Mel and Sam are wonderful hosts and this large and wonderfully located property is PERFECT for anyone considering an extended stay in Christchurch! Which is not to say that it is not also perfect for a 1 or 2 night stay, but when you stay for over a month, as my wife and I recently did, you really come to appreciate the quiet, cleanliness and the convenience that this property offers in a city that is far more spread out than it might first appear.
In fact, with the exception of a couple of "must do while in New Zealand" road trips that we took, my wife and I were able to spend our whole 8 week stay there without renting a car - something that would not have been as easy or as enjoyable in many other of the properties that I researched in Christchurch. There is an excellent Fresh Choice supermarket just a 2-3 minute walk away that is open from 7 am to 11 pm seven days a week, and it is located in a mall with a number of good cafes, retail stores, a butcher shop and a 24 hour gym. No less than 4 bus stops are right there also (for the 45, 60, 120 and Orbiter, for those doing their own research into such things at the moment), which allowed us to get into the city center in less than 20 minutes, the University in less than 30 minutes, and the Westfield Riccarton Mall area (nearby to which is a fabulous Saturday Farmer's Market) in just over 10 minutes. The Christchurch Central Bus Interchange (with connections to the Airport Bus), as well as the Christchurch Central Train Station are both also about 15 minutes away by bus, so when you stay at this property, you really do not need a car (nor to master "left hand side of the road" driving, if you have never done so before!)
The place itself is as beautiful as pictured, with three nice bedrooms, bathroom with a bathtub, in-house washing machine and dishwasher, large-screen TV and living room, and a fabulous kitchen and dining room area looking out over the backyard with a nice new refrigerator, full oven, and microwave, plenty of pantry space (and indeed, the whole house has plenty of closet space!) and pretty much everything that you will need to cook -- and if you need to borrow something, Mel and Sam's house is right next door, and they are amazingly accommodating! The house is also extremely well insulated and quiet, with a heatpump, a pellet stove, and a number of portable oil heaters that you can move around if you don't feel like heating the whole place up when you don't need to.
In all, my wife and I LOVED our stay here --- and spent an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out how soon we could come back to this place!
Thanks again, Sam and Mel!