Traditionally the most English of the NZ cities, Christchurch has been slower than Auckland and Wellington to embrace the increasingly multicultural nature of urban NZ society. Change is now coming through more diverse immigration and a cosmopolitan tinge is being added to the city’s earlier conservatism. There’s still plenty to remind visitors of Christchurch’s English past though, with a grand Anglican cathedral rising from a stately square, punts gliding down the sleepy Avon River, and trams rattling contentedly along Worcester St. But scratch the surface a little, and a more dynamic Christchurch is reflected in the restored laneways and squares around Lichfield St, High St’s hip café scene and locals’ immese pride in their beautifully maintained Arts Centre.
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Two hours west from Christchurch on SH73 is Arthur’s Pass National Park. The trans-island crossing from Christchurch to Greymouth over Arthur’s Pass is covered by buses and the TranzAlpine train.
Arthur’s Pass village is 4km from the pass of the same name and is NZ’s highest-altitude settlement. The 924m pass was used by Maoris to reach Westland, but its European discovery was made by Arthur Dobson in 1864, when the Westland gold rush created the need for a crossing over the Southern Alps from Christchurch. A coach road was completed within a year, but later on the coal and timber trade demanded a railway, duly completed in 1923.
The spectacular 700-sq-km Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park, along with Fiordland, Aspiring and Westland National Parks incorporates the Southwest New Zealand (Te Wahipounamu) World Heritage Area, which extends from Westland’s Cook River down to the Fiordland. Fenced in by the Southern Alps and the Two Thumb, Liebig and Ben Ohau Ranges, more than one-third of the park has a blanket of permanent snow and glacial ice.
Banks Peninsula and its hills were formed by two giant volcanic eruptions. Small harbours such as Le Bons, Pigeon and Little Akaloa Bays radiate out from the peninsula’s centre, giving it a cogwheel shape. The historic town of Akaroa is a highlight, as is the absurdly beautiful drive along Summit Rd around the edge of the original crater.