Christchurch’s Basilica (also known as the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament) is usually overshadowed by its allegedly prettier and more famous cousin, the ChristChurch Cathedral. Located smack dab in the middle of Christchurch, the ChristChurch Cathedral draws hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. So omnipresent is this building that it is nigh impossible to get a postcard in this city that doesn’t have the Cathedral’s spires looming into the picture like ‘that guy’ who insists on being in every photo at the party.

By contrast the Basilica is a shy wallflower, a shy wallflower consisting of over 120,000 cubic feet of stone, 4000 cubic feet of concrete and 90 tonnes of steel. Located at whopping 6 blocks from the ChristChurch Cathedral, the Basilica is a many domed behemoth of religious expression well worth the visit if you’re a fan of architecture, religion, NZ history or really big buildings that make you feel like a tiny little lego man/lady.

A well worn traveler who has been yelled at by airport security in three continents and lost money in taxis in too many countries to count, Alexandra has been traveling independently since her parents cast her offshore at the age of 16 with one phrase in German to guide herself by, “Ich habe den kase genommen”. (I have taken the cheese.) Having taken up writing to sustain life (and buy the odd ticket home when unintentionally becoming stranded in unfriendly lands), her writings now appear in a myriad of unlikely locations, including this one.

For more of Alexandra’s writing visit http://www.monkeycorporate.com