Canterbury Museum

It was a cold rainy day so where better to go than to the Museum!

Unfortunately, nearly half of Christchurch and three quarters of all the tourists in town that day had the same idea. The place was heaving!

However, it was great.

I love the museum - it's such an interesting place to visit. The kids and I usually try to go along a couple of times a year, and even though it's usually always the same exhibits, it never gets boring.

We usually park in the Botanic Gardens carpark (free for up to 3 hours, and even if you stay longer there is no-one watching as far as I can see...) and walk through the gardens to the museum (about 5 to 10 minutes).

Once inside we go through the early New Zealand and Maori exhibits - the displays are always excellent!

Then we head through the old Christchurch streetscape, through the transport section, and we zip upstairs to the Egyptology, geology and dinosaur exhibits.

All of these different areas have plenty of hands-on stuff for the kids to enjoy - they get to sit on a horse in the old Christchurch street and go inside an olden-days toy shop. They get to ride in an old carriage and sit on a penny farthing in the transport section. There are magnet headdresses to put onto Egyptian pharoahs and you can touch meteorites and quartz in the geology section.

Then you come to the Discovery room - it is an added extra, especially for kids, and it costs $2 per person (free for under 3s). It is well worth it. (You can also pay an annual membership, about $15 if I remember rightly, which gives you unlimited access for the year).

We easily spend up to an hour in the Discovery Room - there are puzzles, books, magazines, toys, and a myriad of stuffed animals and pinned insects and butterflies to look at. My favourites are the jars upon jars of preserved specimens, including animal foetuses and even a human hand! The kids particularly like the animal figurines and the hands-on activities. We both really like opening up all the many specimen drawers to see what's inside.

My only complaint with the Discovery Room is the computers - they are loaded with The Magic Schoolbus games, but every single time we've tried to use them they seem to go SOOOOO SLOWWWWW. Plus the volume is set very low and we usually end up giving up in frustration after a few minutes.

Continuing on around the museum, there's the bird hall - always interesting. Then there's the boring room of Asian artifacts. Then there's the very interesting Canterbury environment exhibits - I always want to spend ages reading every single panel, but the kids always hurry me along as they're not that keen.

Last but not least is the Antarctic exhibit. Now, having just been to the Antarctic Centre a couple of weeks ago, I have to say that this exhibit is great. Save your money and just visit the museum instead.


Then there's the Museum Cafe. I have got good memories of this cafe - when I was a bored younger mother with two toddlers in a pram we used to come here during the quiet weekdays. The large picture windows give a lovely view of the Botanic Gardens and there were magazines for me to read while sipping my coffee. Plus there was a fantastic kids' play area, complete with baby friendly options also.

Then came this latest visit. Hmmmm.

Admittedly, it was a VERY busy Sunday afternoon. There were only two young women behind the counter, both working flat out, trying to serve the long queue. Unfortunately this meant that the cafe was disgustingly dirty. None of the girls had a chance to come out to clear and wipe tables. Every table was laden with dirty dishes.

I ordered a mocha coffee, which took about 10 minutes to arrive (due to the woman making coffees being snowed under in orders). It was the worst coffee ever. Luke warm, with a huge solid lump of grainy chocolate (inedible) at the bottom which made the last quarter of the cup undrinkable.

We also had a piece of chocolate fudge cake. Seeing as it was obviously made earlier in the day I figured it couldn't go wrong, right? Wrong. Worst fudge cake ever. It was disgusting and had the texture of sawdust.

I could have gone and complained, but those poor girls looked very unhappy to be there anyway. We just quietly left.


So that was my only disappointment, and it was a REAL disappointment after my previously good encounters in this cafe.


But overall, the museum is GREAT.


Cost - FREE!!!! (Donations accepted). $2 per person for the Discovery Room.

Allow - 2 hours minimum, but you could easily spend 3 - 4 hours there.

Location - Rolleston Ave, central Christchurch.

Visit the website for more information!

The Antarctic Centre

I must say in advance that I've always been a bit biased against the Antarctic Centre, ever since the first time I ever went there, in about 1997. I couldn't believe then that I had to pay the HUGE sum of about $12 to get into what I thought was nothing more than a boring museum about snow. Hmmph!

So over the past ten years I've refused to go back. "Overpriced!" I'd mutter. "Boring!" I'd snarl. "Tourist entrapment!" I'd yell.

But finally we decided to go for a visit, mainly because my five year old son had been BEGGING me to take him, so that he could see the penguins (he's a wildlife nut). And the reason that finally broke down my defences was that there was a half price special for locals on. So, I gritted my teeth, bundled the 5 year old boy and the 4 year old girl into the car, and off we went.

My first impressions were AWFUL. As I pulled into the carpark I nearly had a fit when I realised that you now have to "Pay and Display". This is a new thing, it certainly hadn't been there a couple of years ago when I came out here. I was LIVID.

I left the carpark immediately, deciding to park on the street. Well, that was no good, as there were now yellow no-parking lines everywhere. I could possibly have got a free park a few kilometres away if I really wanted to. Muttering murderously I reluctantly returned to the carpark.

I calmed down a bit once I went to put my money into the machine. Firstly, it was only $1 an hour, which wasn't exorbitant (I was fully expecting the centre to be charging something crazy like $4 an hour). Secondly, I only had a $20 note on me, which the machine didn't accept, but a nice woman gave me a couple of dollars and said "Enjoy yourselves!" I know she's not part of the Antarctic Centre's experience, but hey, she made me feel better.

(In hindsight I realise why the Centre has to now charge for carparking - the airport is only a ten minute walk away and I'm sure that they would have been having problems with people parking at the centre for free and then walking to the airport).

We went in and paid our money. The four year old was free (free for under 5s), the five year old cost $10 and I cost $15. Remember, this was half price admission - it would normally have been $50 for us to get in.

We headed straight to the penguin room, as they were being fed. My son was initially disappointed as the penguins were Little Blue Penguins. I guess he had been expecting Emperor Penguins or something! But the penguins were cute, and the viewing rooms gave views both above and below water, from three different angles, so that was cool.

We then went back to the Snow and Ice Room. We put on our warm jackets and overshoes (provided) and went in. It was cold. It was about minus 8 degrees celsius in there. There was an ice slide, that looked rather dangerous to me, but the kids seemed to enjoy it. There was also an igloo thing and a Antarctic tent. Then there was a countdown to the "storm", which built up slowly to a crescendo of wind and temperatures dropping to minus 20. It was a bit scary for my four year old, but it was exciting nonetheless.

Back out again, the rest of the time was spent looking at the static displays. There's heaps to look at, and a LOT of information about Antarctica and Scott Base in particular. My kids weren't into reading up all the scientific information on the display boards so we skimmed most of it and focussed on the visual displays. My son liked the Antarctic aquarium as well, with its non-moving fish and starfish.

The car parking machine had suggested that most people stay at the centre for three hours. I only paid for two hours, as I know my kids. I was right - we left after being in the Centre for an hour and 45 minutes. If you were to read every information panel you could easily be there for three hours.

Our admission was just the basic one. You can also pay more and get a ride on a Hagglund (overland transport truck used in the Antarctic). You can also pay more and actually go inside the penguin enclosure with the keepers. See the website for more information on these.


So, what did I think? Was it worth the price we paid?

Well, it was okay. I paid $25 for the three of us, and I felt it was only slightly overpriced. If I had paid $50 I would have felt ripped off.

I think that if you are REALLY interested in Antarctica and the scientific side of what happens down there, then you'll love it and will find it value for money.

I like the Snow and Ice Room - that's a great idea (except the ice slide) and the storm is good. The penguins are a nice addition.

But in general? Well, let me just say that we won't be visiting again for another ten years (time to save up).



For more info visit the Antarctic Centre's website.

Antarctic Centre - half price for locals in June 08

I've been wanting to go to the Antarctic Centre for ages (mainly because my 5 year old son keeps pestering me about seeing penguins) but the exorbitant (in my opinion, anyway) cost has always made me balk.

BUT! For the month of June 2008 the centre is offering half price admission for local residents, which makes the prospect of a day out much more affordable.

Just take along some proof of your local resident status (power bills with your address, library card, etc) and make the most of the offer. I'll be going along later this month and giving my opinion.

(And just for future reference, the Antarctic Centre's website has a page on it specifically for local special deals - yes, they do have them occasionally!)

Christchurch Activities - an overview

Things to do in and around Christchurch are endless, and the beauty of it is they are all easily accessible from the central city. Many attractions offer bus shuttle services which leave from the Christchurch Visitor Information Centre – could it be any easier?

The city’s major attraction is the Christchurch Gondola, which is located high in the Port Hills, with the awesome views overlooking Christchurch, Banks Peninsula and the massive expanse of the Canterbury Plains. On a crisp, clear winter morning you can take in the impressive spectacle of the mighty Southern Alps as they rise steeply to contrast their snowy white peaks against the lush patterns of the plains.

A great trek for the energetic thrillseekers is to go mountain biking and paragliding from the top of Mount Cavendish. Take a mountain bike trip from the summit and wind your way all the way downhill. From the top of Mt Cavendish you can also go paragliding which will take you soaring in to land on the white sandy Sumner beach. New Zealand is renowned for making tourists more adventurous. If you have no experience paragliding don’t let this hold you back. Tandem paragliding flights offer the best view of Christchurch and it will be an experience you will never forget. Paragliding is safe for all ages and requires absolutely no experience as your instructor will be in full control of your wing - all you have to do is hang in the harness and enjoy the view!

For the less adventurous walking along the rim of the Port Hills or down to the town of Lyttelton which is a little over a half an hour's stroll from the summit and it's all downhill. Or you could simply sit and admire the views whilst dining in the Gondola's cafe or fully licensed restaurant.

Just a short hop from the base of the Christchurch Gondola is the Ferrymead Historical Park. The park is a re-creation of a New Zealand town as it would have existed during the middle of last century. It was at this park that the recently re-established trams in downtown Christchurch were restored to the point where they could once again be used for public use. There is always a lot of restoration work going on at Ferrymead Historical Park and you may be able to catch sight of some of this in the workshops of the park.

Accommodation in Christchurch is plentiful for all tastes and budgets, including a range of hostels, hotels, motels, holiday parks, and lodges.



GUEST POST, submitted by David from http://www.kiwiaccommodation.com/