In the beginning...

After moving from wellington I thought there was no way I'd get used to living in christchurch. They are such different cities and I loved wellington. How could chch possibly compare? But over the last 3 summers I have come to love christchurch - so here's a quick sketch of the city.

Christchurch is very laid back and has the feeling of being in no rush to get anywhere. The traditional buildings of the arts center (which was the old university), Christ's College and the botanical gardens along with Cathedral Sqaure add to the feeling of this being a very genteel city.

"What do you mean its not windy down here?"

It gets pretty hot in summer, and quite cold in winter with occasional snow (maybe twice a year). That said, the weather is rotten at the moment and I wouldn't want to rave on about it. Although wellington is called the windy city, chirstchurch also has its breezes - and they are warm...

Christchurch is the south islands major metropolis and is within only a few hours drive of mountains, beaches, lakes, state parks, easy mountain biking tracks, Hamner Hotwater springs, Akaroa (originally a french settlement), Littleton harbour, and much more. There is also lots to see in christchurch and the city council has a fantastic summer festival on each year, maybe not as good as wellingtons, but that is definitely a biased opinion!

I have a soft spot for botanical gardens, probably because I lived next to one in wellington, but the gardens in christchurch are gorgeous - hence why I reviewed them first.

There is heaps to do, the bus system is great, you can bike anywhere, but a car would be helpful if you want to explore the hinterlands.