New Zealand Guide
Christchurch and south to Otago
In many ways, the South Island's east coast comes closer to expectations of New Zealand than any other part of the country. Huge sweeps of pastoral land come wedged between snowy mountains and a rugged coast. The main hub of the region is New Zealand's third city, Christchurch, stretched out between the Pacific Ocean and the agriculturally rich flatlands of the Canterbury Plains. It is a relaxed city with a lively café and bar scene, where parks and gardens rub shoulders with some fine Victorian architecture. The beach suburbs of New Brighton and Sumner are within easy reach of the centre, and just over the bald Port Hills you'll find the appealing port town of Lyttelton. Lyttelton harbour is a drowned volcanic crater and geologically part of Banks Peninsula, a popular escape for city residents, its coastline indented with numerous bays and harbours. The largest settlement is the slightly twee "French village" of Akaroa, a great place to relax and a good base for exploring the peninsula.
South of Banks Peninsula, the main road (SH1) forges across the Canterbury Plains, a patchwork of fertile fields and vineyards bordered by long shingle beaches littered with driftwood. Further south the countryside again changes character, with undulating coastal hills and crumbling cliffs announcing the altogether more rugged terrain of North Otago. Historic settlements dotted along the coast testify to the wealth that farming has brought to the region. The first significant town is the workaday port of Timaru, close to a series of Maori rock paintings, evidence of a far longer history than the imposed European feel would have you believe. Further south, Oamaru is much more beguiling, with wonderfully accessible penguin colonies and an impressive core of nineteenth-century mercantile buildings in the process of being restored. Beyond, routes lead on towards Dunedin and the south, passing the unearthly Moeraki boulders, perfect spherical rocks formed by a combination of subterranean pressure and erosion.
Highlights
1 Christchurch Art Gallery New Zealand's newest major gallery, with a fine collection of Kiwi art.
2 Ballooning The Canterbury Plains are one of the best ballooning spots in the world, with views to the Southern Alps and up and down South Island.
3 The TranzAlpine One of the world's top rail journeys, coast to coast through the Southern Alps.
4 Akaroa Stay in a fine B&B in this relaxed French-influenced village and swim with Hector's dolphins.
5 Oamaru The fine core of Neoclassical buildings in the slowly gentrifying Historic District make this a perfect base for spotting both blue and yellow-eyed penguins.
6 Moeraki Boulderssdf
These two-metre spherical boulders artfully littering the tide line were once regarded as Maori baskets or gourds.