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Do as much or as little as you please

We think our rural location offers the best of both worlds: while there’s very little traffic or noise here in the valley, it’s actually only a five-minute drive to the Akaroa Highway and a 20-minute drive into central Christchurch. We’re really happy to help you plan your time, so while we cover some of the things you might want to know here, just get in touch if you want to find out more.

Christchurch attractions

Christchurch has a huge variety of eateries and bars, and we’re happy to share our current faves with you. It’s a pretty informal place, with lots of friendly people, and there are theatres, museums and art galleries, as well as good shopping, and one of the best things about central Christchurch is that it’s usually easy to find a parking space. We think the beautiful and historic Botanic Gardens are fantastic at any time of year. You can hire a boat and muck about on the river that runs through the Hagley Park, jump in the leaves in autumn, marvel at the weirdest of plants in the glasshouses, or just take a stroll and enjoy a coffee at the fab new visitor centre.

Around Tai Tapu

Tai Tapu itself has cafes, restaurants, wedding venues, vineyards, boutiques, a pub, gas station, tiny library and church. Lincoln, our nearest small town, is 7km away, and has a supermarket, bigger library, more shops, banks and post office.

Sports

Golf: Tai Tapu Golf Club (a 3-minute drive from Red Barns) has an established 9-hole course and is open to non-members for a small green fee.
Tennis: Tai Tapu Domain features four hard tennis courts, which can be used for a donation to the club.
Biking: whether you want road-biking or mountain-biking, you can access some great routes and tracks from our property without hitting the highway, plus there’s the Little River Rail Trail and Christchurch Adventure Park within easy reach.
Running: our property is off the highway, so you can pretty much run as far as you like without seeing much traffic. There’s a great uphill run (Gerkins Road), or you can make an easy 5km loop to and from our property, adding on if you wish.
Hiking: we sit on the fringes of the Banks Peninsula, which offers numerous fantastic walks on well-marked tracks. There are a couple of DOC huts nearby too, which can make great lunch stops. Arthur’s Pass National Park is about a 90-minute drive away, offering some of the spectacular hiking New Zealand is renowned for.
Skiing: The nearest skifields – Mount Hutt and Porters – are only a 90-minute drive from our property, making a day trip entirely feasible in the winter months.

Akaroa and Banks Peninsula

Banks Peninsula is one of the main reasons we live in this part of New Zealand. The historic French town of Akaroa on Banks Peninsula is about a 40-minute drive away, offering dolphin and boat tours, and lots of interesting places to eat and shop. There are some spectacular and interesting places to stop en route too, including beaches like Birdlings Flat, where you can find semi-precious stones washed up on the beach, Little River, with its art galleries, fruit stores and cafes, and Hilltop, which offers incredible views over the unique landscape of the peninsula.

Everything else

There’s really too much to mention here, so whatever else you might be into, just let us know and we can probably tell you where to go, and if we can’t, we’ll know someone who can.