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Ferrymead Heritage Park is a short drive from the Christchurch CBD or you can take a bus - directions are on their website - www.ferrymead.org.nz
From their website: Ferrymead Heritage Park features an early 1900s Edwardian township complete with homes, picture theatre, school house, church, jail and railway station, as well as a fascinating array of museum and heritage collections.
- Electric trams operate on weekends, event days and during school holidays, and that's when the railway station tearooms are open too
- Steam trains run on the first Sunday of every month (April/November). From November 2010 to February 2011 the Steam Trains will run EVERY Sunday.
Ferrymead is one of those places that every kid who grows up in Christchurch goes to. If not on a school trip then during the school holidays for sure. It is a part of Christchurch & is adding new features on a regular basis. During the week the trams & trains do not run but there is still heaps to see & do & the admission price is reduced. On the weekends & during the holidays the trains & trams run along with some special events during the year - check their website for upcoming events.
A number of different groups contribute to Ferrymead so there is a large variety of things to see & do. Many of the buildings have been restored & displayed as they were used in the past.
There is a main street with a church, school house, bakery, shops & a printers. You can tour the buildings & see how the people lived. The printers has some great old print plates ( apparently Man has Landed on the Moon ) & it looks like you can get copies on the weekends also. There is also a post office that is open on the weekends.
On the day we went there was a school group running around & they had dressed the kids in period costumes & were showing how the bakery worked & how clothes were washed way back when.
As you head down the back to the model train building & the history of electricity area there are some examples of old building styles & a relaxing pond to kick back at.
One advantage of going on a quiet day is you can sometimes get to see things you normally wouldn't. I want to say a special thanks to one of the many volunteers Dave. He took me & my sister & another visitor on a tour around the aircraft area.
We got up close to the Douglas LC 47 which used to fly down to the ice. We also got to see the Vickers Viscount & hear about the planned airport scene they are developing around it.
The best part was being shown around the non public parts of the aircraft restoration area. Dave is working on part of a Sunderland flying boat. I also got to see a Hudson up close for the first time & hear about all the work that has gone into it so far.
For me the absolute best part was getting up close to the DeHavilland Mosquito, one of my all time favorite aircraft. I knew it was made mostly of wood & had always assumed this was because of a lack of metal supplies during the war. Turns out the reason was actually to provide work for cabinet makers etc during the war. It was just awesome to see inside a mossie.
There are several other displays on the way back to the town centre & train station including some workshops. One had cool stuff including those goofy mirrors that make you look tall or short. There were some old trucks & cars along with restored trams. Upstairs there is a history of the telephone display.
Ferrymead has lots more to offer but I don't want to give it all away. Its well worth spending a day here if you are visiting Christchurch.
