Christchurch, NZ Tram (9/26/2025)

Friday, September 26, 2025

We had breakfast at the Tramway Café and noticed
they offered a cheese roll/ slice of white bread
covered in grated cheese and onion bits or
powder, rolled into a tube, and toasted: meh! (KSS)

Today we had to skip the walking portion of the tour
(and Christchurch is very walkable!); instead we took
 the Christchurch tram, continuing on it twice around!

The entrance of the former Public Trust
Building (1922-1925, by Cecil Woods) was
incorporated into new construction after
the 2011 earthquake, while keeping
the Royal Coat of Arms (KSS)

80-90% of the Central Business District/CBD
of Christchurch was rebuilt after 2011 (KSS)

The sculpture on the left is Te Kiheru Wai ō Tahu/the canoe
bailer of Tahu (2015, by Lewis Tamihana Gardiner) (KSS)

Part of One New Zealand Stadium (2023-2026)
can be seen at the end of the street, meaning this is
as close as the tram comes to the stadium; on the
far right is popular Dux Central/Craft Beer in a
renovated building with other restaurants (KSS)

Corgis on High (2003, by David Marshall) celebrated
Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee; the third corgi is
sniffing an ice cream cone (KSS)

Mini on the Building was a billboard prop
purchased to hang above a bar and it
survived the 2011 earthquake (KSS)

Statue (1865, by Thomas Woolner) of
 John Robert Godley, seen today in profile
to view the flattened top of his head;
the damage was caused when the statue
fell off its plinth in the 2011 quake (KSS)

Yes, it is raining!

Statue (1916, by Kathleen Scott, the widow)
of Robert F Scott, commemorating the
British Antarctic explorer who did not return
from the Terra Nova expedition in 1912
after reaching the South Pole on January 17,
only to find that the Amundsen party had
arrived there 34 days earlier (KSS)

Christchurch and its port at Lyttelton was the gateway for for both of Scott's expeditions to Antarctica.

Avon River (in the summer, a guide can take you punting
on the river) (KSS)

The Arts Centre (1881, by William Armson in Gothic
Revival style as the Boys' High School Building on the
campus of the University of Canterbury) (KSS)

Extensive supports while renovations are completed (KSS)

Inveresk House (1870s) was used as a girls' school in 1995
for the Cathedral Grammar School, and now houses E-time,
a company providing electronic learning opportunities

Victoria Square (1896-1897) with her statue (1903, by
Francis John Williamson) of Queen Victoria (KSS)

Edmonds Band Rotunda (1929, by Victor Hean
in High Renaissance style) (KSS)

Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre (2017-2020,
by Woods Bagot & Warren and Mahoney) has 43,000
exterior tiles reflecting the Canterbury region's braided
rivers, a theme seen in the windows and interior (KSS)

Replica waterwheel marking the spot of
an 1859 flour mill (KSS)

Bridge of Remembrance (1923-1924, by
William Gummer) to commemorate soldiers from
Canterbury who served in World War I (KSS)

Riverside Market (2019) on
the site of City Mall (KSS)

Beath's Department Store (1935, by the S & A Luttrell
firm in Chicago style) survived the 2011 earthquake
with moderate damage (KSS)

Mural (2017, by Graham Hoete) of former New Zealand
rugby league player and Kiwis coach David Kidwell, to
celebrate the Rugby League World Cup 2017

The sun has come out!

a-hum The Beginning and The End (2022, by Japanese
artist Koryu) was inspired by Kongōrikishi statues found
in Japan, painted as a guardian symbol, one that stands
strong and offers protection to the local community (KSS)

Mural (2023? by Dcypher, Jacob Yikes, and Ikarus)
as a tribute to the late engineer John Britten and
his innovative V1000 motorcycle (KSS)

One of the new earthquake building codes
requires a meter-width between buildings;
also they are all on rubber "floats" (KSS)

Connect (2022, by Graham Bennett) is
outside Brain Tree, a centre offering support
for those with neurological conditions (KSS)

Ravenscar House Museum (2021) houses a private 
art collection; the sculpture is Long Horizon
(1999, by Paul Dibble) (KSS)

Canterbury Provincial Council Buildings (1858-1865, by
Benjamin Mountfort in Gothic style) are the only surviving
purpose-built Provincial Council chambers in New Zealand (KSS)

Number 178 (Burl Class) (1922, by Boon & Co)

Number 11 (Brill Box Car) (1903, by JG Brill Co
in Philadelphia, PA) is the oldest tram in Christchurch (KSS)

Number 15 (Birney Safety Car) (1921, by JG Brill Co)

We had lunch at Burger Bonanza: splitting a
Hungry Jack's Burger (Angus beef patty, hashbrowns,
cheese, tomato, bacon, red onion, lettuce, avocado,
relish, honey mustard and mayo) with Chips (KSS)

Kent went on an errand to mail postcards and purchase a pair of crutches, since it was now too painful to take weight on my left leg at all times.

The Chalice (2001, by Neil Dawson) to
mark the 150th anniversary of the settlement
of Canterbury (now Christchurch) (KSS)

Former Chief Post Office (1877-1878, by
William Henry Clayton in Italianate style with
classical and Venetian Gothic elements (KSS)

Rise from the Rubble (2017, by Brendan Worrell)
featuring Sophora sp/Kōwhai flowers and the
Zosterops lateralis/Tauhou/Silvereye bird (KSS)

Flour Power (2008, by Regan Gentry) (KSS)

Kakahu/Cloak (2017, by Ngāi Tahu artist Lonnie Hutchinson)
was inspired by a traditional Māori feather cloak and
is made with 1116 aluminium feathers (KSS)

New Regent Street (1930-1932, by H F Willis in
Spanish Mission style) is a unique pedestrian mall that
was fully restored and reopened in 2013

Looking back on New Regent Street; as you can see, the
tram runs through it; Kent got dinner (beef curry and tonkatsu
with veggies) here from Bamboo Asian Express (KSS)

Next: TranzAlpine Railway.