Whitecliffs - Canterbury

[nickydwuk]

I know I have bored a lot of you recently with questions regarding different area's around Chch. Here is an other one. Whilst we have been looking through the real estate sites we have some properties in Whitecliffs. Any idea how long to commute to Chch from here? According to Google Earth (which is not very accurate) it is about 1hr 10 minutes. Is it a very big/small town? Are there any shops near? Any other info would be great.

[MotherBear]

Me again with more useless information. According to this (right hand side in the box) it's about 40 mins. from Whitecliffs to the outskirts of Christchurch. Looks a massive place with all of 117 residents in 2001 so it could be up to as much as 120 by now .

I don't know if this is right but I've asked on here for directions from Whitecliffs, Coalgate to Christchurch Hospital. There were other hospitals mentioned but I thought I remembered you saying you were going to Chch Hospital. Directions are on the left and map showing the route on the right. The route should show up in blue but on my screen the blue line flits between yellow and blue. You can drag the map around as you wish. If I haven't got the correct places perhaps you can fiddle about with it.

[KiwiHopeful]

According to the map MB posted, it's 62km and it'll take 47 minutes.

No way. Not gonna happen.

I have a GPS that I use when I drive around here, mostly so I can track where I take my pictures and post them to Google Earth if I want.

Driving from Chch to Timaru and back to Chch, the better moving average of the two legs of the trip was a hair over 70 km/h ... and that's on what is probably the straightest, widest, and most-passing-lane equipped road on the SI.

To make 62 km in 42 minutes, you'd have to be able to do better than that ... and I doubt you could on those roads and through all the little hamlets you'll pass.

On top of that, the part within the city limits is most likely going to take about 15-20 minutes on a good day. On a bad day, you could sit on Riccarton for that long.

70 minutes seems much more likely, IMHO.

From Whitecliffs, your closest amenities are going to be in Lincoln or Chch itself. (I think there's a grocery store in Lincoln, but don't quote me on it.) There is a small grocery in Methven, but that looks like it's a decent haul itself ... and you probably wouldn't want to do your weekly shopping there.

Again, I haven't been all the way out there, but I've been through to Kirwee (on my way to Aurthur's Pass). Maybe Koko has? :shrug:

On edit: I see the other website says it's a 40 minute drive to the outskirts of town. All I can say is, 'Yeah, right.' :P

[MotherBear]

Originally Posted by MotherBear

Me again with more useless information.

Well, at least I got this bit right .

[KiwiHopeful]

Don't get me wrong, MB.

You find *great* information. It's just hard to judge something like that from the other side of the world ... believe me. Been there, done that! :)

It's kind of like where we lived in the US. We'd say we were 60 minutes from Boston, but if we wanted to go anyplace *in* Boston, it took 90 minutes. :P

[kokopeli]

I've driven through Whitecliffs a few times on my way to/from various outings. It's a little ol' place miles from nowhere. I'm sure some people commute into Chch on a daily basis, but I wouldn't want to. You'll probably get a cheap(er) house and a lot more land, but living there won't be cheap with diesel at $1.30/L and gas at $1.75.

KH is right about Lincoln having a dairy/minimart. It's handy for emergencies, but the prices are more expensive than in the Chch supermarkets. Having said that, the prices are even higher at the two minimarts in Methven, which cater for the holiday crowds. My advice is to pack groceries from home if you're planningh o go skiing....

[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.

[nickydwuk]

Thanks KH. You are a star

[KiwiHopeful]

It 'tweren't nothin'

[kokopeli]

KH, did you walk along the Rakaia Gorge Walkway from the car park near the bridge? It's a great walk if you didn't. Our kids loved scrambling up the dirt track and hiding under the hollow trees. You get a good experience of the Gorge if you carry on right over the top of the hill. It's a trek, but the only other way in is by boat or kayak!