Our cruise ship docked in Lyttleton where we caught a bus to Christchurch about twenty-five minutes away.  We settled on a narrated tram ride to start our adventure around the ‘most English of New Zealand Cities.’ Had we known how short the ride would be, we probably would have opted for the self-guided walk. However, we gained a tidbit of titillating information from our female narrator: When the temperature climbs to 25 degrees (about 80 Fahrenheit), tram drivers remove their ties. On the very rare occasion it soars to 30 (about 90 degrees) they take off their shirts.  She assured us that happens only infrequently, but she didn't clarify whether the no-shirt policy applied to female drivers. Too bad it wasn’t expected to get to above 15 today (about 60 degrees Fahrenheit). Had the weather been more accommodating, this ride could have been the highlight of Bob’s day.

Tram ride: As the weather heats up the drivers take off their ties and shirts

 New Zealanders looking forward to World Cup 2011

Downtown Square of Christchurch

Metal Sculpture in Christchurch Square

We are taking pictures of every statue we meet. By the time we return to California we may forget who most of these guys are, and be forced to put together a photo display calling them a bunch of statues that we can't identify. Today we snapped Robert Scot, who froze to death circumnavigating the South Pole. I should be able to pick him out of the crowd because his will be the only statue sculpted with a parka and a hood drawn tight around his face.

Robert Scot, Circumnavigated the South Pole

I decided today might be a day to purchase a few souvenirs. We stopped at the gift shop adjacent to the Visitor's Center where a necklace caught my eye. There was a collection of jewelry marked “SALE” but this particular piece wasn't included. I asked, “How much for this one?” The salesperson spoke limited English and I didn’t speak his native tongue.  I looked at the necklace imploringly, and he said, “Not on sale.   $100.”

I didn't say anything, but kept wandering around. “Today $20.” he said.  I still said nothing.  “If you take it without a box, just $10.” He was now speaking my price and I bought it.

Visitor Center, Information and a gift shop

It was time to get serious about seeing the highlights of Christchurch, starting with the fabulous Te Puna o Waiwhetu Art Gallery, built at a cost of $49,000,000. The cultural heart of the city, the gallery opened in 2003 and is the repository for New Zealand’s most important public art collections.  The amazing glass work on the facade accounted for much of the expense. The name Te Puna honors waipuna, the artesian spring on the site and Waiwhetu comes from the name of one of the main tributaries in the area, but it may also be translated as ‘water in which the stars are reflected’. The largest art institution on the South Island, the facility offers two floors of exhibition space and a sculpture garden. You can also relax and reflect on what you have seen at the café and wine bar, or pick up an artsy souvenir at the gift shop.

Magnificent glass façade of the Te Puna o Waiwhetu Art Gallery

Sculptures in front of the Christchurch Art Gallery

In one of the first galleries we wandered, I was intrigued by a sculpture I would describe as ‘white on white globs of something that looked like marshmallow cream’.  It was fascinating to look at, but if the curators offered it to me as a gift, I would have had to graciously decline. It would take too much space in my condo, and more importantly, I don’t think I could bask in its glory every morning of my life. 

In another gallery I gazed at a huge oil painting I saw as ‘Two Crows (or vultures, it wasn't real clear) Fighting’.  The accompanying description formally called it ‘Still Dangerous’, and suggested it made a political statement. It was too subtle for me. Moving to the next gallery we viewed a large oil painting of many towel bars.

The Te Puna o Waiwhetu is an architecturally stunning gallery with interesting exhibits, but it was time to move on to the Canterbury Museum, where we peered at New Zealand through the eyes of its first people, the Tangata Whenua, (in the Iwi Tawhito and Ngâ Taonga galleries). A short visit to the lost world of the extinct moa and a walk down the fashion aisle of the 1870 Mountfort Gallery (where we checked the glamour of days gone by) were other highlights of our stop at this free museum.

Interesting Exhibit at the Canterbury Museum

The Iwi Tawhito and Ngâ Taonga galleries at the Canterbury Museum pay tribute to the first people

Artifact from culture of first people

Outside, an hour later, we wandered through the gorgeous Christchurch Anglican Gardens. Our pictures of the giant trees and vibrant flowers cannot do justice to the real thing. We passed many sidewalk musicians and even a few cloggers. The city came alive with activity and we stood for a while watching chess players lost in their sidewalk game.

A tree large enough to shade an army

Another entrance to the gardens

Fountain at the Christchurch Anglican Gardens

Beautifully colored flower gardens of the Christchurch Anglican Gardens

A tree trunk that is almost a piece of art

Webbed admirers of the Christchurch Anglican Gardens

Beauty everywhere you look

Chess in the center of the city

We have visited churches and cathedrals at every stop of our Australian and New Zealand holiday and it would have been wrong to overlook the Victorian Gothic Christchurch Anglican Cathedral in the center of the city. Like all Cathedrals, it was spectacular, and a knowledgeable tour guide explained the history and pointed out the most impressive aspects of construction. Like with the gardens, a photo reducing this majestic cathedral to two dimensions cannot properly capture its beauty.

The morning’s adventures had moved along faster than we thought they would, so with a couple of hours to spare we decided to take a gondola ride to the top of the highest mountain in Christchurch. Although an afterthought, it will remain a highlight of our Christchurch visit because it afforded mesmerizing panoramic views, Christchurch to one side and Lyttleton to the other. From our perch on the high top deck we drank a beer and watched paragliders drop from the clouds. We spotted our cruise ship in the distance and again shook off the urge to let it depart without us. New Zealand is far more spectacular than we dreamed.

Views from the mountain

Riding up to the mountain

Julie Albrecht Royce, Travel Adventures Editor, is the author of Traveling Michigan's Sunset Coast and Traveling Michigan's Thumb, both published by Thunder Bay Press. She writes a monthly column for Wandering Educators.

Feature photo: Lyttleton, New Zealand

All photos courtesy and copyright Bob & Julie Royce