Samantha Brown's Places to Love

Christchurch, New Zealand

Samantha experiences the revival of the once earthquake devastated city of Christchurch, New Zealand by starting her journey off at the Gap Filler initiatives. These innovative installations temporarily fill the gaps of the city rebuild with fun distractions like the Dance O Mat, where you can plug in your digital device into an old washing machine, blast your music and dance to your favorite tunes with your friends on a dance floor. Moving on, Samantha visits the whimsical C1 Espresso shop, where her lunch is delivered via pneumatic tube. Keeping on track, Samantha visits with Jade, who runs a Gap Filler garden and cafe where Samantha learns about the Maori tradition and the different indigenous vegetables and flowers grown in Jade's garden. Leaving Christchurch, Samantha explores Akaroa Harbor stopping off at the Giants House, a mosaic art collection utilizing porcelain. Penguins in New Zealand? Samantha visits a local farm that has been concentrating its conservation efforts on protecting the endangered Pohatu Penguins. From one farm to the next, Samantha joins Angela and Chef Giulio for a picnic, that consists of wild elderflower and artichokes that they collectively just foraged. North Canterbury wineries are quite the hit, as Samantha tries some local wine and chats with the local winemakers about the unique New Zealand tradition of wine. Heading back to the city, Samantha checks out the newly reopened City Library and all its wonderful technological resources. Finishing off her trip, Samantha heads back to the Dance O Mat to dance Bollywood style with the locals.