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Wherever you are in Christchurch it often seems that you are in a garden because there are so many flowers along the street. But Christchurch is well endowed with public gardens and parks. Among the largest are the Botanic Garden, Mona Vale, and Riccarton Bush.

Hydrangeas in our Sumner Garden

We even had lots of flowers around us in our little bungalow in Sumner. When we arrived the rhododendron in the front garden was still blooming, and we got to enjoy the perennial spring flowers that lined the path to the front door for most of our stay, and then, finally, we got to see the hydrangea blooming.

Avon River in Botanic Garden

The most famous park of course is the Botanical Garden, which we visited several times and skirted just about every time we went to downtown Christchurch. It is a popular place for strolling, of course, but also for punting, a bit like Cambridge. It's also where the young ones come to keep cool in high summer with its paddling pool, and where the crumblies come to admire the rose garden. We biked to it a couple of times, but had to walk our bikes through the gardens proper.