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Founded in 1868, Christchurch Botanic Gardens sit at the city center of Christchurch. It was established to mark the marriage of Princess Alexandra of Denmark and Prince Albert, on this occasion, an English oak was also planted.
The Botanical garden is located adjacent to the Avon River and is spread over an area of about 21 hectares; it sits just next to Hagley Park. The Botanical garden has a variety of exotic and native plant species of New Zealand; however, it also houses lots of other plants from all over the globe.
-Botanic Gardens Visitor Center: This impressive structure has a gift shop, a café and an exhibition which exhibits the history of Canterbury when it comes to plants and gardening.
-It has a central Rose Garden, which houses more than 2500 varieties of roses which belong to the modern cultivar.
-The presence of woodpigeons, a cormorant colony, which comes into action during the spring makes it a great place to go bird watching.
-The rock garden houses various plants that bear flowers throughout the year.
-The Botanical garden also has a section called Herbal Garden which is dedicated to herbal and culinary plants.
Timings: Admission to the Christchurch Botanic Gardens is free and it opens every day at 7am. The Botanic Gardens also has a Visitor Centre, which can be visited between 8.30am – 5pm. It also houses a gift shop with offers various products of local origin, usually botanically themed; it also has a café and a permanent interactive exhibition.