A little bit of England

Our next stop was Christchurch. By far the largest city in the South Island with a population of approximately 350,000, it is home to nearly half those living on the island (with the total population of this southern side being less then 1 million). Don't be dissuaded by the size. Anything 5km outside the city center is still considered suburb.

It is a relatively young city, only established in 1850. It's also considered the most English of NZ's cities, manifested by the multitude of cathedrals (including the one that marks the city center) and Gothic architecture. All of which adds to its charm.

Planting ourselves in a hotel right along the central Cathedral Square, we took this two night stop to stretch our legs and left the car in the carpark. Combining the two historic walking tours from our guidebooks, we found ourselves strolling along the Avon River to the Antigua Boatshed, down the Spanish mission-style storefronts of New Regent Street, past the Saturday market, into the Canterbury Museum, and through the blooming Botanic Gardens. It's a wonder we didn't don English costume and drink a spot of tea. Instead, we settled for a pint of Speights (the South Island beer) and an outside patio to watch the Canterbury rugby on the big screen.