Christchurch & Canterbury

The Garden City 

Christchurch is the second largest city in New Zealand, the largest in Canterbury, and is New Zealand's tourism gateway.

Christchurch has a heritage-packed city centre with neo-gothic stone buildings, quaint trams, and punts plying the River Avon.  It is home to some of the finest parks and gardens in New Zealand, earning it the title of the ‘Garden City’.  Enjoy excellent shopping and dining as well as the nightlife in a number of distinct precincts around the city.

Christchurch offers easy access to a myriad of outdoor adventures being close to beaches, hills, rivers and mountains such as New Zealand’s Southern Alps.

Things to Do and See

Start your Christchurch holiday in the central city and explore the architecture, art and heritage of the cultural precinct.  Take a look at the western end of Worcester Boulevard and pay a visit to the Canterbury Museum or Arts Centre, which is a great place when shopping for unique gifts.

You can also learn a great deal about Christchurch’s Maori heritage and watch a Maori cultural performance, paddle a Maori waka or even visit a replica Maori village.

For the outdoor adventurer there are ten ski areas in Canterbury, many opportunities for mountain biking and hiking, jet boating and white water rafting.

Christchurch’s iconic attractions include the Christchurch Gondola, for superb views over the city and its coastline, visit a wildlife park, catch the TranzAlpine and visit the Antarctic Attraction.

Getting There and Around

Getting to Christchurch is easy, the city centre is only a 15 minute drive from Christchurch International Airport.  To get to the city from the airport you can take a bus, shuttle or taxi, all run frequently from outside the terminal.

To get around the city, catch a yellow free city Shuttle bus, which operate a circuit throughout the city every 10 minutes.  Another option is to try the Christchurch Tramway, which offers a hop-on, hop-off service around the central precinct. 

For travel outside the city, Red Bus operates an excellent network including services to Sumner, Lyttelton and to Christchurch International Airport.