Christchurch & Chill

It was the most relaxing trip away I’d had in forever. Going to New Zealand is like going to another part of Australia. Aussies and Kiwis are similar in attitude and humor, we drive on the same side of the road and NZ is fairly easy to navigate. The main differences are chill weather, earthquake zones, volcanoes and incredible mountain scenery. Oh, and they can have Russell Crowe back.

Well, the teasing of mountains, anyhow, since I didn’t actually go far out of Christchurch itself, aside from going on the gondola.

So many things contributed to the peacefulness of this trip, most of which can be attributed to the kindness of everyone I encountered and my travel buddy and signing assistant, Colleen. The Wham Bam Author Jam signing was a lot of fun. Stacey Broadbent was a fantastic host and organiser and we were all proud of what she achieved. I feel so lucky to have been included in this event and to have met some lovely readers and fellow authors. Throwing chocolate at Teri Griffin was certainly my highlight, even if they weren’t the right type. El cheapo Bounties are popular, apparently. PS. Check out her M/M PNR! Holy hotness, folks!

The free day we had to explore Christchurch and the surrounding area was lovely. As mentioned before, going up on the Gondola so we could get a bird's eye view of the area. Being out of the town in a beautiful village area set against the backdrop of pretty countryside and hills was a great way to begin the day.

We followed it up by exploring the heart of the city and witnessing the recovery efforts that are still taking place seven years on from the devastating earthquakes that killed so many in 2011. Some of the damage is still visible on many buildings, while a lot of newer ones are already built with many still being constructed. There is lovely mix of old and new, a merging of the two. In other places, modernist buildings have a tendency to be harsh and ruin the character and charm of an older city, however, it seems care is being taken in Christchurch to make sure that even the new buildings embrace the city’s unique style.

By the way, if you’re ever in Christchurch, do make sure you try the American-style sandwiches at New York Deli in the city centre. We had two sliders each for lunch and damn, were they good! Because, ya know, one of the highlights when I travel is trying amazing food.

Due to the short time we were there, our sightseeing was obviously fairly limited. But I feel we still managed to see quite a lot during our one free day. I also adored the weather, which was a consistent 17 degrees Celsius throughout our stay.

My recommendations for this trip:

Sights: Christchurch Gondola

Christchurch City Centre

University of Canterbury campus (make sure you look in the Great Hall at the beautiful stained glass window)

The Botanical Gardens

Getting Around: Car hire in NZ is incredibly cheap. I paid $54 NZD for 3 days for an older automatic car.

Food & Drink: Speights Ale House was a lovely place to get together for evening drinks and nibbles the night before the event.

New York Deli for the tastiest damn sandwiches ever!