Kathleen & Dimitri
Things To Do
Ōtautahi Christchurch - to do
Our favourite things in Ōtautahi Christchurch: - Visit Riverside Market for a bite. - Walk in the Botanic Gardens and grab a coffee at the Ilex Cafe. - Visit New Brighton - swim at the He Puna Taimoana hot pools and walk on the beach/pier. - Walk on the Port Hills: the Crater Rim walkway has incredible views of Banks Peninsula, Victoria Park to Sign of the Kiwi is family friendly and has an ice-cream stop, or for something short and sweet (read: steep) take the Bridle Path to the top of the hills or down into Lyttleton Harbour. - Visit a market: the Christchurch Farmers Market at Riccarton House and Bush and the Lyttleton Farmers Market are both fun on a Saturday morning. - Walk around the central city and see the Christchurch Cathedral and some funky street art. - Visit the Canterbury Museum (under renovation). - Visit Ravenscar House or the Art Gallery. - Visit the Antarctic Centre. - Play at the Margaret Mahy children's playground.
Ōtautahi Christchurch - where to eat
Good places to grab a bite/drink: - Riverside Market has a mix of food stalls from different cuisines - Dimitri's souvlaki is a Christchurch classic, Shaka Bros for burgers and the Butcher's Pie Shop is great for pies $ - Nicer eats: King of Snake has tasty modern Asian cuisine, 5th Street, or the Athens Yacht Club for fancy Greek $$$ - Cheaper eats: The Afghan Restaurant - it's not consistently open (you'll need to check their Facebook page) and you don't get to choose what you eat, but it's delicious, Saket Indian Restaurant or Coriander's for a curry, ChiChi Kitchen for a pasta $-$$ - Drinks: Punky Brewster (for NZ craft beers), Pink Lady (fantastic view), The Last Word (whisky bar), or any of the bars on the Terrace $$ - Brunch: Little Poms, Hello Sunday, Miro $-$$ - Bakeries: Grizzly Bakery, Bellbird, Bohemian Bakery, Butter [Compiled and approved by James Lange]
Milford Sound / Piopiotahi
Milford Sound in Fiordland National Park takes a bit of effort to get to, but is well worth it! We would recommend a bus day tour from Queenstown so you can take in the scenery on the drive, and experience Milford Sound with a boat ride.
Lake Tekapo
Lake Tekapo is known for its gorgeous colour and is a UNESCO Dark Sky Reserve, making it great for stargazing (when the weather allows!) Lake Tekapo is Dimitri's favourite - the hike to the top of the observatory is terrific, it isn't overbuilt, and the planetarium is fun!
Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park
Aoraki/Mount Cook is New Zealand's tallest mountain and is part of the Southern Alps. Stay in Mount Cook Village and go for a hike/tramp in the national park, which has many other peaks, glaciers, and lakes to enjoy.
Abel Tasman National Park
Abel Tasman National Park has stunning walks and beautiful beaches (with chilly water!) The Tasman region is known for growing some of the world's best hops and is the best place to get real fruit ice-cream.
Punakaiki
The wild West Coast features dramatic seascapes, whitebait fritters, Punakaiki with its distinctive pancake rock formations and plenty of sandflies (you'll need insect repellent!) Stay in Hokitika, south of Punakaiki, and check out the local pounamu (greenstone) carvers.
Agrodome
Tour a working farm and check out the skills of Kiwi farmers! We really enjoyed meeting the sheep dogs and seeing all the types of sheep.
Rotorua
Rotorua is known for its geothermal activity (giant geysers!) and resulting sulphuric smells. We recommend visiting the Agrodome and Te Puia!
Hanmer Springs
Hanmer Springs has great walks, natural geothermal hot pools (including some with a rather pronounced sulphur smell), plus a really great dumpling restaurant (MK Restaurant) that serves a combination of European and Asian dumplings. Seriously, they're really good!
Wānaka
Kathleen: Wanaka is a beautiful holiday town which has great breweries, wineries and lovely scenery. Dimitri: Wanaka is a lake town full of retiree houses and ski cabins. You won't find much to do that isn't natural, but you can expect to pay a lot of money for a cup of coffee.
Blue Pools
The Blue Pools are located between Franz Josef Glacier and Wanaka. Go for a dip - the water is chilly, but incredibly clear.
Cardrona Hotel
The Cardrona Hotel is a great stop between Queenstown and Wanaka. Enjoy a pint or a glass of New Zealand wine in their lovely garden.
Queenstown
New Zealand's adventure capital with gorgeous scenery! Take a Gondola to the top and race on the luge track. King Made Noodles Queenstown has delicious spicy noodles and Ferg Burger/Ferg Bakery are classics (we recommend the bakery over the burger!)
Waipara
Located just 45 mins drive from Christchurch, the Waipara region is home to many fantastic wineries. We really enjoyed visiting Terrace Edge (delicious sweeter wines) and The Bone Line (drier wines) wineries. Black Estate Wines also has a stunning aspect and a lovely cellar door restaurant.
Coromandel Peninsula
You can snorkel around here and you're likely to see a lot of fish! Fun for fish lovers. Fish haters don't bother! Great beaches - we recommend doing a boat tour!
Hamilton Gardens
The best garden we have ever been to! Amazing garden design - every section has a different theme, Italian renaissance, Indian, Ancient Egyptian...We highly recommend a visit!