Enjoy a sunrise soak and mocktail at He Puna Taimoana hot pools. Photo / ChristchurchNZ
Street art, wildlife encounters, hot pools by the beach – Christchurch is bursting with family adventures you won’t find anywhere else, writes Jesse Mulligan.
I’d visited Christchurch earlier in the year for a conference and felt envious of the delegates who’d brought their families along. “This city has such a vibe!” I kept saying to anyone who’d listen, and I’m not sure anyone knew what I meant, including me. On this return trip, five Mulligans in tow, I found someone able to finally put it into words for me.
“After the earthquake, nothing was rebuilt over a few storeys high,” said Reuben Woods, whose company Watch This Space hosts tours of the city’s impressive street art scene. “It means we get lots of sky and lots of light, no matter where you are.” That rebuild continues, and every so often, one of the giant murals is obscured by a new office block. But that’s a feature, not a bug.
“Artists paint these works knowing they’re not forever,” Reuben says, handing my daughter a spray can at a DIY tagging zone. One of the biggest and most impressive murals is of a ballerina, but now there’s only one place to see her properly – from the top of the slide tower at the Margaret Mahy Playground.
“Fading middle-aged celebrity spotted climbing in children’s playground” is not a headline I want to see, so I send my kids up the tower instead. Afterwards, Reuben walks us to a pop-up outdoor dancefloor where anybody can hook up their music and boogie beneath the mirror ball. It’s the sort of left-field project that comes when you have open-minded city planners and lots of empty lots to fill. Reuben, who wrote his doctoral thesis on Christchurch urban art, is an engaging communicator who demystifies the city’s paintings and installations without ever dumbing down.
The sparkling new CBD (best explored initially by tram) has had plenty of attention, but locals know there’s also gold in the hills. Crater Rim Walks collects us from the hotel and takes us up towards the old road to Lyttelton, where dozens of walking tracks offer views over the city. A very gentle workout takes us through the bush and up to the summit of Sugar Loaf hill, where we can see the South Island’s eastern coast stretch up towards Kaikōura. We stop for a round of iced chocolates at Sign of the Kiwi Cafe, then walk back to the carpark, passing dozens of happy dog walkers and cyclists along the way.
New Zealanders can be reluctant to spend money on a walking guide – the DIY spirit in us is strong – but I must say that when you add up the door-to-door service, the local information, the packs stocked with food and drink and the fact that my wife and I didn’t spend the whole time arguing over where we were on a smartphone map, a guide is great value. There’s something really different about just enjoying the walk and letting somebody else soak up the admin.
We split the family up at one point, sending the girls and their mother to the International Antarctic Centre while I take the boys to Willowbank Wildlife Reserve. We always enjoy a zoo but this one is a little special, with paper bags of food for birds and farm animals available to purchase upon entry. We love the freedom of being able to pat and feed almost all of the animals we saw, however, you’ll need a special ticket to do what we do and enter the capybara enclosure, where these giant rodents (this makes them sound like a Princess Bride horror show, when really they’re more like big, cuddly guinea pigs) eat apple and lettuce leaves out of your hand as you scratch them under the chin.
While my wife grills the poor Antarctic Centre guy on geopolitics, Hazel and Daisy escape to the storm room, where you can experience the feel and temperature of a bad day on the ice. They seek refuge in an igloo and learn something about relative heat exposure, which they are unwilling to expand upon for their father’s benefit, though we do have a good chat about the penguins, who put on a show for human spectators at dinner time.
I could probably sell tickets to watch our family eat dinner too, though it would be a comedy rather than a documentary. Getting four kids fed is a mission at home, but restaurant dining is another challenge altogether. I find children’s menus to be a rare thing in Christchurch, but most restaurants were very welcoming. Recommended is Riverside Markets, a sort of fancy food court where everyone can order whatever they want; Bar Yoku, a lovely Japanese eatery that specialises in “sushi tacos”; and Manu, a lush and friendly Asian-fusion restaurant suitable for older children. Child Sister is a brilliant brunch spot just a stone’s throw from the famous Margaret Mahy Playground.
Our final morning in the city is spent soaking in the hot pools at He Puna Taimoana, a stunning outdoor complex overlooking the beach in New Brighton. The surrounding suburb has had its ups and downs, but these council-owned pools have been a great economic boost – the manager tells me Eftpos receipts are up $200,000 a month since the He Puna opened. With multiple pools, a steam room and a sauna, the complex aims to democratise luxury. It’s a wonderful place to be first thing on a cold morning, and afterwards we buy coffees from the adjoining cafe, watch our kids enjoying the playground, then walk out past the fishers to the end of the famous pier.
In the afternoon, we drive an hour north of the city to wine country. You will know better than I how well your kids will do at a winery, but ours are used to making their own fun while Mum and Dad swill. Black Estate is a more upmarket restaurant experience, but is family-run and family-friendly – you can usually get an off-menu pie or similar if you’re not looking for the full bistro experience. Pegasus Bay takes a little more finding but is well worth the effort – huge grounds and beautiful gardens are worth the trip alone, and if you ask the staff at the deli they’ll set you up to feed the eels and local salmon, an experience your children are sure to remember for a long time. Pegasus is less about fancy lunches and more about informality – a picnic spread on the lawn or, if you time it right, you can take part in their annual “round the vines” fun run event, which raises money for charity.
“I hope our plane is cancelled”, says one of my kids glumly as we drove out to the airport to catch our flight home.
“Maybe I could go to Canterbury University?” says another.
“I could imagine moving down here,” my wife agrees.
Christchurch does that to you. Right now, it has an energy and momentum unmatched by any New Zealand city, and things are only set to get better. More and more major events are being announced in the region, a new covered stadium will open in less than a year and international visitors are staying longer – no longer just treating the city as a gateway to the snow.
There is something here for everyone – having been through more than most, the residents of Christchurch deserve the beautiful city they’ve created.
The writer stayed at Hotel Montreal and was supported by ChristchurchNZ.