[KiwiHopeful]

I made a special trip just for you!

No, just kidding. We drove out to Rakaia Gorge to take a little walk. :)

But ... The road test says ...

30 minutes to Darfield from the edge of Chch (Yarldhurst/Russely Road area). Another 10 minutes or so from Darfield to Glentunnel.

Darfield is actually a cute little area, with a new development off the main route. There is a 4 Square Market there (which means it's little and expensive, but handy in a pinch), as well as a couple of take-away places and a dairy bar. I think there's also a cafe and a hotel/pub.

There's also a hospital in Darfield. Worth noting?

Beside Darfield, the drive is pretty much through a fairly sparsely populated area. Not much traffic on the way out at about 10:00 am on a Saturday, but we passed much more on the way back in at about 1:00 pm.

So, yeah, I think 40-50 minutes to the edge of the city is fair ... 40 minutes given good conditions.

It's a doable drive, if you don't count the part within the city--which is likely to be the killer part.