We did not see as much of Christchurch as we would like to have done, only having a Sunday afternoon to look around en route to Dunedin. We stayed at the recently refurbished and very comfortable Elms Hotel on Papanui Road. (Their claim that "Nothing is too much trouble" we certainly found to be true!) And Heaven, the Sunday night film on TV was 'Lord of the Rings- Two Towers'.

 The hotel is very handily placed more or less midway between the international airport and the centre of Christchurch itself, and a very swift cheap bus ride into town.

We took a ride on the delightful old, but lovingly kept  tramcar as it described its route around central Christchurch. You must stop off (as we did at the behest of a young lady offering delicious samples of homemade fudge ) at the Arts Centre, which is housed in the old university buildings. The place is a hive of activity, with plenty of small arty crafty shops. from which to pick up those gifts to take home.

Shopping highlight for the male of the species.. finding the source of the fudge tucked away inside the Arts Centre. From The Fudge Cottage we bought three different flavours of fudge, they travelled well, and, carefully conserved, lasted throughout our intercity bus journeys on South Island. There is a serious temptation to use their online shop!! The Sunday Market adjacent to the Arts Centre is worth a look.

Long way from home...Sunday....hungry? What about the carvery at the Oxford on Avon, offering a traditional Sunday roast, with all the trimmings. No big deal you might say, but it was as enjoyable as it was unexpected. Very good food at very reasonable prices.