Dara is gazing into the horizon as she is walking through the gardens with music in her ears. “I have come to see if the roses are in bloom.” – she tells me with a smile – “It’s overcast so I thought it wouldn’t be too busy.” Dara came from the US to change her lifestyle completely and live for her dream. “I want to build a little place of my own. I wouldn’t mind staying in Christchurch if I found the right spot.” Wherever Dara lives though, she has plants and flowers around her. Her favourite one is what she calls a “coral ball”, which is hiding at our feet with it’s purple leaves among more showy flowers.