Christchurch enjoys a temperate relatively dry climate with rain falling on fewer days than New Zealand's other major cities. The climate is comfortable all year round.

We do have light frosts in the winter months (June- August) but these are usually followed by clear sunny days. We can have snow once or twice a year in winter months but it usually only lies on the ground for a few hours.

Christchurch is famous for its Norwest winds which is a fohn type wind that can raise the temparature by 10-15 degrees centigrade within an hour

Having arrived in some countries to find that all shops and banks were closed because it was a public holiday we thought it might be useful to provide a rough guide as what was open.

Generally supermarkets and shopping malls are open seven days a week although shopping malls are sometimes only open for limited hours on Sunday. Banks are generally only open Monday to Friday, the exception being banks at airports.

Public Holidays

26 October 2009 Labour Day - All malls supermarkets and restaurants open but not banks

13 November 2009 Canterbury Anniversary Day - All malls supermarkets and restaurants open

25 December 2009 Christmas Day - Everything is closed apart from a few restaurants

26 December 2009 Boxing Day -  All malls supermarkets and restaurants open but not banks

1 January 2010 New Years Day - All malls supermarkets and restaurants open but not banks

2 January 2010 Day after New Years Day - All malls supermarkets and restaurants open but not banks

6 February 2010 Waitangi Day - All malls supermarkets and restaurants open but not banks

2 April 2010 Good Friday -  Everything is closed apart from restaurants

4 April 2010 Easter Sunday - Everthing is closed apart from restaurants

5 April 2010 Easter Monday -  All malls supermarkets and restaurants open but not banks

25 April 2010 Anzac Day - Everything closed in the morning, malls supermarkets restaurants

                                                 open in the afternoon

7 June 2010 Queens Birthday -  All malls supermarkets and restaurants open but not banks

There are a couple of sites that list what is on in  Christchurch

www.bethere.co.nz

www.summertimes.co.nz

but here is a list of some of the events that are on

21-31 Jan 2010 Buskers Festival www.worldbuskersfestival.com

5 Feb Classical Sparks (free concert in Hagley Park)

5 Feb Rohan Keating at the Mdhouse Winery Waipara www.adayonthegreen.co.nz

18 Feb Dianna Krall www.ticketek.co.nz

25 Feb Tom Jones www.ticketek.co.nz

1&2 March 2010 Cliff Richard & The Shadows www.ticketek.co.nz

6 & 7 March 2010 Chinese Lantern Festival www.asianz.org.nz

21 March Burt Bacharach www.ticketek.co.nz

19 Feb- 14  March Festival Flowers

6 March Waipara Wine & Food Show

10-14 March 2010 Ellerslie International Flower Show www.ellerslieflowershow.co.nz

5-11 April Jazz & Blues Festival www.jazzfestivalnz.com

24 October Andre Rieu www.ticketek.co.nz

In July 2007 we won the Supreme Award of our local community board's Heritage Awards.

These Heritage Awards "serve to acknowledge the preservation and restoration of our commnities heriatge in the Shirley/Papanui Community and to encourage individuals and groups to take pride in their local heritage"

We entered the "good caretaker" category which recognised owners who have maintained a property in original or near original condition for a number of years.

There are a large number of beautiful old homes in Christchurch particually in our area so we completely taken by surprise when we were telephoned and told we had won the overall Supreme Award.

In the program for the presentation at the local Marae (Maori meeting place) the judges wrote of our two cottage.

"Cottages built in 1878 and 1910 and now used as boutique accommodation providing a viable and appropriate use for these outstanding examples of workers cottages. Very high standards of restoration conservation and caretaking have been achievedand the gardens beautifully and sympathetically maintained".