CHRISTCHURCH.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 4, Issue 1036, 30 March 1882, Page 2

CHRISTCHURCH.

(By a Wairarapa Visitor.)

To seo Chvistchurch at its best, the visitor requires to be there on a Saturday. From an early hour in the morning vehicles of all description come rolling into town from the country, and pretty soon thestreots are thronged with people. Some are pleasure Bookers, intent on seeing the sights, and' others—the great majorityare farmers, market-gardener*, and others who have come into town to dispose of their produce, During the day tho auction rooms are the great attraction to tho latter visitors, and in the evening those who dr> not remain behind to see the " play," return home in the soft twilight, general very well ploased with the result of their visit to the city.

One of the principal sights in Christchurch is tho Cathedral, which was recently & Wed at a cost of £30,000, It is a hundU-mc edifice of N.Z. stone, and its spive is looked upon with awe and admiration by the citizens. It is very high, and when the bells are rung (which is very often, I am painfully aware), the cross at ■ the top of the steeple visibly oscillates, and on tho occasion of the last heavy shake, a large piece of stone fell from the sr.ire on.to tho footpath, which it considerably dented, Speaking of bells, the number and variety of the tinklers would surprise you, The Cathedral lias a peal of bells which evidently require a lot of practice on the part of the ringers for they are at it from morn till night and the melody would shame a regiment of tin-kettlers. This of course is my opinion, there aro other who think differently. Then there are half-a-dozen clocks, which peal forth the hours, and not satisfied with this amount of" ding-dong" there are an unlimitod number of school bells. It is not at all an uncommon occurrence to hear all of them clanging at one time. You may imagine the effect. I can't describe it. Among them all a tiro-bell hasn't a '* ghost of a chance."

.;•■ Christohurch has many attractions, but in my' mind the greatest are—lst. The river Avon, which flows right through the city, large drooping willows clothing either bank, and the imported trout (of which there are large numbers in the river) disporting themselves in its waters; the long avenues of trees with which it is bounded, which form the nioat pleasant walks imaginable; and 2nd, the Botanical Gardens. The latter would he a credit to anycity, They have nice long, shady, walks —walks overhung everywhere by the oak, the elm; the ash, and a variety of other trees, both colonial and. foreign.. The river Avon, well-stocked with trout, winds it way .through tho gardens, aiid along its banks : fwhich, like all other parts of the river, aro prettily planted with drooping willows) there are beautiful leafy arbours, which form delightful trysting places for lovers. Crossing a bridge in tho gardens, the visitor finds himself in tho acclimatisation preserves. Verylittlocanbesaidabout this, as the Acclimatisation 'Society has been rather unfortunate, most of their imported animals falling victims to the ravages of dogs, There are notices fixed on'posts warning dogs not to trespass, but tho canine tribe don't appear to notice them; and then, you know, a nice plump partridge or pheasant is no slight inducement to a dog of aristocratic tastes. Consequently there'aro "ructions" arid the Society is considerably the loser. Howevor, there are a few specimens' left, butwhat I took greatest interest in were the flsh-ponds, In one pond there are fish of all colors—from sky-blue to flaming red. The other ponde pre reserved -for breeding all kinds of trout, and they appear to thrive very well. Tho gardensextend .over many acres, and the' tout emmlli is lovely in the extreme. I need not say it is a much favored resort'for all classes,

Stone is largely used for building'purposes in this city, most of the public buildings being constructed from this material, ;They have rather a-aombra appearance, but are very "substantial looking edifice?.!' ' •■ ~-:,■..•]"}: ; . The Exhibition is the'all "absorbing topic. The'buiidingsj which are in Hogley Park, completion,' and. exhibits are arriving daily, Nearly all the trades will join in-the procession, and the opening is eagerly looked forwardto.' ' ' '- '.I :■-'■ ■ ■■■,»:wSv;