardens we wandered around a few shops but neither of us was really in the mood for buying, probably as we were not in gadget shops. The weather had turned and it was a bit inclement, so we looked for somewhere for tea and came across the Whiskey Fiddle – this was a great find. While neither of us drink whisky (or whiskey) their wine menu was good as was their food menu, so much so that there were only 2 tables left when we popped in at 6pm. Clearly this was a popular place. The food was great and we both reckoned that this was our best meal of the holiday, and we’ve had some good ones. Great service, lovely atmosphere and good food and wine – what more could you ask for?

Time for an Uber as the rain had settled in for the night.

Rob’s Reflections

We walked into the city – weather was just about acceptable – via the Botanic Gardens. This only took 40 minutes or so from where we stayed.

After a lunch consisting mainly of traybake, we went on a tour of the gardens. This was on an electric buggy with guide (Graham) who talked us through the history of the place, and the plants and animals we went past. A fascinating trip – we were the only two on a vehicle that could have taken a couple of dozen, so got plenty of personal interaction.

Most of the fauna information went over my head, but I was impressed with the way that the entire park had ben set aside for recreation of one sort or another right from the outset – sport, formal gardens, and just plain old open areas for people to enjoy. Things I remember:

Australian gum tree with a distinctive smell; old oaks; ginkgo trees of both male and female type; the river Avon sourced from a spring; and our guide not going through one part of the park to avoid the ire of the gardeners. After that we took another walk into the city, then had a really nice meal at a restaurant which clearly was popular – we got the last table available and the couple who arrived after us were turned away. We had done enough exercise to warrant taking a taxi home instead of walking.