Fodor's Expert Review Mona Vale Homestead and Gardens

Visit this beautifully restored Arts & Crafts movement home, enjoy tea or lunch in the Mona Vale Pantry, and stroll or punt along the Avon River and through the well-tended perennial gardens. Built in 1899, the house and 13½-acre gardens were almost lost to the city in the 1960s when the estate was in danger of being subdivided. A public campaign saw the homestead "sold" to individual Christchurch residents for NZ$10 per square foot. To get here, you can catch a 29 City--Airport via Fendalton bus and get off a short stroll from the entrance.