Christchurch Travel Guide

I was rather taken with this cone - I think they call it the Chalice - and was surprised to see it there in the Square still in March 2015. I hadn't expected it to survive the quake (maybe it's been restored - great to see it again)

The Gondola had been closed after the earthquake on 22 February 2011 - not because of structural damage but because of flooding at the summit station. Now everything is ok again, some pillars have been made safe in order to avoid potential rockfall damage. Grand re-opening on 25 March 2013!!! Get up there as you will not get anywhere near the place...

The Snow Storm room at the International Antarctic Centre is a well sealed safe environment with real snow. The temperature is set at -4C but at pre-determined times during the day a 'storm' occurs with thunder and lightning and 40kph winds, dropping the temperature to -18C. Visitors are provided with a warm jacket and overshoes. A great...

Update 21 November 2012 The Dux de Lux is back - somehow: It is now the Dux Dine (because the name Dux de Luxe will be kept for the hoped-for re-opening of the legendary place at its original site at the Arts Centre) and located at 28 Riccarton Road. As at the original Dux you will also get a good selection of vegetarian food and fresh seafood....

Le Bon Bolli is virually two restaurants in one. Downstairs the atmosphere is more relaxed and casual with upstairs being the place of a more formal dining experience with service and prices to match. The menus are quite different with the downstairs brasserie not having the extensive choice. This restaurant isn't a place to go for a cheaper meal...

Heading into Poplar lane for a drink one evening, we entered Bismarck and instantly felt the cold atmpsphere. The owner, Hagen, was yelling and having a go at a waitress, which instantly brought the mood down. Secondly, after making our orders, he enquired where we were from. When we responded Serbia and Russia (for our two respective groups of...

Although New Zealand has a gambling problem, and we must hear and read every now and then how horrible it is to go to a casino, I quite like the Christchurch Casino. For those who are no gambling addicts it is ok to go there, and it is much more than gambling. In fact we mostly go there not for gambling at all but for lunch and dinner. They have...

Not much about it really, but THE square in town. The cathedral is beautiful and well worth a visit. At night, even in mid-winter, when this picture was taken, there's lots of people out there. Souvenir shops, Internet cafes, Starbucks, the Visitor's Centre, restaurants...well, I guess, it simply is THE place to start your tour of Christchurch....

This is a Night Club in Christchurch, The beats are awesome, The people and dancing is wicked, it makes for a pretty great night out. With 'The Strip' & Boulivard just down the road, close to central town (in it) & with the rest of the clubs right down the street, you have your pick of them! Decent dress Formal No gang patches etc

Rent a car is highly recommended in New Zealand, especially the South Island. Hertz and Europcar are the 2 market leaders. With Hertz, for the automatic compact group, usually they give you a Toyota Corolla which looks fancy, but in terms of driving experience and technologies, especially South Island has a lot of hilly and challenging roads,...

- If you want to start or end your NZ trip in Christchurch, or both, the most comfortable way of getting here is by chosing an airline that flies directly to Christchurch, and not via Auckland, check out the luggage, check it in again, and then walk or shuttle from the International Airport to the Domestic Airport. Immigration procedures in...

On 25 October the two temporary bus exchanges will merge into one single central bus exchange which will make connecting bus journeys easier and quicker. The new exchange will not be on the same site as the old one that is still in the 'red zone' the area closed after the quake. NEW: The new exchange will be at 52 Lingfield street and buses will...

This is Christchurch’s and – nearly logical – the South Island’s biggest shopping mall. You have a choice of 150 shops, and especially if you are looking for shoes this is the place to go. Sometimes I have the impression every second shop is for shoes – and I still do not find what I want LOL There are also some nice clothes and homeware stores,...

UPDATE - unfortunately this has been closed since the February 2011 earthquakes. Located in the back of the Art Center building, the Fudge Cottage is a small yet fully stocked sweets outlet. Regardless if you call them candies, sweets or lollies, the Fudge Cottage will have something for you. The ladies were quite nice to explain some of the...

The Malls around Christchurch are some of the best places to go looking for most of the items you need. You can get around them quite easily via the Orbiter Bus which has its route going past Northlands, The Palms, Eastgate, Westgate (Riccarton) and Barrington Malls plus the Bush Inn centre. Anything and everything

This old english method of having a bloke yelling the news pre newspaper days was trialled a few years ago as a tourism stunt - and it stuck. The Town Crier of Christchurch screams a few items of interest using a very random schedule. When he isn't doing the yelling thing he wanders about the Cathedral Square to chat with visitors and provide a few...

The New Zealand dollar has depreciated in value over the last few years. It now lies around $1NZ=$0.49US good for all of you wanting to travel to NZ but bad for us kiwi's!! The notes were changed over 10 years ago to depict famous kiwi faces instead of the queen. She has been retained only on the $20 bill and on the back of the coins. There are...

The South Island is cooler than the North Island by a few degrees but on the whole NZ is known for its clean air. Average temps in winter (July) 1C – 12C Average temps in summer (January) 12C – 21C Annual Mean Maximum 32C Annual Mean Minimum –4C

Departure Charge for International Flights You no longer need to pay a a separate departure charge at Christchurch Airport. NZ$12.50 will be applied to each international arrival and departure as part of the airfare costs. Refunds If you believe you have paid more than NZ$25 for your return trip, or NZ$12.50 each way, then you can request a...

although a visually stunning city, christchurch is quite dangerous at night. I lived there for four years, and got regularly hassled by groups of drunk young guys (15-20). the most dangerous areas at night are at the sydenham (pronounced sid-nam) end of colombo st (most cars parked there overnight get damaged, if not all), in and around the city...

Christchurch lies on a river plain and most of the time in winter it's not that windy, so the smog settles pretty quickly. Add to that all the fireplaces and woodburners in people's homes than you have a recipe for bad air. It's supposed to have been worse 10-20 years back, but I think it's still bad. So bad that when I went to Wellington on a...

...almost good enough to be under 'attractions'...but to me, not quite.. Address: www.willowbank.co.nz/ 60 Hussey Road, Christchurch We wanted to see at least 1 wildlife Park during our 9 day stay in New Zealand, and by half way through the trip we hadn't seen really any birds in the wild at all, which was disappointing, so we resorted to going to...

The other day when we went to the Maori show at the Willowbank, Christchurch's fabulous wildlife park, I got aware that KoTane, the show group, now have invented a new source of income. You are no more allowed to take your own pictures or video recordings of the song and dance show. Instead, you can have your photo with the group taken by a...

At the end of April 2007 the Tamaki Maori Village has been opened in Ferrymead, next to the Ferrymead Heritage Park. As it has taken four years and 5 million dollar (11 instead of 6) more than expected the Tamaki brothers who also run the Maori village in Rotorua obviously think NZ tourists should pay for the bad planning and extra expenses. They...

Make sure you bring plenty of warm clothing in our colder months of May through September. These months tend to be wetter than usual and often include a cold southerly wind which will make the temperature feel even colder. Given that it is likely to get wet make sure you have a good rain coat. Nothing out of the normal is needed for winter. If you...

Make sure you bring plenty of warm clothing in our colder months of May through September. These months tend to be wetter than usual and often include a cold southerly wind which will make the temperature feel even colder. Given that it is likely to get wet make sure you have a good rain coat. Nothing out of the normal is needed for winter. If...

Most likely, Christchurch is not going to be your only destination on this trip, so make sure you pack your bags to be easily transportable for you. In August, it was definitely cold, but not freezing. I was perfectly fine with a rugby jersey and an undershirt. My wife went with a fleece coat, but was not too cold. I would recommend bringing a...

Gethsemane Gardens If you would like to visit a wildly romantic garden with a Christian theme, then this is it! St. Cecilia Chapel is an enchanting little trellis structure in the heart of Gethsemane Gardens. High on a hill and close to heaven, the chapel overlooks the Pacific Ocean. Romantic pathways lead you through the gardens, which have a...

Akaroa was orginally set up by the French in their attempt to claim the local area for King & country. While the original 63 French settlers were at sea, sailing towards what they believed was a small piece of France in the South Pacific NZ Governor William Hobson despatched Capt Stanley, on "HMS Britomart", with an English flag. Soon after...

New Zealand's most famous sheep stealer, James McKenzie owned a dog named Friday. Both the Mackenzie County and the pass are named after him. McKenzie was apprehended at the Mackenzie Pass by an overseer for the Rhodes Brothers at Levels Station. His dog Friday drove approximately one thousand sheep towards Burkes Pass in 1855 from Levels Station....

I do not do paragliding but visiting friends of mine have enjoyed it very much in the Port Hills. Along the Summit Road there are several fine spots for the start, one at Castle Rock which is a very prominent rock not too far from Bridle Path, and the other one over Taylor's Mistake further out towards Godley Head. There are several companies that...

Rugby is the big team sport which is played in Jade Stadium in winter, and the Crusaders are probably the best club/regional team in the world. They have been the champions of the Super12 and Super14 series which is the league for the best professional rugby teams of New Zealand, Australia and South Africa - well... until their dreadful semi-final...

If the Black Caps - the national team - do not play the ninetieth test against Sri Lanka or whichever team in AMI Stadium (formerly: Jade Stadium) cricket takes place in other locations and all summer. The Canterbury team - the Wizards - play in the State Championship (State Shield), the games take place either on the Oval in South Hagley Park or...

The tram is running again (it's a tourist tram with a defined circuit that you can hop on and hop off) and the tram stop on Cathedral Square has been restored. Nice to see the tram making its bright way around the city.

- This impressive stately building with its classical ornamentation is located right behind Christchurch Cathedral, and opposite the Press buidling and Cathedral Junction. It was designed in 1909 (and built from 1911 to 1913) to accommodate many of the Government Departments in Christchurch. It was used for this purpose for 70 years. Although it...

The bridge of Remebrance is just that, a momument to all soldiers who went to war in the various theatres of war last centuary. This includes both World Wars won by the British with the help of our little island nation and our close neighbours, Australia. No matter what goes on in our world, the stupidity of some nations continues to confound...