Christchurch and the Southern Alps

Christchurch is like a lost corner of old England. Willows line the Avon River as it meanders through the city’s heart, a lofty neo-Gothic cathedral rises from the central square, and many streets carry the names of English cathedral cities.

If you are arriving by air, you will see this city of gardens snuggling up against the Port Hills and spilling out onto the largest area of flat land in New Zealand, the Canterbury Plains. Farming has always been Canterbury’s economic backbone and Christchurch is hemmed in by a patchwork of fields that stretch between the wind-lashed eastern coastline and the foothills of the Southern Alps.

Start your visit at Catherdral Square, where there’s usually some kind of street entertainment going on. The square is surrounded by numerous stately buildings and the Gothic Revival Cathedral is worth a visit, particularly for the climb to the viewing balconies, 30 meters up the 63 meter spire.

From Cathedral Square, walk along Worcester Boulevard or catch a ride on the restored tram to the Christchurch Art Gallery, which opened in 2003. Its collection totals more than 5,500 items, housed on two floors of exhibition space. There is also a sculpture garden, two retail outlets and a cafe and wine bar. Further along is the Arts Centre, whose huddled cluster of Gothic Revival stone buildings exudes an almost medieval atmosphere. It once housed the University of Canterbury but today accommodates a thriving arts scene, with several galleries, craft shops, performance venues and eateries. Free guided tours of the Arts Centre take place daily, or you can browse at your leisure. A weekend market is also held here.

Just across Rolleston Avenue is the Canterbury Museum, with its displays on the Antarctic, and the entrance to what is, arguably, the early settlers’ most precious gift to the modern city - Christchurch Botanic Gardens and Hagley Park. At 161ha (398 acres), Hagley Park is the largest of the city’s 13 municipal parks and features a golf course and other facilities. The native plants in the vast botanic gardens were gleaned from all over the country, and include everything from regenerating bush to a rose garden. The gardens are particularly beautiful in evening light, when the low rays shine through the trees’ branches and cast reflected spotlights on the lake.