In and around Christchurch

Considering it was noon in Georgia, my body awoke at 6 a.m. here yesterday. No need to waste the morning, so a walk through Hagley Park was in order. A mere five-minute walk from my hotel, Hagley adjoins the west edge of central Christchurch. The immense paved walkways overlook the park’s lakes, golf course, and soccer fields. And unlike many city parks in the States, no homeless people slept on the benches and trash was nonexistent. The only dilemma: which side of the path to walk on. Road paintings contradicted each other, some guiding walkers to the left and others to the right. No one I passed seemed to know either, as they walked on both sides.

My pasty white skin yearned for some sun. Off to Taylors Mistake. A beach that is, despite the unsuggestive name. Plenty of empty sand in the early afternoon, prior to the influx of locals, yielded a play place for paddleball with my new friends Tee and Wes. The chilly water felt like that at Maine’s Acadia National Park in the summer or like jumping in a lake during late fall. Completely worth the chill bumps to body surf some waves. Watching the hang gliders taking off from nearby peaks and flying overhead increased my desire to test out this adventure activity.

Just a 20-minute drive away and linked to Christchurch via a road tunnel, the town of Lyttelton holds the area’s harbor and delicious ice cream. In the heart of town, Empire General Store’s ice cream options range from boysenberry to chocolate fudge. At the recommendation of Tee, I opted for Gold Rush, a butter cream flavor with crispy chocolate chunks.

Back in the city, the eating continued with dinner at Portofino, an Italian restaurant on the Avon River, which looks like a creek. I couldn’t finish my generous serving of rigatoni with spinach, sundried tomatoes, and cream sauce. I learned that New Zealand wine lives up to its reputation with some Allan Scott Chardonnay.

The nightlife had just started at 205 bar. The exposed brick walls and long drapes surrounding nooks of seating created a cozy interior for drinks. Jetlag caught up with me shortly thereafter, culminating my night back in my tiny Hotel So room….more on the accommodations later.

Pictured: Taylors Mistake