Travel Briefs

­In Christ­church, New Zealand, after the Cathedral in the Square was badly damaged in the 2011 earthquakes, the church decided to construct a Transitional Cathedral while deciding whether or not to rebuild the primary cathedral. 

The walls of the triangular-shaped Transitional Cathedral, designed by Shigeru Ban, comprise 98 massive cardboard tubes up to 20 meters long. The tubes are strong, fireproof, waterproofed with polyurethane and flexible enough to withstand earthquakes. The building has a concrete floor, laminated-wood supporting beams, a polycarbonate roof and a large...

The preparation of blowfish, or puffer fish, must be done carefully, as certain parts contain a deadly neurotoxin. In Tokyo, laws coming into effect in October will allow restaurants each to serve blowfish without a license to do so. Officials noted that outside of Tokyo, where restrictions on serving blowfish have been less stringent, very few poisonings have occurred. Within Tokyo, the licensing requirement had led to blowfish being served mainly in expensive, high-end restaurants.

Auto Europe (888/223-5555) now allows travelers to rent motorcyles in Cancún, Mexico; Spain, and France. Models available include Harley-Davidson, Ducati, Honda and BMW. Rates vary by country, make and model but typically run $300 to $1,000 per day, including insurance. 

Bookings must be made by phone; info is not on the website. A US motorcycle driver’s license is required to make a reservation. There is no upper age limit. Some bikes come with a “saddlebag” for a backpack or small duffel.