Museum Day in Christchurch, NZ

Remember those glasses I told you to note in the last post? When I was gathering my stuff for the morning I realized I could not find those glasses. The same glasses that were in my way dining with the small table. The glasses are for distance and to correct my astigmatism. I use them mostly at night and in dark places to enhance my vision, and always when I drive. They get in the way with reading and when I am talking to someone up close. 

I was tripping over those glasses the night before and now I could not find them.

This tree was huge!
See me on the left?

We retraced our ten-minute walk to the depot. We went inside and asked if they found them. We asked the tourist booth in Cathedral Junction the same, and left my contact information just in case. We retraced those steps over and over again, popping into local businesses just in case. We tore apart our room. It was as if they vaporized. There was no sign that they had been run over. They were of no use to anyone.

I like this statue of the man
sitting

Obligatory fountain picture
there was so much construction
happening, it was tough
to get a picture without it,
as is the orange cone
is visible in the back

Flowers!

I don't know what this is,
but I like it

Bocce courts

Whatever floats your boat ;)

Nice flat place to ride

After much searching, we gave up trying to find the glasses and decided to enjoy our one full day in Christchurch. We walked around the Christchurch Botanical Garden a block from our hotel. I had a flashback to the conversation a day earlier with the family from Christchurch who boasted their botanical garden was better (by that point we had only seen a small portion of the garden), but that the one in Wellington had better views because it wasn't flat (polite way of saying it was very hilly). The garden is located in the 164-acre Hagley Park, between Hagley Park South and Hagley Park North. Hagley Park reminded me of New York City's Central Park with sprawling fields, paths, lending itself to the perfect combination of passive and active recreation. On that midweek visit we saw couples strolling, families playing, a group putting small boats in the lake, cyclers, runners, and even an group competing in bocce. It was an idyllic way to spend some time.

Of course, we don't do that very well, so instead we raced through the park to the other end, walked another mile and found the only LEGO store in town. I'm beginning to feel I need to create a separate post on LEGO stores Down Under. The walk already took longer than anticipated, so we snapped a few pictures, got Don's LEGO passport stamped, and returned to the Central Business District (CBD) to visit museums.

My notes recommended popping into two museums in town: Canterbury Museum and the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna O Waiwhetu. Since it was a Wednesday, the art gallery had evening hours. 

The Canterbury Museum is undergoing an extensive renovation. They have shifted their collections around the area, with the primary space at the CoCA building in downtown Christchurch. They have limited hours, so we went there first. Their regular location is the oldest building in Christchurch, which has been added onto over the years in a mismatched way. They survived the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes because they fortified the building in the late 20th century with steel trusses in the walls that look like elegant silver medallions on the outside. Still, rooflines don't quite match, and it is not the safest place to store priceless treasures.

Their temporary location feels like the "readers digest" version of their regular museum. It includes some fan favorites, including Scotty the Trex.

I'm thinking it is easier to store a dinosaur
upright rather than in a box

We went to Devonport!

Roald Amindsen, first man
to reach the South Pole

On the way out we were asked to complete a survey. One of the questions was "what was the best part of the museum?" I was really stretching to find something positive to say. The same question posed at the Auckland Museum or Te Papa in Wellington would have elicited a really long answer filled with praise for the entire place. Here, the best I could say was "that you are open," meaning that you continue to share your treasures during the renovation period. They really liked that answer. Whew!

Antarctic Goggles to help protect your eyes from
snow blindness. Based on technology
developed by the Inuit People who lived there.

We had lunch in a café we saw during our tram ride the night before. While eating my omelet and Don's sandwich outside, we watched a steady stream of tram cars with drivers being trained. It was the perfect afternoon for al fresco dining.

As we walked by the library we decided to walk around it. I noticed their section of dress up clothes, plus another section labeled Teen Clothing Swap. Don admired the Duplos and LEGO sculptures. Their library felt more like a community center and less like a library, in a good way.

Teen Clothing Swap

I picture parents and children
spending hours here.

Our day continued past the tram line to the Cardboard Cathedral, the "transitional" home of the Christchurch Cathedral which was severely damaged in the 2011 earthquake and is being rebuilt. Below are some pictures from the original cathedral.