Canterbury Orientation

Christchurch’s flat grid of streets extends in every direction from Cathedral Square, the city’s center, where food stalls and artisans congregate beneath the bell tower of Christchurch Cathedral. Cobblestoned Worcester Street continues east through Latimer Square and west (as Worcester Blvd.) over the Avon River, to the gothic Arts Centre, the Canterbury Museum, and the Botanic Gardens. The city’s central thoroughfare, Colombo Street, is lined with souvenir shops and runs north-south through the square. Arcades and plazas fan out from the City Mall, the pedestrian walkway one block south of the cathedral on Cashel Street. North of the cathedral, Victoria Square fronts the Town Hall. The Avon River runs through the square and is followed on either side by Oxford and Cambridge Terrace. Manchester Street, Cashel St., and Oxford Terrace form a U-shaped nightlife district. Central Christchurch is bordered to the west by gigantic Hagley Park, to the north and east by suburbs, and to the south by Moorhouse Avenue, the boundary of the industrial area. In 2008, Christchurch City Council plans to revamp the city mall on Cashel and High St., so tourists should be prepared for construction.

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