What
to See and Do in and around Christchurch
There's a wide variety of fascinating
experiences in Christchurch
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A curious mix of
Christchurch's English style cathedral and a modern
sculpture in the foreground jointly mark the center of
Christchurch city.
Part
of a series on travel to and in New Zealand -
click the links in the right hand
column for more articles.
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Christchurch has something to
interest and entertain everyone and just about every interest.
Whether you've always wanted to
drive an army tank yourself, or perhaps if you'd prefer a
leisurely tour by vintage tram; whether you'd prefer to ride a
modern helicopter (or balloon) or vintage DC3, there are touring
methods and experiences of all kinds.
Aerial gondolas and river
punting are two more travel experiences (and did we mention
vintage and modern trains too).
If you'd rather something that
doesn't involve movement, then there are plenty of such places
and activities too.
An Introduction to Christchurch
Please note this is the
second part of a two part article focused on Christchurch, New
Zealand. Please also visit the first part of this article
series to understand how to get to
Christchurch, why to visit, for how long, and where to stay.
What to See and Do in Christchurch
Christchurch has a rich
variety of things to see and do. Many activities and
experiences are conveniently located in the city itself, some
provide convenient transportation to and from the city center as
part of their package, and if you want to explore the area a bit
more on your own, there are plenty of interesting places to
drive to as well.
Inner City Christchurch
The inner city has some lovely 19th century stone block
buildings, has the beautiful Avon river flowing close to its
center, and an interesting English style cathedral in its
center.
Christchurch has one casino, located on the north side of the
city center.
The center of Christchurch is considered to be its
cathedral, open daily. It is possible to climb up its
tower if you want a lovely view out over the city.
Cultural Experiences
For the more culturally interested of us, there is the
Canterbury Museum, and an extensive
Arts
Centre (as well as the
Christchurch Art Gallery), all very centrally located in the
city itself.
There is also an excellent concert hall in the
Christchurch Town Hall that features occasional orchestral
and other concerts and public performances. The local
orchestra is the
Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, and New Zealand's national
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra also tour regularly to
Christchurch.
In addition to strolling around the city on foot, you should
also enjoy at least one complete circuit of the restored street
car/tram.
Christchurch Tramway
The Christchurch tramway was opened in 1995 and features a fleet
of restored vintage trams (some originally from Christchurch,
others from Dunedin and even Melbourne, Australia) that provide
regular service every day, running around a 1.5 mile loop in the
center of the city.
The tram line is currently being extended in two phases,
extending the line down to the southeast, and will be
substantially longer when these two phases have been completed.
The trams provide a live commentary by the driver, and make 11
stops o their route. A complete circuit takes less than 30
minutes, and tickets are good for as many rides as you like
during a two day period.
You can also get discounted combination passes for the tram and
gondola or punting.
There is a special dinner tram that provides a surprisingly high
quality dining experience while traveling around the tram
circuit each evening. Reservations are essential for this,
and while the meal is not particularly cheap, it is a memorable
and different type of experience and so is recommended.
More details about the Christchurch Tramway can be found on
their website.
Punting on the Avon
In a manner similar to that offered in Oxford and Cambridge (UK,
not NZ) you can enjoy a 30 minute punt along the Avon river in
central Christchurch.
Blankets and umbrellas are offered for inclement weather (the
punts operate every day), and each punt can typically hold six
or more people.
More details on
their website.
Christchurch Gondola
The Christchurch gondola ride, opened in 1992, takes you up the
Christchurch side of the hill between Christchurch and Lyttleton.
The ride terminates at a building at the top (just over 1500 ft
high) which offers a free (well, included in the price of the
Gondola ride) 'Time Tunnel' ride (a short slow moving
audio-visual presentation of some of Christchurch's history) as
well as a restaurant, cafe, and (of course) gift shop full of
expensive touristy souvenirs. There are also some outdoor
walking trails around the area.
The views can be very nice as you go up and from the top, but if
it isn't a clear day, of course they won't be so great, so look
around you at the weather before deciding to do this or not.
It takes between 5 - 10 minutes to go up (and to come down).
If they are busy, they will speed the line up so as to handle
more people, making the ride shorter.
If you don't have a car (or even if you do but don't wish to
drive) you can get to the Gondola's base station by regular bus
or by the Gondola's hourly shuttle service from Cathedral
Square. Regular city buses are cheaper, but the journey
time is longer, and the shuttle service driver provides some
interesting commentary on the route if you choose this option.
More details on
their
website.
International Antarctic Centre
New Zealand has part of the Antarctic, and Christchurch has been
the headquarters for the US Operation Deep Freeze and other
Antarctic operations since the International Geophysical Year
back in 1957.
Accordingly it is perhaps unsurprising to see an excellent
Antarctic center, and in Christchurch. It includes not
merely a 3-D movie experience but what it calls a '4-D'
experience, complete with the touch, smells, vibrations,
movement, and much more that are part of the movie's story.
A range of different exhibits and experiences are provided,
making it much more than a stuffy dry non-participative museum.
Although some parts of the exhibits recreate the feeling and
temperatures of the Antarctic, don't worry if you don't have
warm clothing. They provide warm jackets and overshoes for
their 'Snow and Ice' experience.
The attraction is out at the airport, a short walk from the main
passenger terminal. If you're not driving, you can take a
bus to the airport, or use the Antarctic Center's free shuttle
bus service that operates hourly from Cathedral Square.
More details on
their website.
Note that the Canterbury Museum also has some interesting
artifacts and related items to do with New Zealand's Antarctic
connection.
Traveling Out of Christchurch
In addition to enjoying activities within the city of
Christchurch itself, if you have a car, there are a number of
nearby places that make for a pleasant day's driving out of
Christchurch.
In addition, you might also enjoy a return trip on the Tranz-Alpine
train up to Haast Pass and over to Greymouth and back again.
See our page about train travel in
New Zealand for more information on trains.
A Day Out - Akaroa and Lyttleton
Did you know that New Zealand was nearly claimed by the French?
If the timings had been only a very little different, NZ would
be speaking French not English.
After some preliminary exploration in 1838, France sent settlers
to NZ in 1840. Britain's awareness of France's intentions
accelerated its own actions, and resulted in the Treaty of
Waitangi being signed on 6 Feb 1840, where the Maori people
ceded sovereignty to the Queen, and followed up by Britain
claiming of sovereignty over the South Island too on 17 June.
A group of 53 French immigrants arrived in July, and while they
were made to feel welcome, a British warship followed them down
to Akaroa
(pictured above), a small town on the south of Banks Peninsula (the
semi-circle of land that sticks out to the east of Christchurch)
where they settled under its watchful eye.
Little remains of the town's French origins, but a few of the
streets have French names (eg Rue Lavaud) and it is interesting
to visit this attractive little town with a fascinating history.
A nice day out would be to combine a visit to Akaroa with a
visit to Lyttleton.
Lyttleton is Christchurch's port, and still has lots of
buildings that point back to a time when shipping companies and
shipping were a much more prominent part of NZ business than
they are now. These days the various tramp steamers and
passenger ferries that used to ply the New Zealand coast and
provide freight and passenger transportation between the North
and South Islands have been replaced by huge ugly container
ships, while passenger ships have completely disappeared, other
than for cruise ships that visit Lyttleton on occasion,
particularly in the summer months.
Lyttleton was connected to Christchurch by a 1.2 mile long road
tunnel in 1964, and remains to this day the longest road tunnel
in NZ. There is also a rail tunnel which opened in 1867
and is 1.6 miles long. This rail tunnel was, when it
opened, the first tunnel in the world to go through the side of
a volcano, albeit admittedly an extinct one.
If you are traveling to Lyttleton, you might wish to drive
through the tunnel in one direction, but you should also
consider the scenic route over the top of the hill in at least
one direction. There are a couple of routes between
Lyttleton and the top (Sumner Rd then Summit Rd, or Governors
Bay Rd to Dyers Pass Rd and up to Summit Rd), and essentially
only one way down the Christchurch side of the hill (Mount
Pleasant Rd), so you might even wish to go over rather than
through the hill both ways.
A Day Out - Wine (and a Steam Train too)
It is amazing how New Zealand keeps opening up new wine regions
in the country. A few decades ago, wine was grown only
around Auckland, with a bit of wine production in Gisborne and
Hawkes Bay.
Nowadays, there is scarcely anywhere in the country that doesn't
grow grapes and make wine, and usually of a high quality.
The Christchurch area is no exception, with their wine region
being the Waipara Valley, about 45 miles drive north from
Christchurch around the intersection of state highways 1 and 7.
There are approximately 24 wineries in the small region, not all
of which are open to the public. More details of the
wineries can be found on their
regional
website.
There is also a delightful restored steam train (the
Weka
Pass Railway) based there that operates a short restored
line on most Sundays and occasionally on other days too.
Other activities
There truly is a wide variety of other things to see and do in
and around Christchurch, ranging from an
aquarium and kiwi house in Cathedral Square to a chance to
fly
in a lovely old DC3, from
Ghost Walks at night to riding in (and driving, yourself) an
army tank - including crushing over a parked car - during
the day.
For more information
The
official Christchurch tourism website is a good place to
visit.
Please see also the first
part of this two part article
Please note this is the
second part of a two part article focused on Christchurch, New
Zealand. Please also visit the first part of this article
series to understand how to get to
Christchurch, why to visit, for how long, and where to stay.
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Originally published
24 Sep 2010, last update
30 May 2021
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