Almost all of the city's commercial heart lies within the approximately rectangular 9.8-square-kilometre (3.8 sq mi) area formed by the four avenues.
The avenues were named for early Christchurch city founding fathers (Samuel Bealey, John and William Deans, James FitzGerald, William Sefton Moorhouse, and William Rolleston), with the exception of Harper Avenue (formerly Park Road) which was renamed in 1931 to honour retiring Christchurch Domains Board chairman Sir George Harper.
It runs due north–south for approximately 2.2 kilometres (1.4 mi), with its northern end connecting with the curving Harper Ave.
This road runs approximately east-northeast for 1.4 kilometres (0.87 mi) before connecting with the western end of Bealey Avenue.
This wide, leafy dual carriageway skirts the edges of the suburbs of Merivale and Edgeware.