Heading to Ōtautahi Christchurch? We have a long weekend itinerary packed with art, sensational food, heritage and some unexpected surprises to help plan your travels.
Day One
MORNING
Head to the central city and check in to your brand new but also historic accommodation, The Observatory Hotel, which opened at the Christchurch Arts Centre earlier this year. The hotel is housed in what were once the Observatory Tower, Physics and Biology Buildings at the University of Canterbury. A mix of Old English and French Gothic architecture, there are actually two separate buildings here, designed by different architects 20 years apart. The original Observatory Tower was badly damaged in the 2010 Canterbury earthquake and collapsed completely in the 2011 quake. But the tower and surrounding buildings are now finally, painstakingly restored.
The opulent guest lounge at the Observatory Hotel. © Jo Percival
Today, the Observatory Hotel is a chic and comfortable space, filled with colour and art. No two rooms are the same – wall colours, fabrics and bedding varies between suites, though they are all styled with contemporary character. Plus, there are sweet touches, like fresh cookies, sumptuous sheet face masks to soothe tired skin and a wealth of interesting books to read while nestled on one of the bright velvet sofas in the communal lounge with a complementary evening beverage.
It almost seems a shame to leave the hotel, but luckily the entire Arts Centre complex is literally on your doorstep. On a winter’s day it’s easy to pretend you’re a student at an English university dashing through the drizzle between classes. Especially on a visit to Rutherford’s Den. A tribute to New Zealand’s greatest scientist – Ernest Rutherford – who studied at this very university, Rutherford’s Den explores his remarkable achievements. Exhibits trace his trajectory from being the fourth of 12 children on a small farm in Nelson to splitting the atom and working alongside luminaries such as Albert Einstein and Marie Curie. Head upstairs to the original lecture theatre where Rutherford studied, where wooden steps creak with age and are polished smooth from millions of footsteps. The desks are engraved with a hundred years of student’s names – see what dates you can spot, from the 1900s onwards.
Discover the intriguing spaces in Rutherfords Den. © Arts Centre
LUNCH
Stop for lunch at Cellar Door. There’s no need to visit a vineyard to do a wine tasting – everything you need is right here. From local Canterbury wines to exotic drops, experience a wine flight – Cellar Door’s specialty – designed to showcase the similarities and differences between four varietals. Choose from a number of options including Not Too Chablis – comparing chardonnay and French Chablis, a sample of sparkling with Let’s Get Fizzical, Walk the Plank, exploring the application of oak, or Witchcraft and Wizardry, which includes biodynamic tipples and wines made based on astrological configurations and moon cycles. The food is designed to complement the wine selection, with sharing plates of various sizes and an extensive selection of cheeses.
Stop for lunch at Cellar Door. © Jo Percival
AFTERNOON
Experience more art at Ravenscar House Museum, which is conveniently located across the street from the Arts Centre. This is a private art collection of a calibre not often seen in New Zealand. Created by art donors Susan and Jim Wakefield, the museum was constructed to share their cherished and seriously impressive personal collection of paintings, sculpture, furnishings and decorative art.
Some of the incredible art inside Ravenscar House Museum. © Ravenscar House
The museum is designed as a house with collections displayed as they once were in Jim and Susan’s Scarborough home. There are no labels on the pieces, but you can access a handy guide via your phone to explain the provenance of antiquities, furniture, paintings and rugs. And you’ll want to learn more, because the quality of the pieces really is astonishing – from the bedroom suite commissioned from British furniture maker and nephew of the Queen, David Linley, to ancient Roman artefacts, contemporary glassworks by New Zealand sculptors and original paintings by the likes of Ralph Hotere, Rita Angus, Colin McCahon, Charles Goldie and Gottfried Lindauer.
DINNER
This evening, head out of the central city to Lyttelton where you’ll find the unique dining experience – Mapu Test Kitchen. Tucked down an alley behind a plant shop with no signage, your adventure begins just finding the place, but when you do you’re in for a treat. At just 20 square metres Mapu is potentially New Zealand’s smallest restaurant, though chef / owner / host Giulio Sturla takes pains to point out that Mapu really shouldn't be considered a restaurant at all. Seating a maximum of six guests on comfortable, sheepskin-clad stools around the kitchen bench, Mapu is a freeform dining experience. There is no menu and the multiple courses are determined by what Giulio has foraged, harvested from the garden or sourced from the nearby Lyttelton Farmers Market that day. In summer months he will serve between 10-12 small courses to showcase the garden’s bounty. In winter, it’s a more substantial five courses including fresh winter vegetables alongside ingredients he’s preserved from earlier in the season. Several courses – like crayfish and beef – are prepared on the barbecue outside or on the cooktop in front of you while Giulio explains his processes and ingredients. He demonstrates techniques like how to extract fresh pine nuts from Mediterranean pine cones grown in Blenheim, or how he creates delicious non-alcoholic fermented honey drinks, that eventually turn to vinegars used for pickling vegetables. No two dining experiences at Mapu are the same.
Chef Giulio Sturla at work in Mapu Test Kitchen, Lyttelton. © Mapu
Day Two
MORNING
Set in a beautiful 1930s character building on Oxford Terrace abutting the Ōtakaro Avon River, Miro is a glamorous café where you can expect the unexpected for breakfast. If you’re feeling game, kick off the day with a breakfast cocktail, which include options like a marmalade martini. Or you can stick to coffee and freshly squeezed juice. Food options are also not your usual breakfast fare, with offerings like smoked brisket, a breakfast tasting board or a black garlic panisse.
Choose from the library of scents to make your own perfume at Fragranzi. © Jo Percival
Fuelled for the day, wander back to the Arts Centre for another sensory indulgence at Fragranzi where you can make your own custom perfume. It is a fascinating process of science and maths – choosing from a seemingly infinite combination of fragrances. A starting list includes 25 options in bottom, middle and top notes plus there is an entire library of more than 800 additional scents to choose from if you’re looking for something more bespoke. Tailor your perfume by adding separate scent strips to a 3D printed chalice, covering it with a glass top and smelling how the notes combine. You can adjust the fragrance by sliding each strip in or out, and just one millimetre can change the overall scent profile. Most people take around 45 minutes to an hour to complete their perfume, but it would be easy to spend longer, immersed in the world of fragrance.
LUNCH
Tucked near the ankles of Christchurch’s Port Hills you’ll find Tussock Hill Cellar Door and Restaurant on what feels like an improbably suburban Cashmere road for a vineyard. Opening in December 2021, Tussock Hill is a light and airy building with pale wood, elegant jade tiles, a plethora of hanging plants and broad views across the flat, urban expanse of Ōtautahi. The menu is comprised of made-on-site ingredients to complement the range of Tussock Hill Wines from grapes grown around the Canterbury region. There is a Cracroft Valley pinot gris, a Waipara sauvignon blanc and a Port Hills pinot noir. What might initially appear to be Mediterranean-style sharing plates are actually intrinsically Kiwi dishes, created by ambitious young chef Jackson Mehlhopt, formerly of Gin Gin on New Regent Street. There is pāua, venison, celeriac cooked on pōhutukawa, a whole shoulder of lamb done on the barbecue and triple cooked agria potatoes served with Kiwi onion dip. During the winter months you can also choose to add shaved perigold truffle to any of the dishes. Delicious.
Beautiful views over Christchurch from Tussock Hill. © Tussock Hill
AFTERNOON
In 2016 Lonely Planet named Christchurch as one of the world’s top cities for street art. The best way to fully appreciate the abundance of artworks is on a Watch This Space Street Art Tour. Guide Reuben Woods is an art historian with a passion for (and PhD in) graffiti and street art – aka neo-muralism – relaying the complex history of this often misinterpreted art form and its place in urban environments. On a two-hour amble around the central city streets you’ll marvel at incredible, large scale artworks by both local and international artists, exploring the meaning behind each piece and the awe-inspiring levels of skill required to create multi-story murals with spray paint, often in just a couple of days. To enhance your street art experience, download the Plain Sight app, which will allow you to experience several of the artworks with augmented reality.
Exploring street art in Christchurch with Watch This Space guide Reuben Woods. © Jo Percival
DINNER
In a slightly obscure location – a rapidly evolving industrial area – you’ll find 5th Street, an opulent treat of a restaurant. Think brass and velvet and so many plants it’s like dining in a jungle. Shared plates let you experience an array of tastes – from the fresh flavours of market fish tartare to the richness of the popular Ras El Hanout lamb shoulder. Be sure to try the polenta with smoked custard and manchego – golden cheesy bites of goodness, and the sublime fried chicken. And, of course, there’s an extensive wine list featuring many North Canterbury variants.
The dining room at 5th Street in Sydenham is jungle-like. © 5th Street
Day Three
MORNING
Unknown Chapter on St Asaph Street serves humungous nutritious breakfasts. There’s no skimping on avocado here. The halloumi breakfast bowl comes with beetroot, quinoa, cherry tomatoes and an entire half of an avocado – a colourful and delicious start to the day. Plus the coffee is superb.
Delicious, nutritious breakfast at Unknown Chapter. © Jo Percival
Wander from here into the heart of the city – because what’s an urban weekend without a little retail therapy? The Crossing is bright and shiny, studded with chain stores and homewares, and woven across by tramlines. Duck down alleyways to find more retail gems, like Scorpio Books for a warm, literary interlude, or head inside to iconic department store Ballantynes to cover the best part of a city block indoors.
If, in the unlikely event you’re already feeling peckish, grab a bite at Riverside Market. Though it’s worth the multi-sensory visit even if you’re not hungry. Evocative of European indoor markets, Riverside covers a world of flavours – from fragrant mulled wine to brightly coloured candy, flaky pastries, fried chicken, cheeses, meats, chocolates alongside a sushi train, gelato, ramen, juices and crepes and much, much more.
Check out the wares at Riverside Market. © Jo Percival
AFTERNOON
It’s worth timing your Ōtautahi visit to catch one of the regular concerts back at the Arts Centre before you head home. The Great Hall Lunchtime Concert Series showcases a line up of local, national and international artists performing in the beautiful heritage venue of the gothic Great Hall. Think classical piano recitals, string quartets, jazz, cabaret and percussion, all in a short 40-minute performance for just $15. It’s the musical icing on your indulgent weekend cake.
Wind up your trip with a classical recital at the Great Hall Lunchtime Concert Series at the Arts Centre. © Jo Percival
