We live in a modern, quiet 5+ bedroom home on a 1-acre section in the sea-side village of Redcliffs. Redcliffs is on the edge of Christchurch, New Zealand, sitting by the estuary formed where the Port Hills and Canterbury Plains meet the magnificent sweep of the Pacific Ocean. It's such a great place to live that we'd never leave -- if we didn't like travelling so much!
Our family -- Vicki, Peter, plus children David, aged 17; Perry, 15; Erica 13 -- are looking for a home exchange with someone in Greece, the Greek Islands and/or Aegean Turkey in May, June or July 2011 or 2012, and/or a canal boat in the UK or especially France. We would prefer to include a vehicle the Eastern-Med swap, and can offer other benefits such as use of a pre-paid mobile phone, and a week's accomodation (subject to availability) in a resort in either Queenstown or Bay of Islands.
This fish-eye view of our house was taken via the reflective ball which adorns a water feature on the top-floor sundeck. Click on the image to explore a larger/sizable image in a new browser window. In that, you can spot the spa, sauna, plunge, swing seat, BBQ and other outdoor facilities. You can also make out one of the garden terraces and, behind the house, the private hillside setting in which we live.
Why exchange with us?
We're experienced non-smoking travellers and very considerate guests, including the children. We own our own business and our staff and support people (including gardening/home handyman) can be there if required to make sure your stay is problem-free.Here's an idea of what's what's on offer if you choose to exchange with us:
Around the home
- Outdoor spa (solar heated, always hot, great for star-gazing!)
- Sauna and plunge
- Sundeck with BBQ, hammock, outside seating
- Home theatre with video projector and 100" screen
- Extensive DVD and CD collection
- Satellite TV (approx. 60 channels including BBC, CNN) with recording
- High-speed Internet
- 14+ bookcases of novels, science fiction and fantasy, history, art, military, science, travel/atlases, cooking, natural history etc.
- Trampoline, garden, forest and hill walks
- A couple of dozen fruit trees and climbing trees
- Tropical fish (low maintenance)
- Cockatiel (optional, low maintenance)
- Labrador cross dog (optional, medium maintenance, feeding/tending can be easily arranged during trips away)
A view of our house and section from above and behind. The red line roughly marks the boundary of our 1-acre (4000 m2) section. The buildings at top right aren't visible from our place because of the hill profile. Click on the photo to explore a larger/sizable image in a new browser window.
Out and About
Here's our place as Google Maps sees it
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Within 2 minutes drive (end of the street):
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3-5 minutes:
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6-10 minutes:
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This view of the eastern suburbs of Christchurch is taken from Victoria Park on the Port Hills. In the far distance are the snow-covered mountains of the Seaward Kaikouras. The arrow indicates the direction of the village of Redcliffs, where the Port Hills meet the sea. Click to explore a larger/sizable image in a new browser window.
11-30 minutes (in the city):
- City Centre and shops
- Arts Centre
- Cathedrals
- Museum
- Art Gallery
- Christchurch International Airport
- Malls
- Nightclubs
- Antarctic Centre
- Aquarium
- Wildlife Reserves
- Go-Karts
- Ice skating
- Archery
- Jade Stadium (Super-12 Rugby)
- Golf courses
- Vineyards
Further afield:
- Akaroa -- French colonial town (1 hour)
- Mt Hutt and Porter Heights skifields (1 hour)
- Lake Coleridge -- alpine lake (1 hour)
- Hanmer Springs thermal resort town (1.5 hours)
- Arthurs Pass National Park (1.5 hours)
- Kaikoura -- whale-watching, swim with dolphins/sharks (2 hours)
- McKenzie Country/Mt Cook -- spectacular lakes and mountains (3 hours)
- Dunedin -- NZ's "Edinburugh of the South" (5 hours)
- Queenstown/Wanaka alpine lake resorts -- endless things to do and see, including many Lord of the Rings locations (6 hours)
- Nelson/Blenheim -- sun, beach, craft, wine and cheese paradise (6 hours)
- West Coast -- the ruggedness, isolation and natural wonders of the Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers (3-7 hours)
- Fiordland -- one of the natural wonders of the world (8-10 hours)
- Marlborough Sounds and Picton -- the beautiful ferry gateway to the north (6.5 hours)
- The North Island (if you must!) via the car-ferry from Picton (8 hours incl. 1.5-3 hours ferry trip, most of which is in the calm of the Marlborough sounds), or by air (45 mins to Wellington, 75 mins to Auckland)
- Australia ("The West Island") is just 2.5 hours flight from Christchurch
You can find out much more about Christchurch and its surrounding region here and also here.
More about us
We're New Zealanders, but spent five years living and working in Japan in software and journalism, before coming home to have a family and enjoy the relaxed Kiwi lifestyle.
For nearly 20 years we've been running our own business, Webcentre Ltd, focusing primarily on Website design and development and custom software, with a strong secondary interest in things scientific (take a look at our Website SciTechDaily.com, for an intersection of the two).
Between that and the kids, life can be pretty busy, but we do get to indulge the odd hobby from time to time. These include:
- fun and frolics with the local branch of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA), an international historical research and recreation group
- learning and laughing with the New Zealand Skeptics (one day maybe a UFO really will land in the back yard!)
- boating, skiing, brunching or simply enjoying the great natural environment we've got here
Our family near Mt Cook and the Tasman Glacier in late 2002
More about the house
This panorama (pardon the join line!) is taken from the stairs leading to our top-floor and sundeck. The master bedroom, ensuite and tatami-style dayroom are also on this floor. To the left of the picture and below are two of our garden terraces; on the right is the village of Redcliffs, then the estuary, South Brighton spit, surf beaches and the Pacific. Click on the image to explore a larger/sizable image in a new browser window.
Half of our home was built in the mid-1970s but we added a large third floor a decade ago. It actually has 7 bedrooms (two have been converted to an office area, one is a Japanese-style tatami room off the sundeck and doubles as a day-room and party room).
Key features
- Three bathrooms (one per floor), one containing clothes washer/dryer, one ensuite for master bedroom
- Modern galley kitchen with electric induction hob, fan oven, microwave, dishwasher and waste disposal
- Large lounge with timer/thermostat gas fireplace and home theatre
- Workshop
- Wireless phone/answerphone system with one handset station per floor
- Intercom connecting office, lounge, master bedroom
- Sauna and 8-person outdoor spa
- Underfloor heating in lounge and office, oil column heaters on timers in bedrooms
- Fully automatic watering system for all outdoor gardens
- Two turrets, and a top-o'-the-house lookout for the daring!
...plus everything listed in Around the home, above.
Other things you can use
- Bicycles: Two adult 10-speed road bikes and two 18-speed mountain bikes suitable 8-14 year old, van has bicycle carrier
- Ski gear: Two adult and two child (7-12 yrs) sets of skis/boots, van has snow chains (rarely required)
- Mobile phone: if you like, we'll leave a GSM mobile pre-pay phone for use during your trips away from the house
- And, naturally, a wide range of children's books and toys including slot cars, construction blocks, board games etc.
More about the van
Our main vehicle is a fully-optioned 1998 Ford Freda day-van which is very comfortable to drive, especially for long trips.Key features
- Automatic
- Power steering
- Airbags
- Seats 8
- 2.5 litre diesel engine
- CD player
- Seats fold to sleep two, roof raises to sleep two more
- Electric windows and curtains
- Air conditioning front and back
- Economical to run
Also available as a runabout is our 1990 Mazda MX5 soft-top, great for popping in to the city or cruisy day-trips to Hanmer or Akaroa.
Maintenance and Insurance
Michael does all our regular garden maintenance and Nigel the indoor work. You would be able to call Nigel if any minor problems arise, i.e. issues more complex than changing a light-bulb. He would seek further assistance if required. Ordinary wear-and-tear type maintenance would be carried out at our cost.
Our house and vehicles are all fully insured. However, every policy has an excess of around $250 and we would expect you to cover that portion of the damage arising from any incident, and we would expect to do the same in respect to your insurance policies.
Contact information
- Email Vicki: vicki@webcentre.co.nz