Christchurch

Introduction

Christchurch is the largest city on New Zealand's South Island, set on the east coast within the Canterbury Region, just east of the Canterbury Plains. It sits near the southern end of Pegasus Bay, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the east and the ancient volcanic complex of the Banks Peninsula to the south. The Avon River / Ōtākaro winds through the centre of the city, with a large urban park along its banks. Apart from the Port Hills, the city is relatively flat, lying only a modest elevation above sea level.

Christchurch has a reputation as an English city, reflected in its architectural identity and its nickname, the 'Garden City', earned through similarities with garden cities in England — though it also carries a historic Māori heritage. The climate is temperate oceanic, with moderate rainfall.

Before you go

Christchurch sits on the Canterbury plains on the eastern coast of the South Island, just north of Banks Peninsula, and is known as the Garden City — a name earned by the trees that grow thickly through its suburbs. The city has a strong English heritage, visible in the older buildings of the cultural precinct along Worcester Boulevard, while the Avon River threads through the central city and breaks up the otherwise regular grid of streets. The city's name was chosen in 1848 after the Christ Church college at the University of Oxford, the first settlers arrived in 1850, and Christchurch was declared a city in 1856.

The climate is temperate with four distinct seasons: mild to warm summers, cool winters, and rain spread evenly through the year. Christchurch is the driest of New Zealand's major cities, sheltered in the lee of the Southern Alps, which also produce the hot, strong foehn wind locals call the "Nor'wester" — most pronounced in summer. Snow occasionally falls in winter, though significant snowfall is infrequent. Winter days are short, with sunrises as late as 8AM and sunsets before 5PM, while summer daylight runs from early morning until as late as 9PM. In winter the city can suffer from smog at night, so take care on calm frosty evenings if you have a breathing-related medical condition.

The city is still shaped by the earthquakes of 2010 and 2011, which damaged or destroyed many central city buildings, brought down the spire and most of the western facade of ChristChurch Cathedral, and led to the abandonment of thousands of homes in the eastern suburbs. Aftershocks have long since subsided, and while another major earthquake remains possible, the risk is comparable to any other New Zealand city. Violent crime is relatively rare, but as in any city take care late at night, especially on Fridays and Saturdays, when intoxication can lead to unwanted attention or unprovoked aggression; avoid dark alleyways and confrontations, and head for a populated area if in doubt. Linwood is rougher than some other neighbourhoods but is still considered safe.

Getting there

Christchurch International Airport sits about 12 km northwest of the city centre and handles both international and domestic flights from a single terminal. International services connect to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Fiji, Singapore and Dubai (via Sydney), with seasonal flights from Guangzhou, Hong Kong and San Francisco. Domestic links are frequent, with direct flights to and from Auckland, Dunedin, Invercargill, Nelson, Queenstown, Rotorua and Wellington, among other places, served by Air New Zealand and Jetstar Airways.

From the airport, public buses run into the city centre: the number 29 travels via Fendalton, the number 3 via the University of Canterbury and Riccarton, and the 8 through Burnside. The trip takes about 30 minutes, and buses run every 15 to 30 minutes during the day, seven days a week. A door-to-door shuttle covers all parts of Christchurch, and taxi stands and rental car parks are close to the terminal. If you have a few hours and no heavy luggage, you can walk the 8 km to the airport on a footpath alongside Fendalton Road and Memorial Avenue, passing through residential neighbourhoods.

By road, Christchurch lies at the intersection of State Highways 1 and 73, with State Highways 1, 74 and 76 forming a ring road through the outer suburbs. From the Upper South Island, follow State Highway 1 southbound through Waipara, Amberley, Woodend and Kaiapoi to approach from the north. From the West Coast, take State Highway 73 over Arthur's Pass via Darfield and West Melton, or State Highway 7 over the Lewis Pass to meet State Highway 1 at Waipara. From the Lower South Island, follow State Highway 1 northbound through Ashburton and Rolleston.

InterCity runs multiple daily buses to South Island destinations, including Picton to the north, Dunedin, Queenstown and Aoraki / Mt Cook to the south, and the West Coast towns of Greymouth and Hokitika. The bus stop is outside the Bus Interchange on Lichfield Street, with an Intercity office inside. Newmans Coach Lines services to Tekapo and Queenstown depart from outside Canterbury Museum on Rolleston Ave, near the Worcester Boulevard intersection, and East West Coaches run shuttles from Westport via the Lewis Pass and via Greymouth and Arthur's Pass, stopping at the Canterbury Museum.

By train, Christchurch railway station is on Troup Drive in Addington, next to Tower Junction shopping centre; shuttles from the station are chargeable, or you can walk into town along the edge of Hagley Park in about 45 minutes. The TranzAlpine runs coast-to-coast between Christchurch and Greymouth, crossing the Canterbury Plains, the Waimakariri River gorges and the Southern Alps before descending through beech rain forest. The Coastal Pacific links Christchurch with Picton, where it connects with the Cook Strait ferries from Wellington.

Getting around

Christchurch is mostly flat and laid out on a grid, so getting around is generally simple. The central city sits inside the "four avenues" — Bealey Ave to the north, Fitzgerald Ave to the east, Deans Ave to the west and Moorhouse Ave to the south — where you should watch for one-way streets and bus-and-taxi-only intersections. Walking works well in the central city and inner suburbs, and many people cycle: special-purpose lanes have been added to many streets, the Central City has a uniform 30 km/h limit that makes riding even on the main street fairly safe, and drivers tend to be friendlier to cyclists than elsewhere in the region. Lime and Beam electric scooters can be hired by the minute through a phone app, though they come without helmets and inexperienced riders are a hazard to watch for on foot.

The city bus service, Metro, is the main public transport option, with all routes interconnecting through the Bus Interchange on Lichfield St just east of Colombo St. Services reach visitor areas beyond the centre, including Sumner and New Brighton beaches, Lyttelton and the Gondola. The core network has four cross-city routes plus a circular inner-suburb route, running every 15 minutes during the day, seven days a week: Route 1 north–south between Belfast and Princess Margaret Hospital, Route 3 northwest–southeast between the Airport or Sheffield Crescent and Sumner, Route 5 west–east between Hornby and New Brighton, Route 7 southwest–northeast between Halswell and Queenspark, and the Orbiter circling the inner suburbs from Eastgate. Some areas are served infrequently, especially at weekends. Taxis can be booked with Blue Star, First Direct or Gold Band, and Uber also operates. Rental cars are available, mostly from depots on the airport side of town with a few near the CBD, and city parking uses a pay-and-display system payable by coins, credit card or text message. The heritage tram loop is best treated as an attraction rather than transport, since its coverage is small, its hours limited and walking is often faster.

Where to stay

Accommodation in Christchurch is a little more expensive than in other New Zealand cities, because the earthquakes destroyed some major hotels and construction work has pushed up demand. Backpackers are the cheapest option and the standard is very good: expect safe, clean, cheap and cheerful places offering share or dorm rooms alongside single, twin, double and family rooms. Dorset House Backpackers occupies an 1871 heritage home among flower gardens near Hagley Park, with no bunks and all beds fully made. Jailhouse Accommodation is a renovated heritage backpacker place in Addington, in the former Addington Prison. Haka House Christchurch sits in a heritage building on Hereford Street, and Drifter Christchurch on Lichfield Street is handy next to the bus interchange, with curtains and USB chargers on dorm beds and a kitchen that can get crowded.

Motels are a notch up, and there are also many good quality B&Bs in Christchurch and the surrounding district. Mid-range motels cluster in the suburbs and near the centre: Northlands Motel in Northcote is close to Northlands Mall and QE2 Park; Addington Court Motel is near Addington Raceway, the A&P Showgrounds and the stadium; Airport Christchurch Motel in Burnside is a short drive from the airport but not on a flight path; City Central Motel Apartments on Barbadoes Street is a walk from Lichfield Street restaurants and Cathedral Square; Classique Lodge Motel in Riccarton is minutes from Westfield Riccarton; and Milano Motor Lodge and Heartland Hotel Cotswold both sit on Papanui Road within walking distance of Hagley Park and Merivale. Designer Cottage in Sydenham is a charming bed and breakfast run by local architects, with a self-contained cottage in the garden. For longer stays, furnished flats are advertised in the papers, and Urban Rooms offers furnished rentals from shared-house rooms to self-contained flats. Red Door Cottage in Merivale is self-catering, and West Fitzroy Apartments on Armagh Street are large, with parking and balconies. At the top end, Eliza's Manor is a luxury B&B on Bealey Avenue, The George is a luxury boutique hotel by the Avon and Hagley Park with two restaurants, Novotel Christchurch stands on Cathedral Square, and the Observatory Hotel is the only hotel inside Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre.

Food & drink

For eating out on a budget, fish'n'chips is the cheapest option. Riccarton and Upper Riccarton form the city's Asian district, with Church Corner often considered the unofficial Chinatown, home to Chinese supermarkets and all kinds of Asian restaurants, plus many Korean restaurants in the shopping precinct near Westfield Riccarton and branches of the Korean supermarket KOSCO. Perry's Cafe near the Ara Institute serves cafeteria-style food with touches of cafe class and gets crowded at lunchtime, while Welcome in Riccarton does delicious Chinese vegetarian meals, including hotplate and clay pot specials. The Afghan Restaurant in Addington is a rustic spot serving chicken or lamb cooked over an open flame grill with rice and salad, and large portions mean you can take leftovers away.

For self-catering, fruit and vegetable shops sell locally grown fresh produce, often much cheaper than supermarkets. Among the supermarkets, Fresh Choice on Lichfield Street is the most central but also the smallest and not the cheapest, while Pak'n'Save on Moorhouse Avenue is the cheapest chain overall though with a narrower range than Woolworths and New World. Aha Wildlife Bakery inside Riverside Market bakes animal-shaped bread and cookies, and Holy Smoke in Woolston is a deli specialising in food smoked in house over manuka, with smoked salmon well worth the trip. In the mid-range, Addington Coffee Co-Op sells fair trade coffee and clothing in a lively atmosphere, Dux Dine is a pescatarian restaurant with garden seating and its own craft beers, and C1 Espresso on the corner of High and Tuam Streets serves food via pneumatic tube. For a splurge, King of Snake offers Thai and Asian fusion, Strawberry Fare in Merivale serves modern interpreted New Zealand dishes and many desserts, and the Tramway Restaurant lets you have a seasonal dinner in a moving tramcar while sightseeing central Christchurch, with gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, vegan and halal options available. To drink, Merivale's Aikmans is an upscale bistro and bar, No. 4 on Mansfield Avenue is relaxed by day and busy on weekend nights with great wines and Monteiths beers, and The Beer Library on Buchan Street is a family-run bottle shop and tap room with craft beer, wine and small-batch spirits. A short drive or bus ride away, Lyttelton's Wunderbar has a small room for gigs and is popular with artists, with the Monster Bar downstairs next door an excellent yakitori restaurant and bar.

What to see and do

When to go

Christchurch has a temperate climate with four distinct seasons: mild to warm summers, cool winters, and rainfall spread evenly through the year, which makes it the driest of New Zealand's major cities. Summer brings mild to warm days and long evenings, with daylight stretching from around 5:45AM to as late as 9PM. This is also when the hot, strong Nor'wester wind is most pronounced, and it can push temperatures higher than usual.

Autumn is a transitional season: temperatures cool, rain falls evenly across the period, and days shorten as winter approaches, while the Nor'wester becomes less frequent than in summer. Winter is cool with occasional snow — on average one significant snowfall reaches the city every one to three years — and short daylight hours, with sunrises as late as 8AM and sunsets before 5PM, limit time outdoors. Rain falls evenly, as it does year-round. In spring, temperatures warm gradually toward summer, rainfall stays evenly distributed, the Nor'wester begins to pick up again, and daylight lengthens noticeably.

Festivals & events

Three days in Christchurch

Day one: Start in the centre, where Worcester Boulevard leads you along the Avon River towards Christ Church and the site of ChristChurch Cathedral. The city wears its English inheritance openly, and the Garden City name still fits the green stretches that thread through the middle. Aftershocks have left their mark, but the river and the old street pattern give you the shape of the place. Stay close to the centre on your first day and let the scale of Christchurch settle around you.

Day two: Head for the Port Hills and the edge of Banks Peninsula, where the land lifts above the Canterbury Plains and looks out over Pegasus Bay and the Pacific Ocean. The Māori presence in Canterbury is part of this landscape, not a footnote to it. From the hills you can read the whole setting: the plains, the harbour, the Southern Alps standing away to the west. Come back down through Linwood if you want the city at street level rather than from above.

Day three: Give the day to the wider Canterbury Region. Winter can be bitterly cold and snow lies on the Alps, while summer is warm and dry across the plains; either way, the light is clear and the distances are real. Christchurch International Airport puts you within reach of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast, so the city works as a beginning or an end. If your time is short, spend it on the Avon and the hills rather than trying to cover the whole South Island.