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CHRISTCHURCH |
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Capital of the Canterbury region and the largest city on the South
Island, CHRISTCHURCH (population 300,000) exudes a palpable air of
gentility and a connectedness with the mother country. After all, it was
perceived as an outpost of Anglicanism by its first settlers, was named
after an Oxford college, and has some of the feel of a traditional
English university town, with its neo-Gothic architecture and gently
winding river. To some degree it pursues an archetype - the boys at
Christ's College still wear striped blazers, and punts course along the
Avon - but the Englishness is largely skin deep. Modern Christchurch is
a lively melting pot of cultures, with a continental café scene and a
distinct, ever-changing Kiwi identity of its own. Indeed, those who
regard Christchurch as a quiet place in which to sleep off jet lag or
take a break from the long journey across the South Island will be
pleasantly surprised by the city's contemporary face. In recent years
its traditional conservatism has gained a more youthful, bohemian edge,
with an explosion of lively bars and restaurants , the emergence of
underground nightlife , and a burgeoning of the visual arts, theatre,
music and street entertainment. Such urban pursuits are nicely balanced
by the Pacific Ocean suburbs of New Brighton and Sumner, both of which
boast excellent beaches .
Straddling the main road and rail routes running down the east coast,
Christchurch is used by many tourists as a base from which to explore
the South Island, with the steep, angular terrain of Banks Peninsula and
the vineyards of the Canterbury Plains proving the most popular out-of-town
destinations. Many of the outdoor activities for which New Zealand is
famous are accessible from here, with a plethora of city-based companies
offering trips involving rafting, paragliding, ballooning and mountain
biking in the surrounding countryside . The city is also within a two-hour
drive of several good skifields to the west , making it possible to
combine a day on the pistes with an evening in Christchurch's numerous
nocturnal watering holes. Indeed the place's only real drawback is its
cost: compared with the rest of the South Island, Christchurch is an
expensive place to spend any length of time.
The City
The city centre, together with many of its more compelling sights, is
encased within the Four Avenues of Moorhouse, Fitzgerald, Bealey and
Deans. They define a useful border round the downtown area, in the very
centre of which is Cathedral Square . Scattered in the streets around
the square are the city's most attractive buildings, while over on the
western edge of the four avenues lies Hagley Park , a focal point for
leisure activities at weekends. Laid out in a grid pattern, Christchurch
is very much a low-rise city, with the cathedral spire serving as a
useful landmark. The architecture is predominantly nineteenth-century
Gothic, a style which still informs many of the more modern buildings.
Beyond the Four Avenues you pass into suburban districts like Riccarton,
Fendalton, Merivale and St Albans, each characterized by one- and two-storey
residential housing and beautifully kept gardens. Further west lie the
coastal suburbs of New Brighton and Sumner, which provide access to the
beaches of the Pacific Ocean.
Though very much an urban environment, Christchurch can also make a good
base for outdoor activities. |
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