150 reasons to love Canterbury
PRESS STAFF AND READERS - The Press
Some of the things we love about Christchurch, The trams, Hagley Park, Antigua Boatsheds and The Wizard.
Your Christchurch
The Press is counting down to its 150th birthday with the series: 150 Reasons to Love Canterbury.
We need your help. Send your nominations for the 150 Reasons To Love Canterbury to reporters@press.co.nz or comment in the field far below.
Hagley Park
Many will argue that Hagley Park, not the Christ Church Cathedral, is the true heart of the city. The church in the square may be our postcard heritage, but Hagley Park is where families have been creating their personal real-life history.
As the city grew so did the value of the park, the green soul of Christchurch and the envy of cities worldwide. Few places could boast a park that can accommodate a 12-hole golf course, a lake and the Botanical Gardens while hosting a concert for 140,000 people, all in a fraction of its space.
The park was drawn up in 1850 by Edward Jolie, who designed the fledgling settlement. A law was passed five years later that the land "shall be reserved forever as a public park, and shall be open for the recreation and enjoyment of the public". And so it was, giving the early settlers and their descendants a place for recreation, sport, music and even a bit of romance.
Many will have a sporting memory at the park - scoring their first try, getting soaked on the netball courts, scoring a screamer in social football or frying under the sun at Hagley Oval.
The park hosts numerous annual events and has been the venue of some of the most memorable events in our history, starting with the New Zealand Exhibition in 1906, with a staggering two million visitors who tagged Christchurch as the Garden City.
- Coen Lammers
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