Oxford

Small but bursting with life, Oxford is a little gem and just 40 minutes out of Christchurch. The rural town is much loved by Cantabrians who escape for weekends of countryside serenity and by visitors from further afield who also want to explore this peaceful yet engaging little place.

Oxford's first European settlement of the early 1850s was as a sawmilling town. In 1861, there were only 25 people on the electoral roll (no women were counted as they did not have the vote) but this soon grew with the rise of farming and forestry-related industries. By the 1870s, 11 sawmills were operating when a major fire blew into town. According to the local Historical Society, the Great Fire of Oxford of 1898 was fanned by a strong nor'westerly wind that swept two fires (in the Lees Valley and in Coopers Creek) through a major part of the beech forest and destroyed 26 homes and several sawmills before burning out in the Ashley Gorge. The last mill closed in 1912 and the town became a rural service and retirement centre.

These days, it's a slightly different story – rural service, yes, and plenty of retirees live here but Oxford is abuzz. A raft of outdoor activities such as walks, swimming and fishing make Oxford a magnet for adventurers and the art gallery, shops, crafts and the fantastic weekly market will keep those more culture- and shopping-inclined very happy too.