Oceania (Australia, New Zealand & the South Pacific) - CHRISTCHURCH OR WELLINGTON for 1 day

We made our decision...but cant figure out how to delete the question.

I would have gone with Wellington. Great little town, and well worth the visit.

What makes Wellington a great little town? Serious question, and not a windup; I spent a day there circa 10 years ago and it was OK but not impressive. It seemed like a Parnell wanna-be, though the cold and windy weather didn't help. Nice views, but NZ is full of that, and I liked the area 50km north of there better (beach resorts). The museum is fabulous, but otherwise it seemed like Canberra with less of everything.

What makes Wellington a great little town? Serious question, and not a windup; I spent a day there circa 10 years ago and it was OK but not impressive. It seemed like a Parnell wanna-be, though the cold and windy weather didn't help. Nice views, but NZ is full of that, and I liked the area 50km north of there better (beach resorts). The museum is fabulous, but otherwise it seemed like Canberra with less of everything.

Not sure how the Parnell comparison came about, both places are vastly different IMO. Wellington is lovely and certainly a great place to visit if you want to gain a good understanding of NZ history with Tepapa, Olympic museum, Beehive etc. Cable car offers some pretty good views of our beautiful country. Some pretty good restraints and cafes there too, and the waterfront makes for a great early morning walk. Also given the state of Christchurch at the moment, Wellington is the obvious choice. Enjoy your trip to NZ!

Actually, normally I'd have said Christchurch, but now that Christchurch is half fallen down and (I gather) still has lots of no-go areas, I'd say Wellington. The setting of Wellington is attractive, and there's certainly enough to do there for a day (or more), although I agree that the weather (at any time of year) is often a downer.

Actually, normally I'd have said Christchurch, but now that Christchurch is half fallen down and (I gather) still has lots of no-go areas, I'd say Wellington. The setting of Wellington is attractive, and there's certainly enough to do there for a day (or more), although I agree that the weather (at any time of year) is often a downer.

This would more or less have been my answer as well. There wasn't anything really wrong with Wellington, but aside from Te Papa, it didn't really wow me. I found Christchurch a more pleasant city - maybe not as many sights, but just more pleasant. Sadly, Christchurch is not in a position to host tourists for a while and I wouldn't want to be in the way.

Not sure how the Parnell comparison came about, both places are vastly different IMO. ...Some pretty good restraints and cafes there too...I found the Wellington restaurants/bars to be a Parnell knock-off (same style but not as well done), however that was a decade ago and a first impression as I spent only a day there. Christchurch was much more appealing; sadly no more.

Cafe life in Wellington has improved since 10 years ago.

I like the South Island better and since Christchurch is there, I'd choose it. But given the current situation, I'd choose Wellington.

Snowmobiling, sledding and cross-country skiing look to be the activities of choice in CHC this week.