Christchurch, New Zealand

After my 24 hours in Sydney, it was time to head off to Christchurch! This trip used to go to Auckland instead of Christchurch, so it was my first time visiting the city. Despite the chilly winter weather (which I had definitely underestimated…) I was so happy to be exploring a new place.

The view flying in was spectacular, and got me excited for what was to come.

I was itching to go skiing, but sadly there just wasn’t enough time on this short layover!

Once we touched down and arrived at the hotel, a few of us met up to head out for some dinner and drinks, and a little wander around the city centre. With it being winter, it gets dark pretty early, so I didn’t take many pictures until the next day.

In the morning I was up bright and early to make the most of the remaining time in Christchurch. My plan was to take the gondola up to see the city from above, and then have a wander around.

From the city centre there’s a shuttle bus that goes to the base of the gondola, for $10 (return) which I jumped on, and soon arrived at the gondola, which was just opening. As cabin crew we also get 50% off the gondola tickets, which was a pleasant surprise!

Once at the top, the view was just breathtaking. Looking out at the surrounding peaks, Lyttleton Harbour, and the beautiful calm blue water, I could see why so meany people fall in love with New Zealand!

There are plenty of options for hikes once you’re at the top, and I chose to go for around a 30-40 minute round trip to a lovely viewpoint. If I had more time (and warmer clothes!) I might have gone further, but for this time it was plenty.

Looking back at these pictures, I still can’t get over the sheer natural beauty of this place. Wow!

After finishing my walk around the top, I jumped back in the gondola and onto the shuttle bus to have a walk around town.

Christchurch has lots of pretty trams going through the streets, which you can take for a sightseeing tour. I decided to walk, as it’s not a huge city.

I passed by the cathedral, which has sadly been damaged by multiple earthquakes, most notably the February 2011 earthquake.

I made my way towards New Regent Street, a pretty little street with pastel coloured buildings, cafés and boutiques. Sadly almost every building is also covered in scaffolding! Such a shame, as I’m sure it would have been even more lovely otherwise.

I stopped by a lovely café for a coffee and a bite to eat, before slowly making my way through the park back to the hotel.

I really loved exploring a bit of Christchurch, and getting plenty of fresh air and greenery, something I seem to be missing more and more, the longer I live in Dubai!

I’m flying back to New Zealand this month, and will do my best to get out and explore some more of the countryside.

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2 Comments

  1. Lisa
    August 10, 2018 / 2:17 pm

    Haha this is so funny because I’m cabin crew in NZ and stay in Christchurch all the time but it’s fun to see a review from your perspective because you’re not from here 🙂 I always get coffee from the Caffeine Laboratory cafe too and it’s great! Glad you enjoyed 🙂

    • thedubaidiaries
      Author
      August 31, 2018 / 12:04 pm

      Ahh that’s so cool! I’ve just got back from another trip there and we went to Akaroa which was amazing 🙂

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