Christchurch, New Zealand - Mona Vale Gardens

Christchurch's Mona Vale Gardens played an indispensable role in the city's honor of being named the world's number one Garden City in 1993. The Mona Vale Gardens are a typical traditional Victorian estate, with the beautiful Avon River running through it, complete with streams, villas, lawns, gardens, and woods. The scenery is elegant and picturesque, featuring small bridges over flowing water, lush grass, and weeping willows, reminiscent of the romantic atmosphere of Cambridge, England, and resembling an ideal fairy-tale world. Across from the Mona Vale Gardens is a wealthy residential area, where houses of various shapes and unique decorations are nestled among flowers and green trees. The yard decorations and the winding pebble paths indicate the private property nature of each house. The Avon River, flowing through the Mona Vale Gardens, is graceful and clear, with soft willow branches gently caressing the water surface. Under the sunlight, the river sparkles, and the green lawns on the banks, along with the clusters of soft green and light yellow pampas grass, are adorned with flowers like lotus, hostas, ant towers, and water caltrops. Foraging birds, playful wild ducks and mandarin ducks, and leisurely trout create a picturesque and gentle scene, brimming with life and depicting a harmonious image of humans and nature. Enjoying a punting trip is a romantic and unforgettable leisurely experience. The boatmen, dressed in white suits with suspenders, ties, and white linen straw hats, gently push the punt with a long pole, slowly narrating the history and anecdotes of the garden.