In June this year, when tourism authorities in New Zealand did their math, they found that the number of Indians passing through Christchurch airport had grown by 23 per cent in just 12 months. As far as arrivals in New Zealand were concerned, Indians ranked eighth on a diverse global list. Sixteen years ago, though, it was our cricket team that was among the more prominent visitors. In February 1990, the Kiwis played India in Christchurch. In the second innings, Richard Hadlee bowled an off-cutter that Sanjay Manjrekar nicked onto his stumps. The pacer had claimed his 400th Test wicket on his home ground. “The ball nipped back a little bit. That really was my Everest,” he recalls.

Hadlee was recently in Mumbai to promote New Zealand’s South Island as its Special Ambassador. His memories of India are fond. “Once I got my 400th wicket, the game stopped. Bishan Singh Bedi, the manager of the Indian team, came out with a tray of 400 roses to mark the occasion. That made my achievement special.” Born and bred in Christchurch, the city’s son confesses that the celebrations which followed are now a blur. He remembers more clearly the two earthquakes that shook his town in 2011. “One earthquake measured 6.8 on the Richter Scale. The velocity of it was so severe that it lifted buildings, moved them and then dropped them down. All of 1,800 buildings came down and because of their collapse, the city lost 186 people. It was all very tragic,” he says.

Despite the destruction, which is obviously still fresh in the cricketer’s mind, the pitch he makes for his hometown is earnest. He says, “Because of all the damage, we have been forced to rebuild. To get Christchurch back to being a vibrant city again, $28 billion has been invested, and the creativity of this resurrection is already apparent.”

Smash Palace, for instance, one of Christchurch’s most frequented pubs, was once a shipping container. The name is as ingenious as its interior. Similar containers make up Re:Start Cashel Mall, which houses pop-up boutiques, cafés and eateries. According to him, this innovation is but a map for the even more inventive Christchurch being constructed. “It is, of course, going to be a flatter, low-rise city, so new hotels are being built. You can expect more shopping precincts. A conference centre should be built by 2019,” he informs.

It is a little surprising to see an otherwise reticent sportsperson speak with such fervour, but his affirmations rely more on passion than practice. The Botanic Gardens of Christchurch makes him compare the city to Bengaluru. “Their beauty is similar, and all our high schools and colleges are made of stone, so it also looks a lot like Cambridge. The River Avon only adds to its English charm,” he says. New Zealand’s third biggest city is also the country’s most British.

Hadlee believes there’s a reason why Indian honeymooners have started flocking to Christchurch and the South Island. “The scenery on offer is exceptional. Tourism is our biggest export and that’s why I’m here in Mumbai to promote it.”

A cricketer for 18 years, Hadlee says travel for him was mostly restricted to “airports, hotels and cricket grounds”. He has, however, ticked the Taj Mahal checkbox. “In places like Fatehpur Sikri and even at the Red Fort, what helped was a guide.” The ICC Cricket Hall of Famer, for his part, is quite the guide himself. After he has talked about quadrupling the number of Chinese tourists, he speaks with some delight about Queenstown, the “jewel in South Island’s crown”. He lists outdoor activities that are a drive away from Christchurch. He speaks of glaciers, but then most fondly, he waxes eloquent about the region’s golf courses. “I live on a golf course at the moment, and so there I have the Bunker Bar and then there are club houses. I end up frequenting those quite a lot,” he says.

Approximately 90 minutes from Christchurch is Hammer Springs, an alpine village that is famous for its hot springs, horses and ski slopes. “We have a holiday home there and I really would recommend a visit,” says Hadlee.

When asked about the bed and breakfast he is said to own in nearby Pegasus, the 65-year-old adds, with a laugh, “We advertise that, but in reality we don’t do much with it because it affects your lifestyle. To run it, you have to be around, and at this age, I don’t want to worry about what I do. We entertain two to three people, but we don’t run it as a business.”

Though there are a fair few pubs in the Christchurch neighbourhood. Hadlee, a “steak man”, likes to walk into Speight’s Ale House for lunch, a beer and a good chat. The Asian food at House of Snake, he feels, is a sign of how multicultural his town has become. Signing off, Hadlee decides to bowl it straight. Christchurch makes sense because it is easy. “We have an international airport, so it makes travel simpler.” Pitching it up, he then repeats a single world — “Spectacular. It really is.”

Shreevatsa Nevatiais a freelance writer

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