CHRISTCHURCH.

New Zealand Graphic, 20 December 1894, Page 15

CHRISTCHURCH.

THE CITY Of THE PLAINS. CHRISTCHURCH is distinguished among the chief cities of New Zealand, which are mostly very hilly, by the dead level of its site, and the fact that it is not a seaport. Emerging from the tunnelpierced hills which separate it from Lyttelton, the train rushes through verdant fields dotted with cottages, which gradually fall into rows and form long level streets as the city is penetrated. Liberally endowed with parks, and encircled by a broad town belt, with many gardens and tree-planted spaces, the city in summer-time, when the trees are in full leaf, has quite a park-like aspect. The traveller is charmed with the sylvan covering of green foliage and welcome shade. To get a good view of Christchurch one must climb the Cathedral spire, or ascend to the upper storey of some tall building. Seen from such a point of vantage, the clustering houses embowered in verdure, and the immense sweep of the great plain extending far as the vision goes, form a charming panorama. All around, under bridges and through the city the winding current of the pretty little Avon bendsits watery channel, through banks clothed in green and hung with

rows of willows that fence the flowing 'stream with a fluttering wall of greenery. The skilful .oarsman pilots his way amid floating boughs and warring foliage. Commodious boat-houses sit under the trees along the Avon, and a row upon its clear waters or a plunge into the cool stream is a very enjoyable pleasure. Christchurch is called the ‘Cathedral City.’ In the centre of the principal commercial block is a square in which stands the edifice that gives the city its ecclesiastical name. The structure was commenced many years ago, and large sums have been expended upon its erection, but much remains to be done before the building can be regarded as completed. Canterbury was founded by c Church of England Settlement Association, and its chief city possesses many splendid sacred edifices, which lilt their tapering spires in every direction. Many are noble-looking stone buildings, of a most substantial mould. On Sunday morning the chiming bells toll from their steeples in every street. All denominations are well represented, from the aristocratic ecclesiasticism of England to the Mormon proselytes of Brigham Young. The city is well supplied with theatres and halls. Christchurch is the commercial centre of the finest agricultural district in New Zealand. All around lie the wide, wide plains, stretching off until lost in the distance, covered with grassy meadows and wheat-fields, which in spring-time wear a coat of emerald green, and in the harvest season don a golden attire of yellow grain.

until they become the camping-ground of wheat stacks ranged like a tented army over the level ground. Along the distant western horizon stretches the lofty chain of the New Zealand Alps, extending their azure ranges along the plain like an impassable barrier. Among the public institutions of Christchurch its museum stands out prominently. Its collections, for variety and excellent arrangement will bear comparison with any of a similar kind in Australasia. The University College, secondary and elementary schools, are also housed in handsome edifices. The Botanical Gardens, situated in the centre of the city, claim attention. The grounds are well laid out with sanded walks and gravelled drives, bordered with rows and plots of manycoloured flowers. Benches relieve the saunterers’ tired limbs, or if inclined for exercise he may extend his walk for two miles along the windings of the River Avon, which flows through the grounds. Christchurch is a great sporting centre, and its fine racecourse is the scene of some of the most notable equine contests in New Zealand. The accessibility of its spacious cricket grounds has also contributed materially to the popularity of the famous English game. For one week in each year, when the great agricultural show and principal race-meeting are combined, the citizens indulge in a regular carnival. On such occasions the streets are thickly thronged with ruddy-faced farmers, whose complexions offer a marked contrast to the more bloodless and bronzed hue of the Aucklanders. Christchurch abounds in substantial business pre-

mises ; it has two morning and two evening newspapers, and a high standard of comfort prevails among its 48,000 inhabitants.

of defiance ; snowfields lifeless and cold ; glaciers moving with irresistible power ; crash of storms, thunders of avalanche, frozen calm ; glories of prismatic colours, rosy dawns, golden sunsets, fields of ghostly white. Infinite heights, infinitedepths. More still—birth of rivers, building of plains, digging of lakes, carving of hills ami valleys ; ruling of winds, unloosing of rains, making of springs and streams. Yes, verily a wonderland. A wonderland whose mystery and fascination I know, and feel now, for from my window I can see snow-clad peaks above dark hanging forests, and can remember what days I have spent on those cold heights and in those deep gorges. Ido not wonder that men find a deep joyin invading this world of mountains. In that world are some of the grandest scenes that nature can show, wonders of majesty and beauty. I do not wonder that men find a fascination in climbing mountains, for to them is the excitement of daring, the triumph of conquest, the revelation of new wonders, and the full extent of earth’s majesty- and glory. There is something even beyond these things in mountaineering—a race instinct, a love of po.ver, a pride in skill and cool nerve in endurance, a desire to dare and do. This same instinct makes the sterner joys of our race —the solitarywatch for the bloodthirsty tiger, the exploration of new lands, the midnight sail on a stormy- sea, the wild rush of the hunt. Perhaps it is the old wild joy of battle that has come to our race through the blood of northern heroes. Race instinct or not, some of our finest fellows find