Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island and the second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand.
Christchurch has an urban population of 407,800, and a metropolitan population of 556,500. It is located in the Canterbury Region, near the centre of the east coast of the South Island, east of the Canterbury Plains. It is located near the southern end of Pegasus Bay, and is bounded to the east by the Pacific Ocean and to the south by the ancient volcanic complex of the Banks Peninsula. The Avon River / Ōtākaro winds through the centre of the city, with a large urban park along its banks. With the exception of the Port Hills, it is a relatively flat city, on an average about 20 m (66 ft) above sea level. Christchurch has a reputation for being an English city, with its architectural identity and nickname the 'Garden City' due to similarities with garden cities in England, but also has a historic Māori heritage. Christchurch has a temperate oceanic climate with moderate rainfall.
Getting to Christchurch
- 01Christchurch International Airport
- 02Christchurch
Troup Drive, Addington (adjacent to Tower Junction shopping centre).
Worth seeing
- 01Arts Centre
Gothic Revival stonework of former University campus.
- 02Christchurch Art Gallery
Worcester Blvd and Montreal St (one block east of Botanic Gardens),.
- 03Centre of Contemporary Art
- 04Cardboard Cathedral
- 05St Michael and All Angels Church
Services Sun 8AM, 10AM, 7PM; Mon-Fri 9AM; and for viewing at other times.
- 06Air Force Museum
45 Harvard Ave, Wigram (take Yellow or #80 bus from Central Station platform C),.
Things to do
- 01Antigua Boatsheds
Boat hire from historic British boatsheds for a hands-on water experience.
- 02Christchurch Adventure Park
Very good mountain biking trails for advanced, intermediate and beginner bikers, and also zip-lines.
- 03Christchurch Casino
You get a free meal (breakfast, lunch or dinner) if it is your birthday (booking essential).
- 04Christchurch Gondola
10 Bridle Path Rd, Heathcote Valley (take #28 bus southeast, or take Purple bus and change to #535 bus at Ferrymead),.
- 05Hagley Oval
With a capacity of 9000, it hosts Test matches, plus Canterbury Knights men's and Magicians women's teams.
- 06Garden City Helicopters
515 Memorial Ave (next to Christchurch Airport), toll-free: 0800 359 424, info@helicopters.net.nz.
Where to eat
Fruit and vegetable shops offer locally grown high quality fresh produce for prices often much cheaper than supermarkets. Supermarkets
- 01Fresh Choice
Lichfield St (Across the road from the Bus Interchange).
- 02Woolworths
- 03New World
175 Durham Street South.
- 04Pak'n'Save
The cheapest supermarket chain overall, but may not have as wide a range as Woolworths and New World.
- 05Aha Wildlife Bakery
100 Oxford Terrace (Inside Riverside Market), info@ahawildlifebakery.com.
Getting around Christchurch the local way
- Get inThis scenic train journey can be done as a day trip.
- Get inAt Picton the Coastal Pacific connects with the Cook Strait ferries from Wellington in the North Island.
- Get inThe train departs Christchurch at 7AM and arrives in Picton at 1:15PM, connecting with the 2PM ferry to Wellington.
- Get inThe 9AM ferry from Wellington connects with the train departing Picton at 2:15PM and arriving in Christchurch at 8:30PM.
- Get aroundServices cover the whole city and areas of interest for a visitor that lie outside the central city, such as Sumner and New Brighton beaches, Lyttelton, and the Gondola.
From Wikivoyage: Christchurch, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.