Accommodation in Christchurch
We've decided to recommend Base as our preferred hostel. It's in the Square, so only 10 minutes walk from the venue, and close to restaurants and touristy things, is incredibly clean, and has very helpful staff. Oh, and the important stuff from a bookcrosser's point of view: they've got a book exchange shelf, and the internet was cheap ($5 for the first hour, $4 each additional hour). And they've got wireless access for those with laptops. They've got a bar, and although they were honest and told us it can get a bit loud on Friday and Saturday nights, they said they try to book people who ask for quiet rooms into the upper floors as far from the bar as possible, and they do have a noise policy after the bar closes that seems to actually be enforced.
One thing that impressed us is their "penthouse", a suite of dorms designed
for groups. The three dorms in the penthouse sleep 21 in total, and have their
own private kitchen, lounge area and bathroom. So we reckon if we can get together
21 people who want to do the backpacking thing, it would be perfect for "bookcrossing
central".
If you are interested in staying in the penthouse, please email the
convention committee, so we can coordinate numbers. Once we get close to
21 people interested, we'll make a group reservation.
Unfortunately, we weren't quick enough, and the penthouse has been booked by another group. However, lytteltonwitch has offered to coordinate booking a couple of bookcrossers-only dorms, so if you want to make sure you're sharing with other bookcrossers, PM her.
The other thing that was really cool was their Sanctuary, a floor reserved for women only. The rooms are a bit more expensive than the standard dorms, but they're a bit nicer, safer for women travelling alone, and you get little gifts like a glass of bubbly on arrival and shampoo and conditioner samples.
For those who want to stay somewhere closer to the venue, we're recommending two places near the Arts Centre. YHA Rolleston House is the closest to the venue, but is a pretty small hostel (there's only 2 private rooms, plus a few dorms), and in an older building, so the facilities aren't as good as Base (they don't have a bookshelf, for a start!). We didn't get to look round the rooms (because there was only one person on reception, so he couldn't leave it to show us round), but YHA's have a pretty good standard, so we feel reasonably confident about recommending them. The other place is the YMCA , which has really nice single and twin rooms (some with fabulous views over the botanic gardens!), but no kitchen (there's a cafe), and only coin-operated kiosks for internet.
Oh, and most importantly, we checked carefully, and all three places have doors on their toilets, and actually let you flush them!
Motels in New Zealand are generally of a very good standard, and are a popular (and economic) choice for those travelling with families. We recommend AA Travel as a good independent website for motel reviews and recommendations.
To help you select a motel near the venue, the map below shows motels within a 1 km (green circle) and 2 km (orange circle) radius of Cathedral Grammar.
Christchurch has a vast range of hotels, most of which are in the central city area, within walking distance of the venue. We suggest you consult your travel agent for advice and reccommendations.