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Christchurch is the regional capital of Canterbury, New Zealand. It is the largest city in the South Island, as well as the second largest city and third largest urban area of New Zealand. A coastal city, it is situated just north of Banks Peninsula, midway down the South Island's eastern coast. The city is named after the Christ Church cathedral, which is itself named after Christ Church, a college at the University of Oxford, and the Cathedral of Oxford. The city was originally known as Christ Church, the written form consolidating by the 1880s.
GeographyChristchurch lies in Canterbury, near the centre of the east coast of the South Island, between Banks Peninsula and the Canterbury Plains. It is located near the southern end of Pegasus Bay, and is bounded to the east by the Pacific Ocean coast and the estuary of the Avon as well as the Heathcote River. To the south and south-east the city is limited by the volcanic slopes of the Port Hills, and to the north by the braided Waimakariri River. With much of the city being flat and only a few metres above sea level, spectacular views can be obtained from almost any high building. At low elevations the city may appear almost forested with only a few buildings visible, unlike a major city. Central CityAt the centre of the city is Cathedral Square, surrounding the Anglican cathedral, Christ Church. The area around this square and within the four avenues of Christchurch (Bealey Avenue, Fitzgerald Avenue, Moorhouse Avenue and Rolleston Avenue) is considered the CBD of the city.
The central city also has a number of residential areas, including Inner City East, Inner City West, Avon Loop, Moa & Victoria. Image:Christchurch, New Zealand, NASA 2.jpg View from space of Christchurch and surrounding areas. Image:DSC02630.JPG View from Sugar-Loaf towards Christchurch and surrounding areas. Inner suburbs(clockwise, starting north of the city centre) Mairehau; Shirley; Richmond; Avonside; Linwood; Woolston; Opawa; Waltham; St Martins; Beckenham; Sydenham; Somerfield; Spreydon; Addington; Riccarton; Ilam; Burnside; Fendalton; Bryndwr; Strowan; Merivale; Papanui; St Albans. Outer suburbs(clockwise, starting north of the city centre) Marshland; Burwood; Parklands; Waimairi Beach; Avondale; New Brighton; Bexley; Aranui; South Brighton; Southshore; Bromley; Mt Pleasant; Redcliffs; Sumner; Ferrymead; Heathcote Valley; Hillsborough; Murray Aynsley; Huntsbury; Cashmere; Westmorland; Hoon Hay; Halswell; Oaklands; Wigram; Middleton; Sockburn; Hornby; Islington; Templeton; Yaldhurst; Russley; Avonhead; Harewood; Bishopdale; Casebrook; Redwood; Belfast. Satellite towns(clockwise, starting north of the city centre) Brooklands; Lyttelton; Tai Tapu; Lincoln; Prebbleton; Rolleston; West Melton; Rangiora; Kaiapoi. ClimateOverviewChristchurch has a temperate climate, with maximum temperatures in January ranging from 15°C to 25°C (often reaching 30°C or higher), and maximum temperatures in July ranging from 5°C to 15°C. The summer climate is often moderated by a sea breeze from the northeast, but a record temperature of 41.6°C was reached in February 1973. A notable feature of the weather is the nor'wester, a hot föhn wind which is known to cause psychological problems such as raised suicide rates, and also occasionally reaches storm force, causing widespread damage to property.[2] In winter it is common for the temperature to fall below 0°C at night. Snow falls occur on average once or twice a year in the hill suburbs and about once or twice every two years on the plain. On cold winter nights, the surrounding hills, clear skies, and frosty calm conditions often combine to form a stable inversion layer above the city that traps vehicle exhausts and smoke from domestic fires to cause smog. While not as bad as smog in Los Angeles or Mexico City, Christchurch smog has often exceeded World Health Organisation recommendations for air pollution.[3] The city has funding available to upgrade domestic home heating systems, and in order to limit air pollution will likely ban some forms of fire-based heating systems within the next two years.[4] Temperatures
StructureDemographicsImage:ChristchurchNewZealand-JasonHopwoodr-AttributionShareAlike.jpg The River Walk in the city centre. On 6 March 2004, the area administered by the Christchurch City Council had a population of 344,100, making it the second-largest in New Zealand, and the largest city in the South Island. The Christchurch urban area is the third-largest in the country by population, after Auckland and Wellington. The following table shows the ethnic profile of Christchurch's population, as recorded in the 2001 and 2006 New Zealand Census. The percentages add up to more than 100%, as some people counted themselves as belonging to more than one ethnic group. Figures for 2006 refer to just Christchurch City, not the whole urban area. The substantial percentage drop in the numbers of 'Europeans' was mainly caused by the increasing numbers of people from this group choosing to define themselves as 'New Zealanders' - even though this was not one of the groups listed on the census form.
Sources: [6] [7] The 2006 Census also provides information about the multilinguality of the region. Accordingly, 283,986 people in Christchurch City spoke one language only, while 37,947 spoke two, and 7,881 could converse in three or more languages.[7] EconomyThe early local economy was based on the agricultural produce of the Canterbury plains. Early manufacturers processed agricultural produce, especially sheep and dairy products, into finished products. The early presence of the University of Canterbury and the heritage of the city's academic institutions working in association with local businesses have fostered a number of technology-based industries. Christchurch has a number of technology companies offices, including Netconcepts, and SLI Systems. The region now has a range of "new economy" sectors. Tourism is also a significant factor of the local economy. The closeness of the ski-fields and other attractions of the Southern Alps, and hotels and an airport that meet international standards make Christchurch a stopover destination for many tourists. It is particularly hospitable to Japanese tourists, with signage around Cathedral Square in Japanese, and some local churches being popular for weddings of Japanese couples, followed by honeymoons in Queenstown. GovernmentChristchurch's local government is a democracy that includes:
In 1993, Christchurch was selected as the "Best Run City in the World", also known as the 'Carl Bertelsmann Prize: Local Government', by the Bertelsmann Foundation of Germany. Especially noted was the increased efficiency of communal services in competition with private enterprises. Christchurch shared the award honour with Phoenix, Arizona, USA.[8] EducationSecondary schoolsChristchurch is well-known for several very traditional schools of the English public school type, such as Christ's College, St Andrew's, St. Margaret's College and Rangi Ruru Girls' School, but also has several unusual and innovative schools such as Unlimited paenga tawhiti and Hagley Community College. Tertiary InstitutionsA number of tertiary education institutions have campuses in Christchurch, or in the surrounding areas.
TransportChristchurch is served by Christchurch International Airport and by buses (local and long-distance) and trains. The local bus service, known as Metro, is provided by Environment Canterbury. The car, however, remains the dominant form of transport. The central city has very flat terrain and the City Council are establishing a network of cycle lanes on roads. There is a functioning tram service in Christchurch, but as a tourist attraction, its loop is restricted to a circuit of the central city. The trams were originally introduced in 1905, ceased operating in 1954, but returned to the inner city in 1995. The Main North Line railway travels northwards via Kaikoura to Picton and is served by the famous TranzCoastal passenger train, while the Main South Line heads to Invercargill via Dunedin and was used by the Southerner until its cancellation in 2002. The most famous train to depart Christchurch is the TranzAlpine, which travels along the Main South Line to Rolleston and then turns onto the Midland Line, passes through the Southern Alps via the Otira Tunnel, and terminates in Greymouth in Westland. This trip is often regarded to be one of the ten great train journeys in the world for the amazing scenery through which it passes. The TranzAlpine service is purely a tourist service and carries no significant commuter traffic.
HistoryOverviewArcheological evidence found in a cave at Redcliffs in 1876 has indicated that the Christchurch area was first settled by moa-hunting tribes about 1250. Māori oral history relates that humans occupied the area around the year 1000. These first inhabitants were thought to have been followed by the Waitaha tribe, who are said to have migrated from the East coast of the North Island in the 16th century. Following tribal warfare, the Waitaha (made of three peoples) were dispossessed by the Ngati Mamoe tribe. They were in turn subjugated by the Ngai Tahu tribe, who remained in control until the arrival of European settlers. Following the purchase of land at Putaringamotu (modern Riccarton) by the Weller brothers whalers of Otago and Sydney a party of European settlers led by Herriott and McGillivray established themselves in what is now the Christchurch area, early in 1840. Their abandoned holdings were taken over by the Deans brothers in 1843 who stayed. The First Four Ships were chartered by the Canterbury Association and arrived on 16 December 1850, bringing the first 792 of the Canterbury Pilgrims to Lyttelton Harbour. These sailing vessels were the Randolph, Charlotte-Jane, Sir George Seymour, and Cressy. The Canterbury Pilgrims dreamt of building a city around a cathedral and college, on the model of Christ Church in Oxford.[9] The name "Christ Church" was decided prior to the ships' arrival, at the Association's first meeting, on 27 March 1848. Captain Thomas, the Canterbury Association's Chief Surveyor, surveyed the surrounding area. By December 1849 he had commissioned the construction of a road from Port Cooper, later Lyttelton, to Christchurch via Sumner. However this proved more difficult than expected and road construction was stopped while a steep foot and pack horse track was constructed over the hill between the port and the Heathcote valley, where access to the site of the proposed settlement could be gained. This track became known as the Bridle Path, because the path was so steep that pack horses needed to be led by the bridle. Goods that were too heavy or bulky to be transported by pack horse over the Bridle Path were shipped by small sailing vessels some eight miles by water around the coast and up the estuary to Ferrymead. New Zealand's first public railway line, the Ferrymead railway, opened from Ferrymead to Christchurch in 1863. Due to the difficulties in travelling over the Port Hills and the dangers associated with shipping navigating the Sumner bar, a railway tunnel was bored through the Port Hills to Lyttelton, opening in 1867. Christchurch became a city by Royal Charter on 31 July 1856, the first city in New Zealand. Many of the city's fine Gothic buildings by architect Benjamin Mountfort date from this period. Christchurch was the seat of provincial administration for the Province of Canterbury. In 1947, New Zealand's worst fire disaster occurred at Ballantyne's Department Store in the inner city, with 41 people killed in a blaze which razed the rambling collection of buildings. A road tunnel was constructed between Lyttelton and Christchurch in the early 1960s. In 1974 Christchurch was host to the Commonwealth Games. Gateway to the AntarcticImage:RobertFalconScott-StatueInChristchurchNZ-AttributionShareAlike25.jpg Statue of Robert Falcon Scott created by his widow, Kathleen Scott. Christchurch has played a significant role in the history of Antarctic exploration. Both Robert Falcon Scott and Ernest Shackleton used the port of Lyttelton as a departure point for expeditions, and there is a statue of Scott, sculpted by his widow, in the central city. Christchurch International Airport serves as the major base for the Italian and United States Antarctic programs as well as the New Zealand Antarctic programme. The International Antarctic Centre provides both base facilities and a museum and visitor centre. Famous people
Visitor attractionsImage:Christchurch coast.jpg Winter afternoon on the Christchurch coast. Image:Christchurch-CathedralSquare.jpg Cathedral Square in Christchurch, with Christ Church in the background. Image:Christchurch-art-gallery.jpg The Christchurch Art Gallery
EntertainmentParks & NatureThe large number of public parks and well-developed residential gardens with many trees has given Christchurch the name of The Garden City. Hagley Park and the 30-hectare (75-acre) Christchurch Botanic Gardens, founded in 1863, are in the central city, with Hagley Park being a site for sports such as golf, cricket, netball, and rugby, and for open air concerts by local bands and orchestras. Cinema & TheatreChristchurch has approximately 35 cinema screens, with more planned in the next few years. While historically most cinemas were grouped around Cathedral Square, only the Regent complex remains there. The largest multiplexes are the Hoyts 8 in the old railway station (Moorhouse Ave) and Reading Cinemas (eight) in the Palms shopping centre in Shirley. Hoyts in Riccarton, just recently opened, has the largest screen in New Zealand, called Cinemaxx. The Christchurch Arts Centre includes two art house cinemas, Cloisters and The Academy, screening a wide selection of contemporary, classic and foreign language films. These cinemas participate in an annual film festival. There is an active film society in the city,[10] and several cinemas operate in Christchurch.[11] Christchurch has one full-time professional theatre, the 'Court Theatre'.[12] There is also an active recreational theatre scene. MusicThe city is known for its many live acts.[citation needed] and also has a professional symphony orchestra.[13] Christchurch also hosts a wide range of rave dance parties. While most of the parties are either house or drum'n'bass, occasionally there are trance and hardhouse parties. Drum'n'bass is however particularly popular, with more d'n'b events than events than for any other types of dance music.[citation needed] There are usually buskers around the town square, and Christchurch also hosts the World Buskers Festival in January each year. VenuesThe Westpac Arena is New Zealand's second largest permanent multipurpose arena, seating between 5000 and 8000, depending on configuration. It is home of the Canterbury Rams basketball team, and Canterbury Flames netball side. It was the venue for the 1999 World Netball championships and has been host to many concerts in recent years including Neil Diamond, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rod Stewart, Bob Dylan, Velvet Revolver , Edgefest, and many more major international acts. The Christchurch Town Hall Auditorium (2000 seats, opened 1974) was the first major auditorium design by architects Warren and Mahoney and acousticians Marshall Day. It is still recognised as a model example of concert-hall design. It has an excellent modern pipe organ. Christchurch also has a Casino [14], and there are also a wide range of live music venues[citation needed] - some short-lived, others with decades of history. SportSports
Venues
Sister citiesChristchurch has seven sister cities around the world. They are:[15]
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