Mumbai15 Feb 21 1 Traveller Economy
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About Christchurch
Christchurch is Canterbury, New Zealand's most famous and populous city. Recognised for its English heritage, the city enjoys multitudes of ethnicity and is a gorgeous tourist location. While it is an ideal vacation spot, you will have to make peace with the fact that the trip to Christchurch will be time-consuming.
Best time to reach Christchurch
Christchurch's proximity to the South Pole makes the winters in the city rather frosty. The temperatures easily dwindle between 11 degree Celsius to 13 degree Celsius during the day and drop to zero in the nights. You can snuggle up for a romantic rendezvous and indulge in some of the winter sports that are possible in this Canterbury region. The months of June to August are only recommended if you wish to engage in the scenic white bliss of Christchurch. The place does give a Narnia vibe so you will feel like you're in a movie. However, for great weather that balances the cold winters and the bright summers, spring is the most ideal season to visit Christchurch. The city's landscape turns into a beautiful expanse of hues thanks to all the flowers that bloom once the winter thaws.
Another wave of season that brings the best of Christchurch is from March to May. Summer is another favoured season that many tourists opt for as the temperatures are high compared to the Christchurch standards. However, it could get expensive as it also brings forth the tourist season. This could lead to unavailability of cheap hotels in Christchurch. To ensure that you don't pay exorbitant prices for a vacation in the city, you should make prior hotel bookings in Christchurch. You might even receive some fabulous online deals for flights and accommodation. Make sure to cover all your travel and hotel expenses before arriving in Christchurch.
Places to visit in Christchurch
The best place to start exploring Christchurch would undoubtedly be the Canterbury Museum. The museum has been part of the city since 1870, which makes it one of the top attractions in Christchurch. You will be passing through the famed Christchurch Botanic Gardens to reach the museum. It would be an ideal time to get close to the natural beauty that the park inhabits. From native to exotic plants, the garden would certainly marvel you and lift up your senses. Christchurch is big on lawns and gardens along with their food culture. You will find many parks in the city aside from the famous Botanic Gardens. North Hagley Park is also an excellent place to visit in Christchurch. It is pristine and has a very soothing and tranquil vibe.
An interesting institution to visit would be the International Antarctic Centre. Basically, this place inhabits the treasured collections of the Antarctic along with a quaint cafe and bar. Located in the centre of Christchurch is the Cathedral Square, an Anglican cathedral that offers quite a fascinating appearance. It is quite intriguing and something you might fancy. The city also has a pretty public art gallery called Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhet?, with exquisite exhibits. Next on the list could be the exquisite T?ranga - Christchurch Central Library, located at the heart of the Canterbury city, basically a haven for bibliophiles. You can also check out the Air Force Museum in the city which was earlier named The Royal New Zealand Air Force Museum.
Things to do in Christchurch
Lake Roto Kohatu is a lovely small lake that is nestled in the city limits of Christchurch. The place is surrounded by lush green grasses which make it an ideal picnic spot. You can always opt to carry a lovely picnic basket along with some fun activity list and head to the lake with family. There are boating facilities also available on the lake, something you can opt for as a tourist. Christchurch's most popular location is the Sumner Beach. Its beauty and serenity with the cold blue waters rushing to the shores makes it quite a spectacle. Not to mention how it also offers a plethora of water and beachy activities that you can take up. Exploring the Tuawera - Cave Rock located on the outskirts of the Sumner beach is also worth exploring. It is known for its unusual formation which is a result of a volcano
Another interesting activity to take up would be taking up Punt rides. With plush seats on the punt and a person rowing it, you can enjoy the scenic views of the Avon River. It is a romantic setting and might go well with you and your partner. You can also opt for canoe riding at the Antigua Boatsheds. The boatshed is actually a famous tourist attraction, and you can also take up boating as an activity. You can also rent a bike and ride up the trails in the Bottle Lake Forest Park. The park has some extraordinary views that would leave your spellbound. While you might have a lot of things to do in Christchurch, do not miss out on indulging in their food culture. The city prides itself on the fabulous slew of food establishments.
Food and restaurants in Christchurch
Christchurch's food culture is fabulous and perfect for foodies. As a coastal city, one would assume that Christchurch is rich in seafood and has multiple joints favouring the same. However, you would be surprised to know that the city actually houses an abundance of international cuisine from Indian vegetarian to European-fusion. An elegant noon with a spread of delectable gourmet food served with piping hot tea paints quite a Victorian picture, yes? Places such as Penny Black Victorian Tearoom, 50 Bistro, Mona Vale Homestead and Pantry, Social Wine Bar and The Tea Rooms are some of the establishments that offer an English ambience teamed with lip-smacking food and top-notch tea.
Christchurch has a soft spot for dumplings and Asian food. They simply cannot do without dumplings in their platter. If you also fall in the same category, then you should visit some of their fine food establishments with Asian cuisine. Zen Sushi and Dumplings, King of Snake, Shanghai Street Dumplings, Pot Sticker Dumpling Bar and The China Kitchen, are some places where you will find some lip-smacking food as well as an authentic Asian vibe. If coffee is what you seek, you should check out Coffee Embassy Espresso Bar, Black and White Coffee Cartel, Underground Coffee Roasters and Unknown Chapter, to name a few.
Not just roasteries but the city also favours breweries with aplenty in the locality. When in Christchurch, you should head to The Institution, Craft Embassy, Dux Central, Welles Street and Smash Palace for the best-crafted beer. While there are lovely food joints and breweries to keep you busy, ignoring your sweet tooth would be a crime. Don't miss the bakeries of Christchurch for they have some exquisite cakes, pastries, and baked goods to elevate your senses. Their bakeries also have a lovely melange of culture from Danish puffs to Dutch apple pies. The city sells culture on a platter which makes it quite an experience. You should head to some classic bakeries such as Copenhagen Bakery, Glamour Cake, Bakermans of Fendalton, Japanz Bakery and Vic's Bakehouse.
How to reach Christchurch (Transportation)
Christchurch airport has brilliant flight connectivity with some of the Indian cities. Although there are no direct flights flying to Christchurch from India, they do have a slew of connecting flights and layovers that make the journey possible. There are only a few dedicated flights flying to Christchurch from India, but they are available regularly. Airlines such as Air New Zealand, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Malaysia Airlines, Etihad Airways, Emirates, to name a few, have flights to Christchurch from India. The most popular route to Christchurch often taken by travellers is from Singapore. Since the flight connectivity to Christchurch from Singapore is comparatively good. Not to mention how it has the most number of flights flying to the New Zealand city, it only makes sense to opt for this international route to reach Christchurch. Most of the flights flying to Christchurch from India have layovers in international cities such as Singapore, Auckland, Melbourne, Wellington, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Abu Dhabi, to name a few.
Although there are flights that would reach you in about 19 hours and 10 minutes, the flight tickets to Christchurch with such time duration would be expensive. In fact, it might cost you in lakhs to book a single journey to Christchurch from India, if you opt for the fastest flight. However, the most popular flights considered for Christchurch fall under the price range of INR 47,000 to INR 51,000. These flights to Christchurch will reach you in about 21 hours and five minutes, depending on the connectivity and weather. There is no additional transit visa required to fly to Christchurch from India. Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai are the prime cities where you will find flights to Christchurch. New Zealand, in general, is quite expensive as a country so you will have to ensure that you have reserved enough money for this trip. The flight tickets to Christchurch alone are super costly. If you make prior flight bookings to Christchurch, then you might receive some excellent online flight deals.
About Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines is the official flag carrier airline of Singapore. The airline's hub is located at Singapore Changi Airport. Singapore Airlines has been ranked as the world's best airlines time and again by Skytrax, a United Kingdom-based consultancy that is famous for its airline and airport review and ranking site. Singapore Airlines has been recognised by Skytrax four times in the past for its world-class performance and facilities. Singapore Airlines has also been acknowledged by Travel & leisure for being the best airline several times in the past 20 years. The airline has a slew of airline-related subsidiaries that function under the brand. The aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul businesses are all managed by SIA Engineering Company. Singapore Airlines' two subsidiaries in the aviation industry include SilkAir and Scoot. While SilkAir is known to operate regional flights and follow domestic routes with a few secondary cities, Scoot wholly operates as a low-cost carrier. Singapore Airlines was the first customer for the Airbus A380's launch.
Airbus A380, known to be the largest passenger aircraft, was first chartered by Singapore Airlines. Boeing 787-10 and the extremely long-range version of Airbus A350-900 were also launched by Singapore Airlines. The airline is easily among the top 15 carriers across the globe with respect to revenue passenger kilometres. It is also the tenth-ranked in the world in terms of international passengers carried. In 2019, Skytrax voted Singapore Airlines as the World's Best Airline Cabin Crew. In the same year, the airline also took home several accolades including the second and fourth positions as World's Best Airlines and World's Cleanest Airlines respectively.
The airline is majorly owned by the government of Singapore's investment holding company called Temasek Holdings. The holding company has a whopping 56 per cent of voting stock in the airline. While the government of Singapore does hold a tremendous stake in the airline, they have stressed on the fact that the state is not involved in the management aspect of Singapore Airlines. To the government, the Singapore Changi Airport is of more importance to them over Singapore Airlines. The airlines' branding efforts have been recognised worldwide. Their emphasis on the promotion of the airlines' female flight attendants, also known popularly as Singapore Girls, has left quite an impact on the brand. It has been widely known and appreciated. The logo of Singapore Airlines is a bird which is inspired by regional folklore and features a silver kris (keris).
Fleet size of Singapore Airlines
As of 2020, Singapore Airlines' fleet size stands at 131 total passenger carriers. All the aircraft in their fleet are Airbus and Boeing. The airline accommodates five wide-body aircraft from Airbus A330, Airbus A380, Airbus A350 XWB, Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Boeing 777. The first Airbus A330-300 was introduced in 2009 with the initial batch being leased instead of purchased. The aircraft had regional business-class products with a 2-2-2 seat configuration. Singapore Airlines received its first set of Airbus A350 in the third quarter of 2018 which enabled non-stop flights to New York and Los Angeles while a stop-service to Seattle was also introduced. After many delays, Singapore Airlines became the first airline to launch and operate the coveted Airbus A380-800, introduced in 2007. The first trip of the aircraft was from Singapore to Sydney. To promote the same, the airline also auctioned all the tickets after signing an agreement with eBay, proceeds of the same to be donated to charity. They managed to raise about USD1.3 million for charity through the auction for A380 tickets.
As part of their future expansions, Singapore Airlines recently announced that they would be merging with their subsidiary SilkAir. The merger will mostly be taking place in late 2021 or perhaps early 2022. Further part of this plan is to phase out SilkAir's two Airbus A319s and seven Airbus A320 fleet. Their narrow-body fleet would comprise of Boeing 737-800s and Boeing 737 MAX 8s. The plan is to integrate some of these aircraft to Singapore Airlines with upgradations to the passenger cabins. The main goal behind refurbishing the aircraft is not just to make enough room for better facilities that Singapore Airlines is known to deliver but also to bring forth a standard wide-body fleet. As part of the Singapore Airlines, the aircraft would require to have some sort of uniformity with respect to their passenger cabins. As on 2020, there are 17 Boeing 737-800s and six Boeing 737 MAX 8s that are in the SilkAir fleet with additions of more 31 MAX 8s on order. In 2017, Singapore Airlines proposed to purchase 39 aircraft from Boeing which included 20 Boeing 777-9s and 19 Boeing 787-10s. Further, on the deal, they also have reserved options to purchase 12 more aircraft.
Singapore Airlines Baggage Allowance
Singapore Airlines has certain baggage allowance restrictions that need to be adhered to by all passengers. Depending on the countries that the airline flies to, the protocols regarding baggage is altered. As Singapore Airlines accommodates several cabins including Suites and first-class and economy class lite, the baggage allowance differs for all of them. Suites and first-class passengers are allowed to carry 50 kg with two-piece of baggage that can weigh up to 32 kg each. Business-class passengers are allowed to carry 40 kg, which can be divided into two pieces. The economy class has three following segregations, namely flexi, standard and lite. The maximum weight for these cabins is 35 kg, 30 kg and 30 kg respectively. The protocols for weight changes depending on whether you are a member of the Star Alliance gold plan or if you have KrisFkyer Elite Gold membership. No matter what though, the dimensions of the baggage cannot exceed 158 cm, as it is a mandatory clause for all Singapore Airlines flights.
With respect to weight, the airline is very strict as the excess weighing baggage would not be allowing through check-in. Hence, you might have to purchase extra weight at the counter for the baggage, or you will need to dispose of some of the essentials from the bag. They are very particular about the size and dimensions of the bags too. With respect to cabin baggage, the Suites, First Class and Business class can carry two pieces not exceeding 7 kgs each. The dimensions of the baggage should also not go beyond 115 cm. As for the Premium Economy Class and Economy Class, the airline allows one piece with a weight of up to 7 kg and not more. The sum of the dimensions is similar to that of the first class and business class baggage. It is strongly advised by the airlines not to pack valuable and fragile items such as laptops, important documents, jewellery and precious stones, medication, perishable items and negotiable papers in the checked baggage.
Singapore Airlines In-flight services
Suites - Singapore Airlines' suites have a solo and double suites with a luxurious double bed, a private screening, wireless tablet to control the lighting, in-flight services and more, sumptuous meals that come with the airline's in-flight menu. You can live the suite life in-transit.
First-class - The first class has a reserved private space with doors, extra-wide seats, mood lighting, in-flight entertainment sponsored by KrisWorld and perfectly comfortable for passengers. The first-class passengers certainly receive some exquisite in-flight services in Singapore Airlines' flights.
Business-class class - The business class varies depending on the aircraft flown by the airlines. The international business class and regional business class have a different setting, but the in-flight services are quite similar. The seats can be extended to flatbeds and with exquisite other features like mood lights, comfortable seats, power plugs and more.
Premium economy class - The in-flight services of Singapore Airlines for premium economy is quite fancy as it allows decent legroom with a calf-rest and foot-rest attached to the seat. Not to mention how the recline is also quite generous as it stretches up to 8 inches. The seat-pitch is also 38-inch. Along with the seats, you will find facilities such as two USB ports, adjustable personal lamp, ports for power supply to charge electronic gadgets.
Economy class - The economy class are also well-designed with personalised AVOD systems installed by KrisWorld, space for headrest, good reclining seats with decent legroom and provisions of great hospitality offered by Singapore Airlines' in-flight services.
Popular routes and top cities for Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines flies to several domestic routes and international routes while offering a phenomenal service worldwide. Some of the top cities that Singapore Airlines connects to include Sydney, Beijing, Shanghai, Paris, Hong Kong, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Rome, Tokyo, Osaka, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait City, Auckland, Cape Town, Seoul, Colombo, Bangkok, Abu Dhabi, Los Angeles, Newark, Seattle and Hanoi, to name a few.
Why travel by Singapore Airlines?
Singapore Airlines is one of the top airlines worldwide for its excellent connectivity to various international cities. The airline's website, as well as the mobile app, enables several facilities such as keeping abreast with the flight status, Singapore Airlines' flight schedule, web check-in facilities and booking a Singapore Airlines flight. Everything is a fingertip away.
