Christchurch and the Charm of Carnival

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 16, 4 November 1927, Page 2

Christchurch and the Charm of Carnival

A City Fair on a Plain Serene

Christchurch is gay just now. Everyone is on enjoyment bound, for it is Carnival Week, and Christchurch looms larger than usual on the map of New Zealand. Her name is heard. from one end of the Dominion to the other, and much that is nice is said about Christchurch:

Everyone who lives in Christchurch gays it is a beautiful city--people who have been there and seen for themselves say so, and nearly everyone who has not been there is being told or is reading about how beautiful it all is, But at this time of the year, the spring, Christchurch accepts all these compliments. Flattered and encouraged, she blooms and blossoms still further. The fine old trees, planted by the far-seeing early settlers along the beautiful walks and. in the pretty @ardens, and bursting forth in great-

er effulgence of leaf, and the Avon, as she iolls along, seem to smile more serenely. Pretty as Christchurch is just now, she is prettier still, when, after six months of adulation, her trees and shrubs in the parks and gardens blush in nature’s most fascinating way. The autumn

foliage of Christchurch is a wonderful sight. As a city, Christchurch is uniquely situated, It has thrived and solidly progressed despite the fact that its only trade connection with the outside world is by one pair of steel rails through a tunnel to Lyttelton, its port. When the founders of Christ-

church laid off the city they had visions and ideals, but not the visions that have materialised. They did not: forsee that cheap hydro-electric power would play such a part in the. development of a manufacturing city. It is even now only 77-years since the first five ships of immigrants, or. Pilgrims, as they are called, arrived. at Lyttelton and came across the Port Hills by the old bridle track to settle in Christchurch, -but there are now, according to the last census | figures, 118,408 people in Christchurch, and the city is the third | largest city in New Zealand, the second being Wellington with 121, 324

people, and Christchurch residents. can certainly boast that they are "citizens of no mean city." A, tourist visiting Christchurch is. not so much concerned with the factories and industries as in seeing the ‘attractions. Trams, buses, charabanes and taxis will take one to all parts of the city, the syburbs, and the neighbouring countryside. In the city itself are many places; of interest, some of them historical, ; as, for instance, the old Provincial Council Chambers, picturesque and quaint, but still doing a useful work. as the office of the Lands and Deeds Department. In. the Museum one can see relics of fossils of prehistoric times, curios | and treasures from every country on earth, and souvenirs of "memorable oceasions. It is a repository for specimens of nearly every species of. bird, beast and fish-a place of endless interest and unknown value, The Rose Garden. The piece de resistance in Christchurch is, of course, the Botanical Gardens. It is an area of 52 acres, a portion of Hagley Park, and the Avon forms a natural boundary for the greater portion of its perimeter. These gardens might well have been’ the inspiration of Rudyard Kipling when he wrote "The Glory of the Garden." There is a rose garden here which is considered to be the best of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. The original design was a Copy of the garden in the Duchess of Sutherland’s Hertfordshire home, but it has been considerably enlarged. ‘Each year sees the charm of this rose garden increased, and many visitors from England and Scotland declare that it is the best they have ever seen. Two of the main features of the Gardens are the Cunningham Winter Garden and the Townend Conservatory. Plants from many parts of the

world are being continually added, and the collection of exotie plants is now considered to be the most valuable in the Southern Hemisphere. The ‘blaze of vivid eolours is always an irresistible draw to the public. An "Archery Ground" is a feature. of the Gardens, which are in other Ways reminiscent of Old England.

Christchurch is justified in being proud of its beautiful Botanical Gardens, where colour in profusion charms the eye, and where attention is held at every turn by delightful vistas. They are a show place to visitors, and a place of pleasant dal- ) liance for the public which visits it in thousands each week of the flower- | ing seasons, There are many drives and places of interest around Christchureh.. Sumner is the favourite beach resort, nestling alongside the Port Hills, then New Brighton, but other places are well known, too-Stewart’s |

Gully, Governor’s Bay, Diamonté Harbour (by launch from Lyttelton), Kairaki, and other places. Al! visitors, of course, go up Cashmere Hills: and pay their respects to those two picturesque kiosks, "The Sign of the Takahe" and "The Sign of the Kiwi." It is from these hills, at night time,. that the most glorious of all views of Christchurch is secured, Then a myriad electric lights, stretching apparently .to the horizon, scintillate and twinkle in a dazzling and fascinating manner.