Jailhouse Rock

Trip Start Sep 10, 2008
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Trip End Sep 03, 2009


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Flag of New Zealand  , South Island,
Saturday, February 28, 2009

Forget paying hundreds of dollars for a scenic flight, fly between  Auckland and Christchurch on a sunny day and get one for a fraction of the price! The flight was truly stunning, and it was a beautiful day for it. It gave me my first glimpse at the New Zealand countryside, and I certainly wasn't disappointed! I had a very chatty driver on my way into the city, who was very friendly and gave me loads of information. He was practically running his own tourist info on wheels, and had enough brochures to rival anyone! Christchurch itself is meant to be the most English city in New Zealand, and is in fact meant to be more English than England itself. A beautiful cathedral stands proud in the centre of the city and is next to a sight-seeing tram that does a little loop around the place.

My bed for the night was in jail. OK, not literally, but in fact the hostel I was staying in used to be a jail, the cells had been converted into the rooms and the old internal structure has been kept in tact, just given a lick of white paint to freshen it up Jailhouse toilet
Jailhouse toilet
 . It definitely goes down as one of the most innovative hostels I've ever stayed in, although the bedbugs that attacked me during my stay were a bit of a let down!

Personally, I didn't really notice the Britishness of the place. Possibly because I'm British, but the blue skies don't really remind me of home, even if the temperature isn't far off. I guess the trams look a bit like they were nicked from Blackpool, but thats exactly how they look, like they were taken from somewhere else and plonked into the city centre, running endlessly round a little circular track which is so small because it doesn't really have anywhere else to go. Not that I'm complaining, it was all rather cute, and I was really taken by all the craft markets, the architecture and the sweet little street with pastel coloured buildings. I was lucky to be here on a day where there seemed to be a lot going on. There were opera singers in the square, followed by a group of Maori dancers, giving a great performance under the shadow of the Cathedral spire. The Cathedral itself is stunning, particularly its rose window. Overall, Christchurch seems like a great place to be. I was certainly looking forwards to my return visit.
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