Become a Virtual Tourist Member Today!  Sign Up for Free | Sign In

Christchurch Off the Beaten Path Tips by fishandchips

Search:
email to friend | help
Home » Australia and Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Canterbury » Christchurch » fishandchips's Christchurch Page » Christchurch Off The Beaten Path Tips by fishandchips

Christchurch Pages by fishandchips


Christchurch Off the Beaten Path Tips by fishandchips
See the Entire Christchurch Travel Guide
Click Picture to enlarge.
 email me
 add as friend


fishandchips    
Excess in moderation


Real Name: Guy
Lives In: Christchurch, NZ
Member Since: Mar 21, 2005
VT Rank: 231

Sponsored Links for Christchurch

Auckland Hotels
Photos, Customer Ratings & Reviews. Save on Hotels in Auckland.

Holiday Inn Christchurch
Official Site. No booking fees. Low internet rate guaranteed.

New Zealand Private Tours
Top sights private guide from $1704 Nat'l Geo Adventure, Top Outfitter.

Luxury in New Zealand
Escorted Golf Tours with Golf, Vineyards & Natural Beauty.

New Zealand Package
Choose & Book A Guided Or Solo Tour Of New Zealand! Call 800-788-0829.



 
Tips 1 - 7 of 7
Christchurch Off The Beaten Path
 Sort by: Most Recent | Best Rated | Author's Order

Akaroa: A bit of France in NZ
  • Tip Rating: [Not enough ratings yet]
  • Christchurch Akaroa
  • Akaroa from the other side of the
  • harbour
  • by fishandchips , 1 more photos
  • Send Photo to a Friend
  • Akaroa was orginally set up by the French in their attempt to claim the local area for King & country. While the original 63 French settlers were at sea, sailing towards what they believed was a small piece of France in the South Pacific NZ Governor William Hobson despatched Capt Stanley, on "HMS Britomart", with an English flag. Soon after arrival, the 63 French settlers on hearing the truth that they were now living in a British Colony, were offered passage and land grants in Tahiti or the Marquesas. None accepted and their legacy is a beautiful small town.

    Akaroa is a great day trip from Christchurch of just over 80km's. The trip takes you past Little River, over Hill Top (worth a stop), past Duvauchelles pub and on, a few km's later, to Rue Jolie and the start of Akaroa. If you follow Rue Jolie to its end you will find the Garden of Tane and the very old cemetary which is worth a walk around.

    There are many other activities that can be enjoyed including wildlife cruises, sailing, swimming with the dolphins, boat hire and sea kayaking plus seal and penguin colony tours.

    Leave a Comment

    Rate      Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful 

    Port Hills: Port Hills
  • Tip Rating:
  • Christchurch Port Hills
  • Port Hills in the distance
  • by fishandchips
  • Send Photo to a Friend
  • The Port Hills are full of interesting walks and things to do. During winter they are often covered with snow and nice to look at but very tricky to drive on. Be careful of the conditions when you go exploring around the Port Hills as bad weather can come in quick and catch you out.

    This photo was taken from the central city looking past the Westpac building to the snowy tops of the hills.

    Leave a Comment

    Rate      Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful 

    Lyttelton: The lovely Port Town
  • Tip Rating:
  • Lyttelton is a nice place to start a day trip around the harbour and to the various bays and places. Lyttelton can be approached from many directions with the most common either through the tunnel via Heathcote Valley or over the hill from Sumner.

    There are several places of note to visit including the Time Ball station, old Gaol and the Wonderbar.

    Once you are here you can continue on around the various bays including Rapaki, Cass, Corsair, Charteris (inlc Orton Bradley Park with Golf Course and great walks), Govenors and Diamond Harbour. Further round gets you to Purau and Port Levy.

    Leave a Comment

    Rate      Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful 

    Sumner: The Sea-Side Suburb
  • Tip Rating:
  • This seaside suburb was named after Dr Sumner, the Archbishop of canterbury in 1850. It's a nice spot to go for an evening walk and maybe climb over Cave Rock. If you time it right you will be able to walk through the cave at low tide. Sumner has plenty to see and do including some nice eating places, a good Tea House and interesting museum on the corner of Nayland St and Wakefield Ave.

    Leave a Comment

    Rate      Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful 

    Port Hills: Harry Ell's Track
  • Tip Rating:
  • This track is an easy walk going from the Sign of the Takahe to the Sign of the Kiwi some 3.2 km's further up the hill. There is plenty of car parking at either end so you can choose if you want the uphill portion first or last. If you are not travelling by car you can take the number 10 bus up to the Sign of the Takahe (which is this buses last stop before changing direction) for $2.50.

    At the Sign of the Kiwi there is an okay tea rooms selling items such as ice creams & camera film plus there are toilets and drinking fountain so you don't really need to pack food or water. If you are feeling more adventurous you can cross the road and walk on eof the tracks around 'Sugarloaf' which has the main Television transmission centre and aerial. There are also walks back through Victoria park, around the Crater Rim and down Bowenvale Valley though if you have parked your car somewhere you will probably think twice about the last two tracks.

    The below website has more info including a good map of the track and more info on the facilities.

    Leave a Comment

    Website: http://www.nzine.co.nz/features/harry_ell.html
    Rate      Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful 

    Port Hills: Sign of the Kiwi
  • Tip Rating:
  • The Sign of the Kiwi is located up Dyers Pass Road on what is known as Coronation Hill ( named after the coronation of King George V in 1911). Coronation Hill was acquired by Henry George 'Harry' Ell with the track under his name running between the Sign of the Takahe and Sign of the Kiwi. The sign itself is on the left front of the photo below.

    The Sign of the Kiwi was officially opened on 9 June 1917 and operated as a tearoom and rest house until the 1940's when it was closed to the public by the Department of Lands and Survey. In the 1950's the Council built public toilets and partially restored the building. Today the Sign of the Kiwi serves as a shop providing refreshments.

    Also located here is a remnant of the Toll Gate established by Harry Ell in 1922 to raise funds for the construction and maintenance of the road to Kennedys Bush.

    The sign of the Kiwi is one of four 'rest houses' situated around the Port Hills with the others being the Sign of the Takahe, Sign of the Bellbird (Kennedys Bush) and Sign of the Packhorse (Kaituna Valley).

    Leave a Comment

    Rate      Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful 

    Port Hills: Cedric's Track
  • Tip Rating:
  • This track starts just over the road from the Sign of the Kiwi and up to the left of Sugarloaf giving you great vistas of both the Canterbury plains and Lyttelton Harbour. The track is steep to start with and levels out a bit as you carry on up and around the peak. A couple of side tracks branch off to the right - the first being Mitchells which is a nice walk through bush and trees so you have options for which direction you want to go around the peak. If you carry on up to the top of Cedric's you will arrive at the Sugarloaf Car Park. From here you have the option of taking one of the tracks down into Victoria park on your left or carry on to the right and toward Summit Road. The first valley you will come to if you go right is Bowenvale which is over the road on your left.

    Leave a Comment

    Rate      Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful 

    More Christchurch Tips

    OverviewThings to Do
    Tips: 21 - Photos: 35
    Restaurants
    Tips: 12 - Photos: 11
    Hotels & Accommodations
    Tips: 4
    Nightlife
    Tips: 9 - Photos: 9
    Off The Beaten Path
    Tips: 7 - Photos: 12
    Tourist TrapsWarnings Or Dangers
    Tips: 3 - Photos: 1
    Transportation
    Tips: 8 - Photos: 5
    Local Customs
    Tips: 7 - Photos: 4
    Packing Lists
    Tips: 1
    Shopping
    Tips: 3 - Photos: 1
    Sports Travel
    Tips: 10 - Photos: 15
    General Tips
    Tips: 8 - Photos: 15

    Christchurch Forum

    Join a Discussion

    Christchurch Art Center Weekend Market
    (1 replies, Sunday, Jul 20, 2008, 10:18 AM UTC)

    Who knows about otahuna lodge,the Charlotte jane and Sign of the Takahe Christchurch
    (3 replies, Saturday, Jun 21, 2008, 1:58 AM UTC)

    Would 2-1/2 days only scratch the surface?
    (5 replies, Thursday, May 22, 2008, 11:33 PM UTC)

    Be the first to reply to these questions

    shopping and sightseeing
    (no replies yet, Wednesday, Dec 5, 2007, 11:35 PM UTC)

    sendaiman
    (no replies yet, Wednesday, Aug 23, 2006, 12:31 AM UTC)

    Xmas in New Zealand from the Glasgow Girl
    (no replies yet, Monday, Dec 12, 2005, 3:32 AM UTC)

    » All Christchurch Posts
    » Ask about Christchurch

    FREE VT Deals Newsletter
    great deals, inside tips & no spam
      

    Comments for fishandchips about Christchurch
    swissballs Mon Jun 30, 2008 20:19 UTC
     Well done hometown hero - great to see a page from NZ as one of the elite 9!!!
    barnhey Wed Jun 25, 2008 14:57 UTC
     How kind of you to give us Poms such a comprehensive picture of your Heaven called Home. Makes me want to go again!
    chennaismartguy Fri Jun 20, 2008 13:18 UTC
     Congrats! Hometown Hero!
    kiwilingous Thu Jun 19, 2008 21:27 UTC
     Hometown hero!! Fantastic stuff mate!! Not a bad page either LOL....
    See More Comments

    More Sponsored Links for Christchurch

    Custom New Zealand Travel
    Tours Exclusively Designed for You Call Us & Let Us Plan Your Trip Now

    Luxury New Zealand
    Creators of exclusive and luxury itineraries to the South Pacific.

    New Zealand Luxury Hotels
    Hot Deals in Luxury Travel. Luxury Resort & Vacation Auction.

    Find:       Matching:  Advanced