Bridle Path Trail -Christchurch was my point of entry to New Zealand. I reached at Christchurch airport at 1 am and decided to stay at the Pod hostel JUCY Snooze located near the airport. Next day morning i took bus 29 from Christchurch Airport to the bus interchange located at Lichfield street. It took me about 30 minutes to reach the bus interchange. I took bus 28 from the interchange and got down at the last stop at Lyttleton harbor. The starting point of the Bridle path walk was about 500 m away from the Lyttleton Jetty. Lyttleton is a small port town and it is considered as the Gateway to Canterbury region. It takes about 6 hours to do the entire Bridle path trail.
The difficulty of the trail is medium. I walked up to the London St from the main street in Lyttleton. From London St you can either climb stairs in order to reach bridle path road or you can also reach the starting point of hike via Hawkhurst Rd. I climbed the stairs from the London street and reached Bridle path main road. There are houses on both sides of the road and it is a popular neighborhood in Lyttleton. After around 200 m walk along the main Bridle path road i reached a sign pointing Bridle path walk. This is the starting point of the trail and path is a narrow paved way. The view of the Lyttleton Harbor was beautiful from this point. The path was completely empty and i was the only hiker. The views kept getting better and better and eventually i reached the halfway point of the trail.
There is a old concrete building near the top. There is a shelter near the top of the mountain and it can be used by the hikers during windy or rainy conditions. At the shelter i turned back and followed the same path towards Lyttleton harbor. The path goes up towards the Gondola which is situated at the top of the mountain. You can catch the Gondola up to Mt Cavendish and then walk back down. This is a popular trail among lot of hikers. Along the trail i saw lot of massive boulders near the hillside. These boulders fell from the top during the Christchurch earthquake.
I saw lot of memorial seats on the hiking trails. The bus 28 departs from Lyttleton harbor towards Christchurch bus interchange every 30 minutes. Bridle path hike is a great hike and it should not be missed during your trip to Christchurch. I wanted to do the full circuit but I had to come back early because i had a bus to Dunedin at 3 pm from Christchurch.
Christchurch Cathedral Square – Cathedral Square is the center of Christchurch. Christchurch Cathedral, located near the square was badly damaged during the 2011 earthquake and currently it is being reconstructed.
A giant aluminium monument called chalice is situated at the cathedral square. I visited the square during the day and the place had a nice vibe.Every weekend there is a food market at the cathedral square and it is crowded with lots of tourists and locals. Cathedral square is a popular place among street performers. There is a bronze statue of John Robert Godly founder of Canterbury at the square. At the square there were face painting activities, kid’s activities, exhibitions and food trucks. You can catch a tram from the cathedral square for the historic ride along the loop circuit.
Canterbury Museum Christchurch – Canterbury museum is located by just 10 minutes walk from Cathedral square. The museum was constructed in the year 1867. The museum sustained minor damage during the 2011 earthquake. The museum has free entrance for everyone. Canterbury Museum is housed in a beautiful building. I really loved the architecture of the building. The museum features rare Maori artifacts and Antarctica gallery. The museum is located near the entrance of Christchurch Botanical Gardens
Christchurch Botanic Gardens – The entrance to the Christchurch Botanic Garden is located near the Canterbury Museum. The entrance is free of cost and the garden is open from 7 am in the morning till 6.30 pm. The garden is spread across an area of 21 hectares. The garden was beautiful and it features visitor center, Herb Garden, conservatory complex, Rose Garden. The garden is situated near the beautiful Avon river. The park contains number of lawns which are frequently used by locals for family picnic. The Botanic Garden is a popular place among locals who are interested in reading books.I will strongly recommend to spend at least 3 hours at the garden during your visit to Christchurch.
Container Mall– Container Mall was built in the year 2011 after the earthquake. It was built in order keep the central city shopping experience alive after earthquakes. It was a short term response to the earthquake because it resulted in demolition of lot of buildings around the area. The mall is located near Christchurch cathedral square. The mall features food stalls, clothing shops, handicraft shops, souvenir shops and market stalls. All the containers at the container malls were painted with different colors and it is popular tourist attraction. The container mall will be closed in January 31,2018 and all the shops will shift to a different location.
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