Christchurch is centred around an impressive neo-gothic Anglican Cathedral located at the heart of the city in Cathedral square. The atmosphere inside the Cathedral was so calm and one of the carvings on the wall represented swastika which amazed us. It was areal integration of religions. Thhere in Cathedral there is a corner for lighting a candle to remember those people who are no more with us. It was a poignant moment to remember them during our trip and light the candle.

Next, we tackled the task of climbing the 133 steps to the spire's belfry, 33 metres above the city. After lots of huffing and puffing we reached the top to gain a glorious view over the city and beyond.

After our exercise and lovely view we sat down for a cup of coffee in the square. The square provides a central hub for tourism, shopping and public transport. The main tourism information centre is here, and most of Christchurch's attractions can be reached by foot from the square, or, failing that, by bicycle or bus.

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Another mode of transport is by tram, which is both transport and an attraction in itself. A tram route follows a small circuit around the centre of Christchurch. We got talking to the natives there and they said we should not miss the visit of the wizard at 1 pm.

So off we went to the tram station.

Christchurch's heritage trams are a great way to experience the heritage and charm that makes Christchurch special, with an informative and entertaining commentary.

The tramway offers a quality inner city tour experience that combines the heritage of the trams, attractions and historic buildings with the culture of the Garden City.

The trams follow a 2.5 kilometre loop around central Christchurch taking in some interesting sites. These include Cathedral Square, Southern Encounter Aquarium, The Arts Centre, Botanic Gardens, CanterburyMuseum, Punting on the Avon, Victoria Square, and New Regent Street to name just a few.

Once we boarded the tram we had this non-stop commentary by the driver. People hopped in and out of the tram at the tourist point of attraction and it was just that feeling of running at your own pace when the outside world is rushing in different vehicles overtaking you. Some of the view we encountered are pasted below.

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We too hopped out of the town to look at th e Arts Centre Te Pokap Toi o tautahi which is Christchurch's hub of arts and crafts, featuring art galleries, craft studios and shops, theatres, cinemas, a selection of cafes, restaurants and bars and an exciting colourful weekend market and ethnic food fair. Lunchtime concerts feature every Friday and live music every weekend in summer.

This historic site was originally home to CanterburyUniversityCollege, first established in 1873.

It includes many wonderful places of historic note, including the oldest lecture theatre in New Zealand and the centres latest attraction, "Father of the Atom", Ernest Lord Rutherfords Den. It was an amazing experience to actually look at Rutherford and his discovery. It somehow made it all real.

Our next stop was the Canterbury Museum

Canterbury Museum is renowned for having some of the finest cultural and natural collections in New Zealand, as well as for its creative and imaginative displays. Housed in one of Christchurch's finest historic buildings, CanterburyMuseum has world class displays of geology, zoology, Maori, Asian and European collections.

Other highlights are the late 19th century Christchurch Street, the very exciting hands-on Discovery Centre for children of all ages, the world's top stories from Antarctica's heroic era of discovery and exploration, and "Living Canterbury" - a look at what makes our environment special and how we can protect it.This was real helpful as my daughter was having special project on Global warming and she picked up some fabulous ideas from here.

By this time we were continuously looking at our watch as we did not want to miss the WIZARD. So we boarded the tram again (you can get down and on the tram any number of times once you buy a ticket) and headed to the square.

We were just in time to see Wizard slowly making his way to the centre of the square. The story behind wizard goes like this.

This eccentric character, who is actually an Australian, and a former sociology lecturer, appears at 1pm every weekday, resplendent in robes, to harangue the assembled crowd in favour of his various causes, one of which is the inversion of the world map to place New Zealand in its rightful place: at the top.

In the picture to the left, he is seen wearing his summer outfit and perched on a small ladder to better address the crowd. For his long service in adding to the local colour, the Wizard was proclaimed Wizard of New Zealand in 1990.

After having a momentous time with the Wizard we had a brief stop at ChristchurchArtGallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu

The ChristchurchArtGallery is the city's public art museum and is the home of Christchurchs public art collection, including international and New Zealand historical and contemporary pieces.

And then it was time to visit the Garden of the GardencitBotanic Garden..

Internationally famed 'The Garden City', Christchurch's well-established expansive parks and public gardens owe much to the planning and foresight of the city's founding fathers.

The centrally-located 161 hectare HagleyPark, the Botanic Gardens, the four leafy inner-city avenues, Victoria Square and spectacular gardens such as Mona Vale on the banks of the River Avon bear testimony to this legacy. It is a vision which is embraced and perpetuated today by proud residents right throughout the city.

Christchurch 's reputation as the Garden City is truly reflected in the Botanic Gardens.

Undoubtedly the finest collection of exotic and indigenous plants found anywhere in New Zealand, the Gardens provide spectacular displays all year round.

You can't help but be impressed with the large majestic trees and sweeping lawns providing a wonderful backdrop to our feature gardens including rock, water, rose and herb gardens.

The Floral Festival held in February each year is certainly one of the most popular festivals on the annual calendar...a time when the city is a blaze of colour.

In 1996, Christchurch was acknowledged as the outstanding garden city from 620 international entries and in 1997, was judged Overall Winner of Major Cities in the Nations in Bloom International Competition to become 'Garden City of the World'!

Nga Hau E Wha Marae

Nga Hau E Wha National Marae is the largest Urban Marae in NZ and literally means 'Marae of the Four Winds' where people from all points of the compass meet, and all cultures are welcome.

The Marae is a place of great prestige and spirituality, where Maori customs and culture and preserved and practiced. As such there is no better place to visit to find out more about Maori culture and traditions. The Marae has two spectacularly carved meeting houses name Aoraki, which is carved and intricately decorated in the traditional styles of the Maori and Te Aritaua Pitama which preserve and share the rich oral history of Maori myths and legends.

Thus we started our day with the visit to church and ended it at the Maori place of worship Marae. Marae and the culture described there had so many similarities to our Indian culture that it was amazing. They too dont enter the Marae with shoes on, they have a special place to store Kumara which is a holy food, the carvings inside the Marae represent the original tribes. It was real fascinating learning those facts.