|
|||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Beyond the boundaries of the four avenues and the tram lines is the area of Mona Vale. This was originally part of the deans' estate but became property of the city in 1969. The beautiful display of fuchsias, magnolias, rhododendrons, roses, irises and herbaceous perennials are all tended by the Canterbury Horticultural Society. It is a natural extension to the botanical gardens of Hagley Park and is on the other side of the river so you can enjoy both sides in a punt along the Avon. It is also a pleasant place to have lunch served at the old homestead. Ten minutes south from here you arrive at an area of natural vegetation. Deans Bush is a native forest with kahikatea trees of over five hundred years. The presence of this ancient wonders is due to the inspired brothers William and John Deans who, in farming their land in 1843, left a portion untouched. In commemoration of them, their tiny cottage remains as it would have been in their day and is the oldest structure in Canterbury dating back to 1843. On the same property and blocking the cottage from the road is the elegant Victorian Riccarton House. From Deans Bush head along Memorial Avenue towards the airport to the International Antarctic Centre. The Christchurch airport has functioned since the fifties as a base for the US Antarctic programme and many flights leave from here each year to go to the McMurdo Sound and Scott Base. The centre is full of information and exploration in the region and videos present the conditions in the polar region and it ecosystem. There are some innovative interactive displays where you can experience the conditions there first hand and go for a jaunt in a genuine buggy on the Hagglungs Ride. Around the airport perimeter on McLeans Island Road is Orana Park, a zoological park then displays native animals and imports from Africa such as lions and tigers. You can join in the excitement of seeing them feed from a treetop vantage point or see first hand some endangered species. For better animal contact head to the Willow bank Wildlife Reserve, a more intimate affair that an emphasis of animal contact and has a glass free house for the kiwis. |