Samantha Brown's Places to Love

-I'm in a country that has piqued everyone's interest because of its legendary landscapes, famous wines, and even more famous hospitality.

It's a country of laid-back people who also possess an intensity of passion and creativity that living in a remote part of the world brings.

And for the traveler making the long journey here, it's a creativity that can be wandered through, foraged for, sipped, and performed.

It feels so good to finally make it here.

-[ Bleats ] -This is my first time to New Zealand!

I'm in Christchurch... -Go!

-...New Zealand.

I'm Samantha Brown, and I've traveled all over this world.

And I'm always looking to find the destinations, the experiences, and, most importantly, the people who make us feel like we're really a part of a place.

That's why I have a love of travel and why these are my places to love.

Samantha Brown's "Places to Love" is made possible by... -We believe watching the world go by isn't enough.

That's why we climb... ...pedal... ...and journey beyond the beaten path, on storied rivers, with a goal of making sure that every mile traveled turns into another memory.

You can find out more at amawaterways.com.

-To travel is to live, and at AAA, we've been passionate about travel for over 100 years.

That's why we created AAA Vacations -- member travel experiences around the world.

Learn more at AAA.com/LiveTV.

-New Zealand is made up of two main islands -- North and South.

I'll be enjoying its South Island, including its famed Akaroa Harbor, the fertile lands of North Canterbury, as well as the South Island's largest city, Christchurch.

Christchurch is New Zealand's oldest city, and yet, there is a newness to the energy here.

There is a momentum that is unlike any other city in the world.

And as a traveler, as soon as you arrive, you realize that you are very much a part of that energy.

Christchurch was changed forever when it was struck by two huge earthquakes in 2010 and 2011.

The effects are still evident.

-After the first earthquake in September 2010, a group of us got together and started doing community projects on vacant sites.

And it became known as the Gap Filler Project, and we've been going for eight years now.

-Where we are right now, Ryan -- I mean, it's very open.

Were these all buildings that just came down and had to be removed?

-Yeah, it's hard to imagine.

Isn't it?

-Yeah.

-But yeah, this was a block of the central city.

-I'm Ryan Reynolds.

I was born in Ohio, grew up in the Midwest, and I came to Christchurch as a university student and just never went back.

We saw these privately-owned sites that would be vacant indefinitely.

And we thought, "Let's just turn those into temporary public spaces."

And then through doing a few projects, we discovered that, actually, people who didn't normally get to participate in the shaping of the city got to participate.

-Ryan took me to the site of one of his favorite projects, and one of the first.

Is this a dance floor?

-Yeah, this is one of our oldest projects.

It's called the Dance-O-Mat, We built this one not long after the earthquakes.

Actually, when the whole central city was still cordoned off, we built this dance floor.

And since then, the property developers built a building on that site.

So we moved it to another site and another, and this is the fourth site.

Yeah, one of our most popular projects, definitely.

-Oh, wow.

You've got speakers.

You've got four speakers.

Where do you play the music?

-So, there's a -- an old laundromat washing machine, our old Maytag here.

And we took the agitator and things out and put the amplifier in there.

So, actually, it's just a headphone jack.

And you plug in your phone or whatever, drop a coin in the slot, and lights and sound go on.

So it's kind of DIY dance party.

-Who takes advantage of this?

-Everyone.

Christchurch really was one of the more conservative places in New Zealand.

Everyone said, "No one will use it here.

No one will dance in public."

But we got on average, something like 16 $2-coins a day.

And that turns the timer on for half an hour, so it gets used seven, eight hours a day, on average.

-The Gap Filler Project is literally filling in the gaps with art, engagement, and the human spirit.

And near the Dance-O-Mat is the C-1 Caf, which has a similar mission.

[ Ding ] [ Ding ] Done!

I just got my lunch delivered to me by an pneumatic tube.

-Well, welcome to the future.

-So, what did you get?

-I made an order of a burger and a beer.

-Okay.

-Yeah.

-Oh, here it is.

Look at that.

Here we go.

-So you got a burger and a beer?

-I did.

I did.

-Okay, this is how, Sam, I would get, like, a lollipop, because my mom would cash her checks at a bank.

So, you know, things that came in a pneumatic tube were, uh, lollipops... -Here we go.

We're in.

-...money, and now, food!

-It came with a beer.

-And with a beer!

-Clearly labeled.

Can you see how much... -Did the pneumatic system come with the building?

-No, we put in a pneumatic system to deliver all of orders into the kitchen from the waitstaff.

And then our customers -- all of our customers -- seemed unimpressed with us.

We thought it was the best, and wanted us to send food back from the kitchen.

And it was just a challenge that we wanted to accept.

-Like, everything about the experience here at every level has some sort of twist on the everyday.

-It's weird that earthquakes that happened, they were right in the middle of a city that hadn't been built yet.

So we wanted to make sure that people could remember us for something, not just for being the first crazy people to reopen in the city.

We wanted to, say, yeah, put a bit of fun back in our lives, I guess, yeah.

-Quirkiness is found everywhere.

The bathroom is hidden behind a bookshelf.

You can fill your water glass from an old sewing machine.

Cupcakes look like ice cream cones, and the ice tea here is blue.

-We're just trying to make the -- the mundane memorable.

[ Ding ] -The first people to inhabit New Zealand were the Maori.

-As indigenous people, being able to reconnect to the land is so healing.

-Jade Temepara is an expert gardener, and runs a cooking school and a mobile kitchen here in Christchurch that highlights Maori cuisine and its culture.

-Just really going back to that really more traditional way of eating.

-Jade is proud to demonstrate that, food for the Maori, goes much deeper than its ingredients -- but growing those ingredients, as well.

So, is everything in here edible?

-Yeah, everything in here is edible.

You can see that it's looking like it's a bit weedy.

-Uh-huh.

-But one of the most beautiful things about teaching people how to grow food is the whole entire cycle of food.

So putting the seeds down, knowing where the seeds have come from, growing the food, and then allowing the process of the seed to actually, you know, come to its death.

I am a seed saver, and have been collecting seeds and saving them for generations.

-And do you have any seeds here that go back to your sort of ancestry -- thousands of years?

-Yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

So, we've got this plant here... -Mm-hmm.

-...is a sow thistle.

-Thistle.

-So, it's called a puha.

And the small leaf, you can eat raw.

-Okay.

May I?

-Yes, go for it.

Tell me the taste and the texture that you're experiencing.

-It is phenomenally fresh and bright.

-I can steam it.

You can put it in chutneys.

You can -- It's very versatile.

-So, where did you get your love of gardening?

-I had two really amazing grandfathers, and they really eat off the land.

-Mm-hmm.

-And they taught me so much.

-We're in what used to be a building that was brought down by the earthquake.

-Yeah.

-It sort of is a makeshift parking lot.

We're along the lines of a bus route.

Like, you know, you've taken a parking lot and you've made it paradise for a lot of people.

-Yeah.

-And just that sense of regrowth and rebirth.

-Mm-hmm.

You know, it's sort of when you're living in this sort of space, you just wanna see something beautiful.

In Maori, one of the words that we use for food is kai.

It's just really great to be able to showcase some of our indigenous kai.

But also, like we've been talking here, it took seeds.

-Mm-hmm.

-Our bodies know what we need, and this is such a beautiful way of being able to tell that story.

-I'm heading outside of Christchurch to the seaside town of Akaroa.

It is said that in New Zealand, one is never more than 80 kilometers from the sea.

The drive is winding and stunning, and the sneak peeks of gorgeousness gets you excited for the destination.

I've now made it to the seaside village of Akaroa, which happens to be New Zealand's first and only French settlement.

And there's evidence of that everywhere -- in the shops, in the restaurants.

They even fly the French flag here.

And at the center of it all is this beautiful long harbor.

So, Akaroa is known as being a hub for unique marine life.

Of course, there are beautiful mountain hikes and walks all along the way.

It's also known for a house where no set of China is safe.

Overlooking the bay is The Giant's House.

The bed and breakfast and terraced gardens are a visual feast, all created by the hands of one woman.

Josie, it's amazing being here in this part of New Zealand.

We are just surrounded by gorgeous nature, just epic landscapes.

And then, there's your place.

And I feel like you actually upstaged nature.

-I don't know about that.

-I feel transfixed.

I'm sure that's probably not what you wanted to do.

But, like, you really enter into a different world here.

Was that -- Was that your goal?

-Well, I'm trying to be in tune with nature 'cause I live close to nature.

-You sure do.

-And of course, I'm passionate about the garden.

-What was that first project?

-Ah, my front doorstep, because, when I came here, this was overgrown wilderness.

And digging the garden, I found lovely old China that had been buried.

-Mm-hmm.

-They didn't have rubbish collections in 1880.

And threw it in a box and thought, "Maybe one day, I should use that.

That's part of the history of the house."

-Mm-hmm.

-And I had a very ugly, broken front doorstep, and I couldn't afford to buy tiles.

And I thought, "I'm going to try mosaicing and use that china.

So that was my front doorstep.

-So, I mean, looking at this, what you have accomplished, did you have in your mind a grand plan, or is this all whimsy and more fluid and organic than that?

-More organic.

But I -- I do a lot of drawings, because it's quite important, how one thing relates to another.

It's a special thing, and the color fits in with the next part.

And I just trusted my history of knowing, I suppose.

I just let it unfold, and it did.

-How long does it take you to make something like the boat?

-Well, these are serious, big builds.

-Right.

But just maybe even a figure, just to give us an idea of how much time you spent on that.

-I don't really keep track of time, be honest.

-Are you sculpting the figures and then putting in the mosaics yourself, or does someone else?

-I have a man help me with the -- because there's major foundation and major steel in these.

And then, when I've got the form, now I have mosaiced every tile in the garden.

-Here, let me see your fingers.

Look at that!

-I use a lot of hand cream.

[ Both laugh ] I mean, it's a celebration of life and art and gardens.

-Mm-hmm.

-And there's so many terrible things in the world.

I don't want to add to the negatives, because then, you're just perpetuating them.

I want to add something positive that makes people feel good.

And so here, people go away feeling inspired.

And it uplifts their spirits, makes him feel good.

And I think it's my reward.

-So when the guests break the China, you don't care because, well, then it's just -- that's just something else here.

-Yeah, I have break parties frequently.

[ Laughter ] -There's no such thing as a boring road trip in New Zealand.

Every point "A" to point "B" provides a show of astonishing natural beauty.

You really need to build in an extra hour or two for all the stops along the way, as well as for the unpredictable traffic.

And amazing people live in this version of secluded paradise.

I've come to meet a few of them.

What a beautiful little nook in the world you have.

Beautiful!

How long have you been here?

-50 years.

-50 years?

-Yeah.

-When did you realize that you were not alone -- that it just wasn't you and sheep?

-The first night here, wasn't it?

-I'm Francis Helps.

-And I'm Shireen Helps.

-And we live at Flea Bay, Banks Peninsula.

We're sheep and beef cattle farmers.

-We also share our environment with 1,300 breeding pair of penguins.

-The smallest penguins in the world, to be exact -- called, aptly enough, little penguins.

And the Helps' property is one of the last places to see them in the wild.

So do the penguins make a lot of noise?

-They're nocturnal.

-Okay.

-They've gotta come ashore in the dark, 'cause they're a little down the pecking order.

-So, wh-what does a penguin sound like?

-They sound a bit like a donkey with a sore throat.

[ Laughter ] -The little penguin population has been in decline for 40 years due to their nesting habits, as well as introduced predators, like cats and ferrets.

You realize there's a penguin problem.

How do you help the penguin?

-Well, the predator-control is the first thing.

You've gotta keep the predators away from them.

Francis had trap lines.

I had trap lines.

We were trapping, um, oh, huge distances.

-From the cliffs to the top of the hill -- this whole valley.

-There used to be thousands and thousands of penguins.

But this bay is just the last place that they could actually still be able to nest up there, since we've been doing predator control.

-The Helps trap predators, but also assisted in something every young couple needs a hand with -- the starter home.

These are -- Oh, it's a little penguin neighborhood!

Francis and Shireen have built over 1,000 homes in a size specifically created for one breeding pair of penguins.

-If you make them too big, then you get two pair fight over it and nobody breeds.

-Can we see some penguins?

Are they shy?

-Yes.

We'll have a look in this one.

-Oh, my goodness.

-Mm, how many chicks?

Without my glasses, I can't tell.

-Oh, look at the babies!

-Typical white-flippered penguin.

-The Helps give penguin tours on their property at night, when the birds make the commute home.

The tours are a part of the conservation effort of knowledge and respect for the world's smallest penguin.

You've really been, um, praised for saving an entire colony.

What were the numbers when you came here?

-I sort of estimated.

We probably got down to 350 nests, which sounds a lot.

But the population now is 1,300 nests.

-It's amazing being here and looking at this land.

And it doesn't look vulnerable, and yet it is, isn't it?

-I didn't realize just how many special things were in this bay -- not only the penguins, the things that live in bush, the plants that live in the bush -- a very high level of native biodiversity in this bay.

-So you're really stewards of the land and the animals and the marine life that live here.

-I think most rural people are.

-Yes.

-People that live on the land, all around the world.

-Outside of Christchurch is the region called North Canterbury -- and agricultural hub for a country, and center for a powerful food movement.

I'm joining Angela Clifford and her friend Chef Giulio Sturla.

at her small family farm called The Food Farm, where visitors are welcome to join her on a food tour of the area and her land.

I'll be enjoying meats, cheeses, and breads all made on her farm.

But first, she's gonna put me to work.

-This is a really important spring-foraging ingredient for us.

It's called elderflower, and it has the most beautiful perfume.

-A flower?

-Yes.

-Oh, yeah.

Beautiful.

-Yeah.

-You can use the flowers and the fruit that comes out of this, as well.

-Oh, lovely.

-And it's a really lovely floral kind of note.

-Mm-hmm.

-It's used a lot with sweeter things, like strawberries and sort of spring cheese and that kind of thing.

-Our reward is a glorious lunch that isn't just farm-to-table, but the actual farmer's table.

-Good job.

-Can I dive into this?

-Mm-hmm.

-This looks so beautiful.

What is this, cheese?

-This is a fresh ricotta that Giulio made.

-Only two hours ago.

-You made this two hours ago?

-You know, we talk about New Zealand being known for adventure, but this is adventure.

This is just food adventure.

So there's some great experiences to collect along the way.

-I certainly wasn't done collecting.

One of the stars of any New Zealand food adventure is its wine.

I made my way to Black Estate, a small vineyard owned by husband and wife team Penelope Naish and Nicholas Brown.

I sat down with them and a few other New Zealand winemakers in a brilliant setting.

-So, this is the home Chardonnay.

It's grown down at the bottom of the vineyard here.

It's very happy in the soils here, which is clay and limestone.

So that drew us to this area.

And we grow it organically and biodynamically.

-What does that mean?

-Organically means no systemic sprays of the vineyard.

And biodynamically means we add a lot of compost and teas to the vineyard to ensure we have great soil health.

And we think organic growing is great for that.

-Organic growing also works for the winery's restaurant, which features local foods with stunning views.

But I was on the sip-and-repeat tour of North Canterbury's finest.

-This is a Riesling that we make.

It's a wine called Bel Canto which is -- it's the driest of quite a few different Riesling styles that we make.

-Edward's family is considered pioneers of this region, making wine for close to 40 years.

-We've got about a third of our vineyard dedicated to Riesling.

We generally get quite warm weather in autumn.

-Mm-hmm.

-And so what it means is, we can hang the fruit out really late.

And what we've found in the last maybe couple two or three weeks of hanging time, is we get this really intense regional character, which I've never really seen anywhere else, which is a real sort of like an orange zest -- a spicy kind of orange zesty character.

-And then, Nick?

-We've brought along a Pinot Noir, which North Canterbury's really well-known for the juicing.

-Now, this is a type of grape I had no idea that was grown in New Zealand.

-Here in North Canterbury along these slopes, maybe on Black Estate -- beautiful clay soils facing the sun, which is really important in colder climates.

-So you're doing something right, that's for sure.

-I must say, for us, the hosting and meeting people who come to New Zealand to drink wine is really rewarding.

It's beautiful, and it's been really exciting.

-Well, thank you for the long-hang time.

-Yeah.

-Beautiful.

-Cheers.

-Cheers.

-Cheers.

-Cheers.

-Back in Christchurch, a building opened recently that represents this city's rebirth.

Its strong message wasn't achieved through food, entertainment, or sports -- but books.

-So, we want libraries to be people-places.

And this library was designed for the people of Christchurch.

This was a really conscious decision to build a big institution that will bring hundreds of people into the central city every day.

-Hundreds of people, huh?

-And maybe thousands, as a destination -- a real destination.

-So, how many people showed up that first week?

-First two-and-a-half days, we had 12,700 people through the door.

-Oh, my gosh.

This is a real destination for travelers, as well.

There's a caf, aisles of books, and plenty of little nooks to relax, read, and learn more about this wonderful country.

I just love the fact that I've been here for a few hours now, and I haven't heard one "Shh!"

-This floor is about community, about coming together, about going to a story time, choosing a book, having a coffee, going to a seminar or a community talk or a performance.

-It's the cool place to be, Chris.

-Hell, yeah.

-[ Chuckles ] [ Indistinct talking I feel like with the dawn of the digital age, that that started to write the death sentence for the library.

And yet, the exact opposite has happened.

Why do you think that is?

-We had to make some changes, and we had to recognize that people were using lots of different formats for learning and reading and entertainment.

But the core concepts of libraries as a place to come for learning, for relaxation, for leisure, for community, for connecting with your heritage or your history -- they've kind of remained.

And you see it on the different floors we have, which focus on community or connection or discovery or creativity.

That translates into really practical library concepts and services.

But also the physical spaces that libraries provide, and that's universal and timeless.

-Mm-hmm.

Also universal and timeless was something I couldn't leave Christchurch without doing -- dance.

-Go!

Yeah!

Shimmy!

Yeah!

Smile!

[ Speaking indistinctly ] There it is!

Right!

Happy man!

Again!

-There's a Maori term, which is "manaakitanga," which sort of encapsulates hospitality.

And because we live on an island in the South Pacific, we acknowledge that people have made an effort, if they're coming to see us.

So, it's really important to look after them.

Whether we are European or Polynesian or Maori, we all have a sense of welcoming people and looking after them.

-Again!

-And I don't think people should just travel here.

I think people should move here.

We're trying to create this as a place where things are possible -- where if you got a crazy idea, there's nowhere else in the world where you'd better try it than right here in Christchurch.

-Squat!

-Christchurch is such an amazing playground for me and my family, and we would love our manuhiri -- our visitors -- to come and experience it: to experience the land, to eat our food, and to experience something so special to us -- our hospitality.

-Yeah!

-There's just so much in New Zealand, and so many opportunities to see wildlife in the right way.

Just bear in mind that going too close is really going to hasten the extinction of some of these species which we're trying desperately to save.

So yeah, enjoy New Zealand, but enjoy it right.

-Right!

Happy Man.

Whoo!

[ All cheer ] -When you experience equal parts awe of the nature and the art and the artists around you, when even the mundane is upgraded to delightful, when you get to stand on top of a brilliant corner of the world, then shake your hips in another, that is when we share a love of travel.

And that's why Christchurch, New Zealand, is a "Place to Love."

-For more information about this and other episodes, destination guides, or links to follow me on social media, log on to placestolove.com.

"Samantha Brown's Places to Love" was made possible by... -We believe watching the world go by isn't enough.

That's why we climb... ...pedal... ...and journey beyond the beaten path, on storied rivers, with a goal of making sure that every mile traveled turns into another memory.

You can find out more at amawaterways.com.

-To travel is to live, and at AAA, we've been passionate about travel for over 100 years.

That's why we created AAA Vacations -- member travel experiences around the world.

Learn more at AAA.com/LiveTV.