New Zealand had always been on my bucket-list to visit mainly to see the Banks Peninsula in Christchurch and an few more little towns and we were so happy to finally be here in Christchurch. The flight from Sydney to New Zealand, Christchurch was just over 3 hours and for us been Australian citizens we do not need a visa to enter New Zealand which made visiting New Zealand much more convenient.
The Banks Peninsula in Christchurch came about with many volcanic irruption's between approximately eleven and eight million years ago with some volcanoes reaching to about 1,500 meters above sea level, thus forming bays, lakes, beaches and tall lush green mountains and forests which makes New Zealand what it is today an amazing non ending healthy hilly green mountainous country.
The Banks Peninsula is near Christchurch on the eastern coast of the South Island, you can either drive along the Banks Peninsula stopping along various lookout points to take in the breathtaking landscapes, beaches and bays, this drive will take you through the historical towns of Akaroa and Lyttelton or you can take the many vast network of walking trails which cover an area of 1,300 square km that's a few weeks of hiking if you like to see it that way, we ended up hiring a car which was more convenient for us as we were not intending to stay for weeks but, I sure would have loved to hike some of them trails just say I walked some of them mountains, also you get to see lots of wildlife along these trails, maybe another time we will stay longer.
The Banks Peninsula.
One thing you need to experience and do when your in Christchurch, is the Gondola ride it runs for a staggering 1.8 km the longest in New Zealand, giving you 360 degree stunning unique views of the city and Lyttelton Harbor till as far as you eyes can see all the way out to the Port Hills, an experience you will never forget and the Gondola is an very comfortable 4 seat cabin ride feeling completely safe. There is also a restaurant and coffee shop if you just want to sit eat and enjoy the views.
Christchurch Gondola Ride.
After spending a couple days enjoying the Banks Peninsula and the stunning views from the Gondola, we decided to explore Christchurch city itself and we found the best and most convenient way, to do this was by heritage city tour trams, you can buy an all day ticket and use it as a, all-day hop-on hop-off ticket. It was cloudy and it did rain for a little, but it made the ride even more cozy and comfortable.
City Tram Tour.
There are 17 Tram stops and you can hop of and hop on anywhere you like in between those 17 stops, the Tram ride will take you through the center of the city where there are many shopping plazas, bars and eateries if you are feeling like some shopping or your belly is rumbling, the next stop was the Canterbury Museum and Arts Center if you were into that.
Canterbury Museum and Arts Center.
We decided on the Botanic Gardens, it's located in the central city and by the time we got there we had a blue sky again, here you will see all the colorful flowers that were in season at the time and you could also take a boat ride along the Avon River that runs through the Botanic Gardens or have lunch and or coffee at there many cafe shops in the park, enjoy the views and fragrance of the seasonal flowers.
Botanic Gardens, Christchurch.
After lunch you can take a walk around the Botanic Gardens admiring all the beautiful gardens of flowers and they even have vegetable and fruit gardens along the banks of the Avon River.
Once we had spend a few hours at the Botanic Gardens we took the Tram back though the other side of the city towards our hotel but on the way the Tram took us through the devastated part of the city which was ruined in the 2011 Earthquake. In the CBD 70% of the buildings were demolished or restored after the earthquake.
The Central Cathedral in Christchurch.
Avon River in Christchurch.
We also decided to take a drive out to Hanmer Springs which is a small town located about 130 km out of Christchurch, it's a beautiful resort town, it was very relaxing here we could could sit by the hot spa pools at the resort we were staying and just do nothing or if you were adventurous it's a great place for hiking the town is surrounded by lush green dramatic mountains and towering lush green forests we did take a few walks through the forest, it was just an unbelievable feeling been amongst this nature so peaceful and tranquil.
Hanmer Springs Town New Zealand.
Hanmer Springs Town was just breathtaking everywhere we drove we could not believe how green with nature this town was never had we seen such a deep green healthy looking country side it was like someone had taken to this town with a green brush the air was so crisp and clean to breath one reason for that, was we were there in October just coming to the end of winter you could still see some snow on the mountains and the smell of the whole town was just like smelling Pine trees all day, really was a charming town the main street was filled with boutique shops, cafes and eateries and lots of friendly town people to welcome you, one place I could find myself easily retired.
