In 1850, ships of British settlers first docked in Pegasus Bay and stepped foot on the grassy plains of the Canterbury region. Vast green space and natural spring water offered an idyllic locale for a settlement, and the colonists soon began clearing the land and planting new seeds. The area is known as Hagley Park and comprises more than 400 acres of verdant beauty. In the 1860s, a particularly lovely corner of the park was chosen as the site for the Christchurch Botanic Gardens.
