Robin’s Birthday Surprise Christchurch - Melbourne

And just like that my amazing birthday adventure is over and we are on the rather wet road home, having left sunny Christchurch this afternoon and landed in rainy Melbourne tonight. 

Our Christchurch hotel was another historic building, and was the final surprise in the bucketload of surprises I have been treated to for the past 5 days. 




The old Canterbury College, only the second university to have been built in New Zealand, is a magnificent collection of  bluestone neo-gothic, buildings dating back to 1873. It now hosts an Arts Centre which includes a mix of artisan spaces and  shops, galleries, eateries, cinemas, event spaces and a boutique hotel, known as the Observatory Hotel. 

The hotel stands where the Observatory Tower once stood,; part of the physics and astronomy faculties. Waking this morning to look out on the courtyard of the old university and the buildings of the old campus was very special. The sense of history and the importance of the work achieved there by many great minds during its history was palpable. 

Once were up and packed we set off over the road to the Botanical Gardens for  breakfast in the cafe and a stroll through the visitors centre.  Outside we wandered each of the sections of the gardens, showcasing the diversity of New Zealand flora. The kitchen garden of the curators cottage was one of many highlights. 










Lunch at the Antigua boathouse on the Avon River followed, and here we enjoyed watching the punts travelling gently up and down the river, the classically dressed punters plying their poles and telling their stories as they passed. 


Back at the Arts Centre, Te Matatiki Toi Ora, we popped into the Great Hall for a look at the huge stained glass window depicting many of the worlds great minds and dedicated to the memory of the staff and students who served in WWI. We also called in to pay homage to one of Stephen’s heroes, the renowned physicist Ernest Rutherford. Then it was time to retrieve our luggage and head to the airport for our 15:45 flight, which was smooth, uneventful and comfortable; the perfect end to a perfect adventure. 


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