Lauren Kilkelly, Jasons Travel Media Sales Executive for North South Island, shares some of bonuses of living in the Garden City.
‘If you like nature and walking, then Christchurch is a very picturesque place to amble around, and there are some great cultural attractions here as well!’
Great Walking Tracks –Sumner has a couple of great walks that I like to do. My favourite is the Flowers Track - quite steep but if I can do it, anyone can! It takes approximately 45 minutes and you feel like you’ve had a good work out. On the way back, you can reward yourself with a coffee at one of the cafés – there are a couple of good ones along the promenade. The other walk I love is the Boulder Bay Walk – the round trip is about 2 hours and once again, anyone can do it! If you have energy to spare, carry on to Lyttelton and explore this historic port.
Christchurch Arts Centre – The Arts Centre is always good to poke around and, on Saturday and Sunday, you can enjoy a wander around the Art Centre Markets, with lots of stalls and food to tempt you! Often there’s some live entertainment and you can very easily while away the hours here.
The Botanic Gardens/Hagley Park – This is a must for everyone, and for the kids there is a big play area and paddling pool – very popular in the summer time with mums. You can let the kids run around while you have a catch up. The Botanic Gardens are delightful for a stroll. It takes about an hour to skirt the perimeter, through lots of stately English trees. It’s an amazing sight in autumn when the leaves turn and, in the spring, there’s an incredible aroma as all the spring flowers come out. Apparently, there are 30 bridges in this park!
The Air Force Museum – This one is well worth a visit. It’s free to get in there but some of the tours that you may want to do have a small cost. You can view aircraft, art and memorabilia, and there are some life-size replicas. It’s great for educational visits by schools and groups as well as individuals!
Beautiful Beaches –Some of the best beaches in Christchurch are located around Redcliffs and Sumner. There’s an 8km stretch of sand from Waimari Beach to the mouth of the Avon Estuary. New Brighton (which is in this stretch) has a long pier where you can fish, or just enjoy the stunning view.
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