This morning
we set off to explore the historic port town of Lyttelton, just twenty minutes from
the centre of Christchurch.
Christchurch’s first European
settlers landed here in 1850 before trekking over the Port Hills to establish
their new home. Lyttelton was also an expedition launching point in the days of
South Pole expeditions.
Today Lyttelton is accessed by
an impressive road tunnel, mum wasn’t so impressed with it and she was very happy
when we reached the end of it. Dad on the other hand is impressed that there
are no toll roads in New Zealand…he thinks there would be a hefty toll for a
tunnel like this in Australia.
The view of Lyttelton from the
end of the tunnel over the port is beautiful and I was keen to find another
place of interest, the neo-Gothic Timeball Station, which was erected in 1876
to keep Greenwich Mean Time.
Like many parts of Christchurch
the road system in Lyttelton features many road closures and detours. On our
way to the Timeball Station Mum was holding on for grim death as Andrew
negotiated what felt like a goat track up the VERY steep hill, past houses
clinging to the hillside with spectacular views over the harbour! We then came
across a road block with signs advising not to proceed because of blasting
ahead…after speaking to the explosive expert alongside his truck that was
brimming with what looked like dynamite we decided to give up on our search for
the Timeball station! Heading back down the hill, the roads were very narrow
and at one point Andrew had to wind his window down to talk to the driver of a
small truck travelling in the opposite direction and then folded his side
mirror back so that we could get past him!
We drove down the main street
of Lyttelton that is lined with lovely cafes, a co-operative store with organic
fruit & veg. as well as some craft and homewares shops but decided to return
to Christchurch to visit Cathedral Square and the Re:Start Mall.
In Cathedral Square there were
many floral displays including this Kiwi.
What remains of the Cathedral is devastating,
it’s incomprehensible that
no-one was killed when it crumbled.
I voted that we have lunch at the Hummingbird Café…with our love of coffee
we were keen to try their wares. One of New Zealand's best, Hummingbird, was
established in 1990 and hand roasts about 20 single origins. It's a good reason
to visit the two-storey Hummingbird Cafe, constructed of three containers, at
Re:Start. Another is the terrific food. We ate Al Fresco & I tried the juicy mushrooms on thick multi grain toast with spinach, warm fetta and a squeeze of lemon. We all enjoyed our meals
and the coffee has Andrew’s stamp of approval.
After lunch we visited ‘Canterbury Cheesemonger’ and were not
disappointed by the selection on offer, after a tasting we decided on a Barry’s
Bay vintage Cheddar ( yes that’s the place Andrew didn’t stop at yesterday!)
and a local blue cheese. While we were there we also tasted some chutneys and
decided on an apple based chutney and a loaf of their sourdough bread as well.
The plan from there was to take mum to a scrapbooking shop however it
was closed due to the driveway being repaired so we asked if she’d like a
flutter at the casino instead…well I don’t need to tell you what her answer
was. Mum and I had 1 ½ hours at the casino while the boys bought a bottle of
wine and visited Peter Timbs the butcher where they purchased a Hungarian
Kolbasz ( are you surprised to hear that it’s a sausage?) to go with the other goodies we’ve
purchased today for a ‘platter dinner’ prepared by the boys in our apartment
tonight.
It's was our last day in Christchurch - We’ll leave you with a few photos…
Clearing rubble...
shipping containers holding up the facade of a building.
A Thai restaurant set up in a shipping container & caravan.
Another temporary restaurant!
The fabulous Pedro's House of Lamb!
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