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Christchurch is the 'Big Smoke' of the South Island. Sitting at the junction of the Canterbury Plains, east coast beaches and the Banks Peninsula hills it ofers a great variety of urban and rural attractions and activities for the visitor. The city itself is attractively laid out around 'The Square' with its beautiful gothic Cathdral, other grey stone buildings and an eccentric character called 'The Wizard' who regularly performs for the lunch time crowd. Not far away are the Arts Centre, Museum, Town Hall, Art Gallery, Casino and cafes, bars, shops and restaurants. Whatever the season, you'll find a non-stop programme of entertainment with events like the Festival of Romance, the International Buskers Festival, winter carnival, and Showtime Canterbury in November. Christchurch also has its own gondola and the fascinating Antarctic Centre is worth visiting. You can explore the city, which is 'as flat as a pancake' by a number of strange and exciting methods including trams, single or tandem bicycles, roller blades, horse drawn wagon or even a small river boat called a 'punt' .
The Canterbury Plains region is lined with many wide, mountain fed rivers, famous with fishers the world over for their trout and salmon. There are also swimming and surfing beaches a short drive from Christchurch, and hiking through the nearby hills. A drive over Banks Peninsula, with spectacular views of the city and the distant mountains brings you to the sea side resort town of Akaroa, offering a great selection of aquatic and other activities.
An hours drive from Christchurch is the thermal resort of Hanmer Springs, where you can bathe in the healthy mineral waters even in mid winter snow. Other activities on offer include bungy jumping, jet boating, rafting, horse trekking and skiing (in winter). Another adventure sports centre is the Rakaia Gorge to the south which has jet boating, rafting, para gliding, parachuting ...
If snow is your passion, fields near Christchurch include Mt Hutt to the southwest, the largest and most popular, and Porters Heights and Craigeburn fields to the west near Arthur's Pass.
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City scape & Cathedral with market
Rakaia river jet boat & salmon fishers
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