New Zealand 9 - Hokitika + Christchurch

Gonna to be the last post about NZ for now (already planning our next trip to North Island, hehe). After the fun hike at Franz Josef Glacier, we continued our journey to Hokitika, which was located 2 hours away from Franz Josef. By the time we reached the town, it was just nice for sunset and dinner!

Hokitika
Attractions
Hokitika Beach
The most well-known attraction. The beautiful sunset is the gem.




Glowworm Dwell
Of course you cannot compare this to Te Anau or Waitomo Glowworm Caves, but this is totally free of charge and will give you a sneak peak of how glowworm looks like, so that you will be more tempted to visit the renowned caves mentioned, haha! Make sure that you come by after the sky has completely turned dark. No photos because even my DSLR couldn't capture anything. 

Hokitika Gorge Walk
That vivid, milky blue water made me screaming "stunning!" The short, easy walk is an excellent option for families. 




Food
The beach is just outside the restaurant, so you can just walk out to admire the sunset, then come back to enjoy your dinner. And the food was pretty good, especially the seafood pizza! We also tried the seasonal white bait pizza (which tasted similar to the white bait fritter we had the previous day) and dessert pizza (yummy!). 

Mariner.

Whitebait.

Dessert pizza.

Accommodation
Hideaway from Hoffman
Address:  86 Hoffman St, Hokitika 7810, New Zealand.
Price: 43.57 NZD per person

Another lovely stay in NZ, super cozy house. 




Christchurch

Attractions
Cardboard Cathedral
If you are not aware, an earthquake in the city a couple of years ago ruined the city's oldest church and it was replaced by this inspiring cardboard cathedral. We didn't enter as it was closed for a private event. However, it still looked fabulous from the exterior.


We only had half day to wander around Christchurch, thus we didn't manage to visit a lot of places. We also spent some time at Royal Botanic Garden and subsequently did some souvenir shopping at Pak N Save.

Food
Dimitris Greek
This place came out to be top of the list when I google searched for delicious and affordable food in NZ. Hmm... the flavours were vibrant and interesting, I would love to go to Greece to try this out and draw a comparison!


Bacon Brothers
Some people even comment that their burgers are better than the remarkable Fergburger? We had to verify these statements. I would say that they were equally good. Located in a food court (this was the first food court we went in NZ) where you could find a wide range of cuisine including Chinese food and Japanese food. It proved that my earlier point about Christchurch being a big cultural melting pot was true. Anyway, for people with more budget, a luxurious tram dinner would be a perfect way to end your NZ trip, remember to book early to avoid disappointment (exactly what happened to us, T.T).


Andy the Electrician, featuring high quality Angus beef.

Accommodation
Floralingo AirBnB
Address: 7 Wyatt Place, Russley, Christchurch 8042. (It is located near the airport but not too close to the town centre.)
Price: 51.04 NZD per person

The airBnb belongs to a Taiwanese family who migrated to NZ years ago. For Chinese speaking travellers, this place will certainly make you feel like home as the owners are more than willing to chit-chat with you and they will even prepare a hearty breakfast for you! Thumbs up for the comfy stay!

This concludes our NZ trip!

Comments