Our trip to New Zealand in November 2003 continues. We left off in Christchurch, on the eastern shore of the South Island, while we were touring Riccarton Bush, which conserves the native plants that once abounded in the area. We took a pleasant hike through the bush and saw many unusual plants and trees.
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The next day we went into Christchurch City Center. Our first stop was Cathedral Square, aptly named because that's the location of Christ Church Cathedral, begun in 1864 and completed in 1904. It was built as the focal point of the new Anglican settlement of Canterbury from Canterbury stone and native timbers.
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We climbed aboard the tram at Cathedral Square. This fleet of restored trams takes passengers on a 2 mile route past many significant city center sights. We hopped on and off all day long.
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It's November 24th and the city is already festive with Christmas decorations. Christchurch is a large city with major stores and all the windows were full of holiday fantasy.
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We explored Victoria Square, an area of clipped lawns and many trees bounded on one side by the Avon River. The flower clock was established in 1955 and is replanted twice a year with over 5,000 plant to give spring and summer displays. The spring plantings have not fully blossomed.
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This delightful fountain in Victoria Square reminded us of giant dandelion clocks, the part of the flower that children worldwide blow apart while making a wish. We didn't think we could blow this one apart and we wouldn't have wanted to spread large dandelion seeds anyway.
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The Canterbury Museum was founded in 1868 and it contans this fossilized crab that is 11 - 15 million years old. The museum sits at the edge of the Botanic Gardens, an area founded in 1863 that contributes to Christchurch's reputation as New Zealand's garden city.
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The Canterbury Museum contains notable permanent collections related to New Zealand's history. These goggles were worn by Sir Edmund Hillary, a New Zealander, when he completed the first conquest of Mount Everest with Sherpa Tenzing in 1953.
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The Avon River gently meanders through Christchurch and it is the city's greatest natural asset with its grassy banks, weeping willows, old oak trees, ducks and bridges. A favorite past time is to go punting on the shallow river, much like taking a gondola ride on the deep canals of Venice. We didn't take advantage of this leisurely pursuit.
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Sadly, our five weeks in New Zealand came to an end and we boarded an airplane to fly to Australia. We waved good-bye as we passed over the Southern Alps, and joked that we were finally getting to fly over them after our small plane flight had been cancelled earlier in our trip due to bad weather. We'd like to return someday to this beautiful land.
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