My first Christchurch activity starts with tough questions and big decisions. “What pressure do you prefer for your message?” “Would you like a manicure or pedicure?” “Can we get you a glass of bubbles to enjoy in the bath?”
At Moss Day Spa in Christchurch’s Sudima Hotel, I am booked for a marathon session, a thorough, multi-stage pampering to begin a weekend of indulgence.
The primary objective, it seems, is to turn me into jelly. Sitting cross-legged in a circular bath the size of a small spa pool, I sip a glass of crisp Prosecco and marinate. Once parboiled, I move on to the next phase: manipulation. Zoe, my petite therapist kneads a well-oiled elbow into my shoulder, then, once tenderised, she smooths fragrant lotions across my cheeks.
The three-hour treatment finishes with a decorative glaze of nail polish. I pick a pale grey which Zoe tells me is called ‘rubble.’ It’s an appropriate choice to wear in a city that is still emerging from its recent seismic history.
Post-earthquakes, the Christchurch city centre continues to evolve. In the years since my last visit, sleek, glass-clad buildings have popped up. Before the quakes there were two glass-cleaning companies in the city. Now, there are 24.
Former vacant lots are occupied by architecturally designed apartments. Streetscapes brim with new bars and restaurants. It’s the ideal setting for a getaway with the indulgence dial cranked up to ten.
I begin a day with filigree flat white at the leafy Westend Stories, feast on flame-cooked European cuisine overlooking the Ōtakaro River at Roca; experience unusual flavour combinations of burrata and kimchi together at Korean-inspired Brewda, indulge in glamorous Pacific-fusion fare at Manu and get a kaimoana fix at Kokomo. Luckily my gluttony is offset by plenty of walking.
I explore the central city, admiring armadillo-like tiles of Te Pae, the new convention centre, juxtaposed with the neighbouring barricaded shells of condemned buildings, earthquake relics. Though these are increasingly fewer and further between. A sad exception is the skeleton of the Christchurch Cathedral – the restoration currently mothballed from lack of funding.
Early at Riverside Market the sushi train is static, but queues stretch around corners for coffee. Down a nearby alley I find a shop with a tongue-in-cheek chalkboard sign proudly claiming to be the ‘9th best second-hand shop in Christchurch’. Scorpio Books in the BNZ Centre is a time suck. I drift between shelves aromatic with the scent of print on paper. Tantalising tales condensed in tactile A5 blocks. Outside, at The Crossing, new pavements are cross hatched with tram tracks. Reconditioned heritage bisecting the new.
After a morning of wandering its time for more relaxation. Lovoir is another lush day spa right in the CBD. I wait amidst plunking glockenspiel music and velvet banquettes in pre-treatment lounge. The attendants greet me in soothing tones as if I’m a toddler being talked down from the brink of a meltdown.
Today, my masseuse, Jade, works any residual knots out of my shoulders, grinding oily knuckles into the arches of my feet, my hamstrings. The hot stones initially come as a shock, clicking together like pétanque balls lined on either side of my spine, but it soon becomes a heavy comforting weight.
To taste even more of Christchurch, I join a walking tour of the city with Āmiki Tours. It’s a progressive feast accompanied by warm manaakitanga from host Riwai Grace. Riwai, a former fire chief was heavily involved in the aftermath of the Canterbury earthquakes and his strong connections with Christchurch are evident as he tells the stories of the city in between dining experiences.
In te reo Māori Inati means ‘to share’. The fine dining spot is an appropriate place to begin our tour, at the high counter overlooking the kitchen. Riwai shares his pepeha and stories of his own culinary evolution – from ordering Lion Red to savouring fine wine – as we eat mini waffle cones with duck liver parfait and delicate tomato tarts. At Cellar Door in the gothic Arts Centre we sample flights of local wine; at King of Snake on the Terrace we share pāua fritters and crayfish sliders. The tour wraps with generous, creamy scoops from the open-late hot spot, Rollickin Gelato.
To complete my trifecta of wellness, the next day I float. O Studio in the trendy Welder Precinct offers the surreal experience of sensory deprivation. I climb into a larger-than-expected tank – more like a room than a pod – glowing with a LED star-studded ceiling. Half a tonne of Epsom salts dissolved in body temperature water makes for a buoyant experience – the syrupy water feels so dense and resistant it’s like lying on something solid.
It turns out that sensory deprivation takes a bit of practice. Lying in the dark, my mind starts racing. Am I doing this right? Is my breathing always this loud? What is the meaning of life? I also probably shouldn’t have eaten quite so much beforehand as my stomach provides a symphony of digestive whale sounds.
Rather than a new build, one of Christchurch’s latest developments is accommodation in a re-purposed wool factory. Drifter is a hybrid, high-end hostel with stylish shared suites alongside luxurious hotel rooms. Drifter’s common areas are filled with hip young people, using the well-equipped kitchen, the library, onsite cinema and exercise space – all fitted out in effortlessly cool lo-fi décor.
I’d met Reuben Woods from Watch This Space on a street art tour during a previous Ōtautahi visit. But in Christchurch’s rapidly evolving world of neo-muralism, a lot has changed since then. Setting off on a gentle stroll from Drifter, there are new, colourful surprises around many corners. With a PhD in street art in post-earthquake Christchurch, Reuben is a fascinating guide. He talks about the way ephemeral artworks become embedded in the urban landscape, both as creative expression and as points of reference in a rapidly changing environment.
On our tour we’re lucky enough to encounter a piece in progress. On a sunny morning, atop a scissor lift, artist Kofi is about to start work for the day, tackling her vast canvas on the entire side of a building. A prolific and multi-talented creator, Kofi has been commissioned to paint many of the well-known pieces around Christchurch. We watch as she begins to transform the doodle grid – a collection of hastily sprayed words and symbols – into a brand-new artwork. The city continuing to evolve before our very eyes.
Story by Jo Percival for the Autumn 2025 issue of AA Directions Magazine. Jo Percival is the Digital Editor of AA Directions Magazine.
