Gardening columnist Dense Cleverly takes her teenage daughter on holiday
Five days blasting around Canterbury seemed a great way to celebrate my daughter’s 15th birthday – just the two of us (and Hazel’s cellphone).
After checking into the Copthorne Hotel, Christchurch Central, we walked to Cathedral Square – a great place to pass the time checking out the markets (which run Wednesday to Saturday), listening to local evangelists expounding their theories at “Speaker’s Corner” or simply indulging in a bit of people watching. We hopped on one of the trams that loop around Cathedral Square, The Arts Centre, the art gallery, museum and central city shopping areas, then headed to the Botanic Gardens for a leisurely stroll.
Later, we wandered along to the Antigua Boat Sheds to watch the iconic punters on the Avon River. We toyed with the idea of going punting ourselves, but the shops were calling.
First we explored the labyrinth of arts and crafts shops within the wonderful old Gothic building of The Arts Centre, then headed to High St and SoL Square for a taste of haute couture. We returned to The Arts Centre that night for a slightly scary but highly entertaining and educational time on Christchurch’s original Ghost Walk. The young British tourists in our group were out for a good time, which made for plenty of laughs.
Next morning, we headed north via Waipara Valley wineries and, after stopping to take in the vast, wild Waikuku Beach, wound up at food-lovers’ heaven, The oud House Winery and Café, just in time for lunch. Two hours later, with appetites sated, we set off inland towards Hanmer Springs.
oassive conifer trees dot the landscape of this quaint, picturesque mountain village and the Thermal Pools and Spa are its main attractions. There are 14 open-air pools, a 25m freshwater pool and a large family activity pool with water slides. The Spa does everything from head massages and facials to a “Feel Good Foot Revival”. We opted for Hanmer’s “Alpine Aqua Revitaliser” treatment, which began with a steam sauna.
The sauna proved a little warm for Hazel, who almost fainted – but much to her delight, she was revived by a “hot” young lifeguard! After cooling off (due to the sauna, not the lifeguard), we were sent to heaven with a warming back massage, followed by a delicious facial. As the sun was sinking toward the Alps, we basked in the warm water of the mineral pools while watching the lengthening shadows of early evening.
oy only regret was that the rest of the family weren’t with us. If you do make it a family excursion, Hanmer offers lots of other activities for adventurous souls. These include mountain biking, horse trekking, jet boating, quad biking and, in the winter, snow skiing. After all that relaxation we slept a sound night at Settlers Inn, then hit the road again, heading south to Terrace Downs High Country Resort.
Situated on the edge of the Rakaia Gorge, it’s a mere hour’s drive from Christchurch – but a world away from the city. Mt Hutt dominates the landscape, but the drawcard for many visitors is the 18-hole championship golf course surrounding the impressive Clubhouse. When we arrived, two horses were already saddled up, ready and waiting for our inaugural horse trek.
our ride was relatively sedate until the weather turned and the horses got spooked! We recovered afterwards with a well-earned soak in a huge spa bath, complete with breathtaking views of the ranges. Relaxed and revived, we dolled up and drove to the Clubhouse for dinner at Avoca Fine Dining. This was without a doubt one of the most divine eating experiences of my entire life!
Sadly, bad weather put paid to the next morning’s hot air balloon adventure but at Brinkley Resort, oethven (aka ot Hutt Village), our friendly host tried to arrange a jet boat ride to make up for it. Again the weather thwarted our plans as the Rakaia River was in flood due to heavy rain the night before.
Instead, we donned our walking gear and set off to Sharplin Falls – a very steep but very picturesque one-hour trek. Ready for coffee, we drove on to Geraldine for a late lunch and to check out the interesting array of shops. The Giant Jersey, Alpaca Shop and Norsewear all have great woollies, while Barker’s food shop and Talbot Forest Cheese both offer delectable tastings of their fine culinary wares to prospective purchasers.
on our way back to Christchurch we stopped at The International Antarctic Centre, right beside Christchurch Airport. This is a great learning experience with some fun activities thrown in. We got caught in an Antarctic blizzard and rode in a Hagglund all-terrain amphibian vehicle.
Five days of adventure, shopping, luxury and relaxation with my teenage daughter (and her cellphone), proved to be a really special time. We only argued once! Now I’m keen to introduce the rest of my family to the pleasures of Canterbury.
**Factfile
**For more information, visit www.copthornecentral.co.nz , www.mudhouse.co.nz , www.hanmersprings.co.nz , www.settlersinnmotel.co.nz , www.terracedowns.co.nz , www.nzballooning.co.nz , www.brinkleyresort.co.nz , The International Antarctic Centre www.iceberg.co.nz. For more information on domestic travel, booking accommodation plus 101 must-do weekend ideas, visit www.aatravel.co.nz
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