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Guide to Christchurch, New Zealand
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Christchurch A modern city both hospitable and culturally aware, Christchurch has much to please its visitors. From its picturesque landscape to its wonderful restaurants of great ethnic diversity, the city has much to offer. With lively festivals and world renowned sporting events, and great architecture as well, Christchurch is a wonderful South Island city thatll delight any individual.
When to go:
Temperatures in Christchurch are typical with most South Island locations. The summers get brief periods of hotter-than-usual days, and winters are of course cold. Therefore, we suggest you visit during the summer. This is the season of numerous festivals after all, and you would, without a doubt, hate to miss the SummerTimes festival, which takes places over the three months of the season. SummerTimes has a little bit of everything too, with outdoor concerts, fireworks, and lots of other entertaining activities for the whole family.
Getting there and around:
Though Christchurch is the main gateway to South Island, Christchurch International Airport does not service international flights from many countries, so be sure to make arrangements before any spur-of-the-moment decisions. The airport itself is not far from the city, and the airport is quite inviting and has everything you need to make your stay easier and more enjoyable. On-site are a currency exchange, ATMs, car rentals, and more.
Getting around the city is easy by bus, although if youre looking to visit some of the outer reaches of the city, you might want to rent a car for your stay. This will, of course, enable you to make your own timetable, which is always much preferred and convenient.
Attractions:
Christchurchs Arts Center is a wonderful place to start your exploration. What used to be the University of Canterbury is now a group of neo-Gothic buildings housing wonderful galleries, craft studios, shops, theatres, and more. Here youll also find the old lab of Ernest Rutherford, the Father of the Atom. The Botanic Gardens are opposite the Arts Center and youll find them pleasant to stroll through after youve spent some time at the Arts Center.
The Avon is wonderful to walk along too. Youll easily spend hours walking the paths, and you wont even notice time flying by. It will lead you to many beautiful sites along the way too, including the Antiqua Boatsheds (where, if you are interested, you can hire a boat or a punt), as well as the Botanic Gardens, Hagley Park (a perfect site to take a break and have a picnic), and Mona Vale, a gorgeous homestead complete with gardens, fountains and ponds (you can sense that we are exemplifying Christchurch by its landscape, but New Zealand has astounding scenery which simply must be experienced first hand).
Visit Cathedral Square where youll love the quaint shops and cafes. The Cathedral is magnificent on the outside, with a gorgeous spire which you may climb for a fee. You may find yourself spending more time here than expected. Its a wonderful place to have some lunch too.
South Island does have strong roots of Maori as well, and you can experience Maori culture by visiting one of many maraes around the city. Tours of these complexes are held and by taking part in one youll have a comprehensive view of Maori customs and history and witness some fantastic carving in some of their buildings and structures.
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