No place on Earth has scenery quite like New Zealand. Christchurch, New Zealand combines breath-taking natural beauty with modern convenience. Christchurch, the second largest city in New Zealand, is located on the east coast of South Island. In addition to being the second largest city, Christchurch also boasts the title of oldest established city in the country having been officially established on July 31, 1856. The population, consisting of 348,400 residents, speaks primarily English, though English and Maori are both official languages.
Christchurch is internationally known as “The Garden City” in recognition of its vast and beautiful gardens and parks. Some of the more notable gardens and parks include the Christchurch Botanic Gardens, Hagley Park, Victoria Square and the Mona Vale garden on the bank of the River Avon. The gardens, in fact, are such an important part of the Christchurch culture that the city hosts two major flower festivals throughout the year. The first festival, “Burst! The Festival of Flowers,” is held in the Botanic Gardens in February of each year. The second, “The Ellerslie International Flower Show,” is hosted in north Hagley Park in March. Both shows draw large crowds of natives and tourists alike with their offerings of food, entertainment and stunning displays of flowers.
The city of Christchurch is a popular tourist destination with much to offer its guests. In addition to the magnificent gardens located throughout the city, Christchurch also has easily accessible beaches and secluded bays, such as the Banks Peninsula. Extinct volcanoes can be seen in the Christchurch area and are important destinations on sightseeing
tours of the city. Residents and visitors alike find it easy to get around the simple grid design of the city and some have proclaimed it the easiest city in the world to navigate. This ease of access is aided by free city bus service. While gardens and natural beauty are a large part of Christchurch’s appeal to tourists, the city also boasts a wide variety of arts and culture with a modern art gallery, large library system, The Canterbury Museum and the Court Theater for live theater entertainment. The city’s architectural offerings are also excellent. Christchurch is home to some of the oldest European Heritage buildings. Visitors find the overall mild climate of the region to be very agreeable with the summer months running from December to February and winter months from June to August.
Recently, Christchurch has drawn attention from a major natural disaster as opposed to natural scenery. In February of 2011, the city of Christchurch was greatly affected by an earthquake and portions of the city, especially the central city, were destroyed. Much of Christchurch has been closed recently in order to assure safety and to allow for reconstruction. However, new areas are being declared officially safe and able to open on a regular basis. Christchurch and its surrounding areas will continue to rebuild and many of the city’s events, such as the flower festivals, are scheduled to commence as usual in late 2011 and early 2012.
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