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Across Rolleston Avenue from the Arts Centre lies Hagley Park which, it is whispered by the mischievous priest of St Michael's, was put here in order to protect the solidly Anglican districts within the Four Avenues from the Presbyterians in the suburbs beyond. The park contains the spectacular Botanic Gardens, the McDougall Art Gallery, a golf course, sports centre and playing fields. At weekends you can find what seems like the entire population of Christchurch here, merely strolling around or playing hockey, tennis, cricket, netball, rugby or golf. If there's one place that totally lives up to Christchurch's Garden City moniker it has to be the Botanic Gardens (Rolleston Ave gate; daily 7am until 1hr before sunset; conservatories 10.15am-4pm; free), an astonishing collection of indigenous and exotic plants and trees that's unrivalled on the South Island. Throughout summer and autumn the perennials here give a constant and dazzling display of colour. There is also a herb garden, containing a variety of culinary and medical plants; a rose garden with over 250 types of roses; and the Cockayne Memorial Garden, an area of native bush named after one of New Zealand's greatest botanists. Several conservatories, the largest of which is the galleried Cuningham House, contain tropical and indoor plants. Most of all, though, it is just a great place to hang out on a sunny day with picnicking families, studying students and couples flattening the grass. In fine weather, conducted tours of the gardens in tractor-pulled carts (11am-4pm; $6) depart from the main entrance by the museum on Rolleston Ave. There are also guided walking tours departing from the Gardens Restaurant at the northern end of the gardens, of which the most intriguing is the Te Puna Ora (book in advance tel 03/377 2025; $6), an unusual storytelling tour which incorporates Maori and European myths and legends, as well as pure invention. The gardens are enclosed by a meander of the River Avon and you can explore by water either in a punt ($12.50 per person for 30min) or by paddleboats ($12 per half hour) or canoe ($6 per hour); all available from Antigua Boat Sheds, 2 Cambridge Terrace (tel 03/366 5885). Also within the grounds of Hagley Park is the Robert McDougall Art Gallery , just to the right of the Rolleston Avenue gate (daily: Nov-March 10am-5.30pm; April-Oct 10am-4.30pm; donation requested). Completed in 1932 after designs by Gisborne architect Edward Armstrong, it's a delightful building whose classical Oamaru stone exteriors blend perfectly into their green surroundings. Inside, the gallery contains over four thousand paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings and craft objects, many by New Zealand artists, although only a sample of the gallery's collection is on display at any one time. The gradual move away from art heavily influenced by European tradition, and the resulting emergence of an individual New Zealand style, is well reflected in the permanent displays. The gallery is expected to close during 2002, and the collection will be relocated to the new Christchurch Art Gallery, due to open a couple of blocks east in March 2003. Immediately north of the Rolleston Avenue entrance to Hagley Park you'll find the Canterbury Museum (daily: Oct to mid-March 9am-5.30pm; mid-March to Sept 9am-5pm; $5 donation appreciated), a neo-Gothic structure founded in 1870 and initially directed by archeologist Julius Haast (who gave his name to the Haast Pass, ). Its best exhibition is the "Exploration of Antarctica", covering the many expeditions that have used New Zealand as their jumping-off point. Otherwise, this museum has the traditional exhibits on moa hunters, Maori, European settlers, native birds and mammals, fossils and geology. Adjacent, Christ's College is the city's most elite private school, a physical embodiment of the English tradition. You can visit the hallowed halls on ninety-minute guided tours (Oct to mid-March Mon-Fri 10.30am, 2.30pm & 7pm; $10) which include the college's oldest building, Big School (1863), and the Memorial Dining Hall designed by Cecil Wood in 1925. On the southern borders of Hagley Park stands the Christchurch Hospital and, a little further on, the Nurses' Memorial Chapel (Mon-Sat 1-4pm, Sun 10am-4pm; free). Designed by J.G. Collins (who also worked with his father on the Arts Centre), it was constructed after the death of three Christchurch-trained nurses aboard the troopship Marquette , torpedoed in 1915. The walls are Oamaru stone with terracotta bricks and the roof is tiled in green slate, but the best feature is the extensively timbered interior. Windows and doors are framed with matai, and the simply patterned floors made of blackwood and oak, with redwood sarking and an elaborate oak panel behind the altar. There are nine stained-glass windows, including four by the English glass artist Veronica Whall, all with an uneven texture and a variety of colours set off by the otherwise dark, low-ceilinged interior. Heading east back into town, along Oxford Terrace, you'll pass the lovely St Michael and All Angels Church , overlooking the river (Oct-April Mon-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat & Sun 2-5pm; guided tours on demand; April-Oct open for regular church services only). The church was designed by William F. Crisp and completed in 1875, combining elements of both the French and English medieval Gothic styles. Much of the architectural ingenuity that went into the building can be glimpsed in the impressive, dark-wood interior: the structure is made of matai timber (native black pine) on stone foundations, and supported by monumental pillars carved from single trees. The pine darkens as it grows older, so it is possible to spot new additions by gauging the blackness of the surrounding wood. The stained-glass windows covering both east and west wings are particularly beautiful, their bright colours contrasting with the dark hues of the surrounding timber. Look out also for the Te Tapenakara o te Ariki ("The Tabernacle of the Lord") hung from the ceiling over the central aisle, traditionally a container used by Maori chiefs to store taonga (treasure such as ceremonial feathers). This one was dedicated by the Bishop of Aotearoa for use as a Christian vessel to contain consecrated bread, and depicts symbols from both Maori and Christian tradition. The rather dainty belfry standing outside the church was designed by Mountfort in 1861, and houses a bell from one of the first four migrant ships. Historically it served as a timepiece for the settlers and was rung on the hour. Two blocks south of St Michael's, St Asaph Street leads back towards Hagley Park, passing the Canterbury Brewery Heritage Centre at no. 30 - a welcome breather from the highbrow culture on display elsewhere. Fifty-minute guided tours (reservations advised tel 03/379 4940; Mon-Thurs 10am; $8) give you a brief history of brewing in the region, a glimpse of the working brewery itself, and the usual reward at the end.
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