Christchurch.

Christchurch Cathedral a wonderful old stone building dominates the Square.

Christchurch is one of the most beautiful cities in New Zealand, certainly it is the largest city in the South Island.

The city is built along the lovely Avon River, a wonderful asset to the city, with its willow lined banks and fresh open water ways used by many for punt rides and canooing.

The wonderful old Christchurch Cathedral, beautifully built of stone, dominates the Cathedral Square, a large open paved area in the centre of the city, where buskers perform their arts and a Wizzard spouts out Wizzard like amazing facts to all who listen, many small stalls sell anything and everything, statues and artworks dot the area too. People stroll and sit in the sun and watch the world go by while enjoying a latte.

Once this square was a busy thoroughfare with buses cars and trams and pedestrians all struggling to share the area, now it is a quiet peaceful place for visitors and city dwellers alike to enjoy.

Punting on the Avon River, a wonderful relaxing thing to do.

The old historical tram runs continuously around circuit of the city and is well used, but not by me as I thought it too expensive!

The ChCh Town Hall, which is in constant use holds lots of great shows with visiting artists, is close beside the Avon River as is the Casino with all its glitz and glamour and winning streaks and loing runs.  Many large Hotels are also built along the banks of the Avon. An Art Centre is near by as are some art galleries displaying local artists work.

 Hagley Park is not too far from the City, it is beautiful at all times of the year, reflecting as it does the changing of the seasons,

 Spring sees millions of spring bulbs bursting into colourful life in profussion,

 Summertime you find many mature shady trees to cool down under,

Autumn brings all the wonder tints of gold and red to the trees, and rustling fallen leaves to scrunch your way through as you walk,

Winter brings its own beauty with the bare branchs of the huge trees on show.

Autumn colour in Hagley park, a feature of the city,a pleasure in all seasons, spring sees millions of spring bulbs.

There is a very good Botanical Gardens within Hagley Park that is worth a half day to look through if your horticulturally minded as I am.

The city is built on the Canterbury Plains so is mainly flat, but there are the Cashmere Hills close by that you can drive up to get a great veiw of the city lights at night.

The main port for the city is Lyttleton which is accessed quickly and easily now days, by a tunnel, it times gone by there was a long steep mountainous drive to get there. Lyttleton is a very busy port supplying most of the South island.