Visitors can see a different aspect of Christchurch from a punt on the slow River Avon. Punts can be hired at the visitor center or at the old Antigua Boatsheds in Cambridge Terrace.
Cathedral Square has long been the main hub of the city, and home to the famous Christchurch Cathedral and other impressive late 19th and early 20th C buildings.
The Cathedral was closed after the Canterbury earthquake on September 4th, 2010. The Christchurch earthquake in February 2011 caused the two bell towers to collapse at the front of the building and destabilised the dome. Part of the building is to be demolished while the Cathedral's future is decided.
The Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament is the finest neo-Renaissance church in New Zealand. The cathedral (1901-05), with a high dome over the crossing, was designed by FW Petre and was much admired by George Bernard Shaw.
The Town Hall remains closed after significant damage from the earthquake on February 22, 2011.
Northeast of the Provincial Council Buildings, in Victoria Square, is the eye-catching modern town hall (1972). This attractive and imposing building was designed by the Christchurch architects Warren and Mahoney. Within the complex are an auditorium seating 2000 and a restaurant.
The Ferrier Fountain at the Town Hall in Christchurch.
Christ's College, to the north of the Canterbury Museum, was established soon after the foundation of Christchurch as a boys' secondary school in the tradition of the British grammar school. The earliest buildings date from 1857. The Big School (1863), designed by Superintendent FitzGerald, is the oldest school building still in use in New Zealand. The New Classrooms (1886) were designed by Benjamin Mountfort, the Dining Hall on the street front, the Hare Library with the clock and Jacob's House (1915-25) by Cecil Wood.
Address: Christ's College, Rolleston Avenue, Christchurch, Canterbury , New Zealand
Christchurch Club remains closed after significant damage from the earthquake on February 22, 2011. The Clubhouse is operating on an interim basis from Huntley Lodge, 67 Yaldhurst Road, Upper Riccarton, Christchurch.
In Latimer Square, to the east of the cathedral, is the Christchurch Club (by Benjamin Mountfort, 1861), an imposing wooden building in Italian Renaissance style. This was the meeting place of the wool barons and owners of the great sheep farms. The writer Samuel Butler was also a member, though he complained that his fellow-members could talk of nothing but money and sheep.
The Christchurch Gondola takes passengers 500 metres above sea level. From the top there is a 360° view over Pegasus Bay and the Pacific Ocean to Kaikoura and across the Canterbury Plains to the Southern Alps.
Christchurch International Airport is located 12 km (7.2 miles) from the city center. It is the primary airport on the South Island, offering a range of domestic and international flights.
Address: Christchurch International Airport Ltd, Box 14-001, Christchurch, Canterbury , New Zealand
The statue fell from its place of honour during the February 2011 earthquake and the legs were broken off.
Opposite the visitor center is a memorial honoring Robert Falcon Scott, who set out from Christchurch in 1912 on the expedition that took him to the South Pole after Roald Amundsen, and to his death on the return journey. The memorial, erected in 1917, was the work of his widow Kathleen (Lady Kennett), a sculptor.
To the west of the cathedral, is the church of St Michael and All Angels (by WF Crisp, 1872), the oldest surviving Anglican wooden church. It has a beautiful interior and fine stained glass. The free-standing bell tower (1861) was designed by Benjamin Mountfort.
The 1872 Bevington three-manual pipe organ was damaged during the February 2011 earthquake. It was removed for repairs and renovation.
Address: St Michael and All Angels, 84 Oxford Terrace, Christchurch, Canterbury 8001, New Zealand
Theatre Royal remains closed after significant damage from the earthquake on February 22, 2011 and its subsequent aftershocks.
The Edwardian-style Theatre Royal in nearby Gloucester Street was built in 1908 to the design of the Luttrell brothers. It has a very handsome auditorium.
Northwest of the Town Hall is a clock tower that was originally intended for the Provincial Council Buildings but turned out to be too heavy for their roof. It was moved to its present site on a massive stone plinth in 1930.
Beyond the visitor center is the Women's Memorial, the city's newest bronze memorial, erected in 1993 on the 100th anniversary of the confirmation of women's right to vote.
From the end of Tunnel Road the Mount Cavendish Gondola, a cableway, runs up to the summit of Mount Cavendish, on which there are viewing terraces and a restaurant. There are breathtaking panoramas of the city, the coast and the wide plain extending to the Southern Alps.
To the southwest of Christchurch, on the old Wigram airfield (9km west of the city center), is the Museum of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, with a number of old military aircraft, aeronautical apparatus and flying equipment. There are also showings of war films.
Address: Air Force Museum, 45 Harvard Avenue, Christchurch, Canterbury , New Zealand
Hours:
10am-5pm
Always closed on: Christmas - Christian (December 25)
At Mount Pleasant is Ferrymead Historic Park, an open-air museum with a reconstruction of a pioneer settlement, an old tram and a stretch of old railroad line on which the first train in New Zealand ran in 1863.
Address: Ferrymead Heritage Park, Ferrymead Park Drive, Christchurch, Canterbury 8002, New Zealand
Hours:
10am-4:30pm
Always closed on: Christmas - Christian (December 25)
Tips: Admission is more on weekends when the tram is running.
The International Antarctic Centre offers a fun, exciting and hands-on experience for the whole family to enjoy. Exhibits include the indoor Snow & Ice Experience, New Zealand's first combined indoor/outdoor penguin viewing area, known as the Penguin Encounter, featuring Little Blue penguins as well as an outdoor adventure ride in the Hagglund, a genuine Antarctic all-terrain vehicle.
Address: International Antarctic Centre, 38 Orchard Road, Christchurch, Canterbury , New Zealand
Hours:
May 1 to September 30: 9am-5:30pm
October 1 to April 30: 9am-7pm
Always opened on: Christmas - Christian (December 25)
Tips: Hagglund Ride Only (unlimited all day rides) $20.00
Penguin Backstage Pass (Optional Extra)
Adult $20.00 Child (5-15 years) $15.00
The house (1907) in the Cashmere district once occupied by Ngaio Marsh, the well-known author of detective stories, actress and theater director, is now a museum.
Address: Ngaio Marsh House, 37 Valley Road, Christchurch, Canterbury , New Zealand
Near the airport is the Orana Park Wildlife Reserve, Christchurch's zoo, with open-air enclosures reproducing natural conditions and a much-visited nocturnal house for kiwis.
Address: Orana Wildlife Park, Box 5130, Papanui, Canterbury , New Zealand
Hours:
10am-5pm
Always closed on: Christmas - Christian (December 25)
Queen Elizabeth II Park is a large park to the northeast of the city with facilities for various sports was laid out for the 1974 Commonwealth Games. Particular attractions are the giant water slide and a large maze.
The stadium remains closed after significant damage from the earthquake on February 22, 2011 and will be demolished.
Some distance west of Hagley Park is Riccarton House (1856), the former residence of the Dean family, in a park that has been left in its natural state. The family was settled here before the arrival of the Canterbury pilgrims. The little cottage that they built in 1843 is open to the public as a museum.
In the Cashmere district is the Sign of Takahe. This house, with the aspect of a small castle, was built for Harry Ell, a local politician who was active in the campaign for the preservation of the Port Hills between Christchurch and Lyttleton. Only half-finished when he died in 1934, it was completed by the city in 1949 and is now a restaurant. From the hills there are fine views.
Address: Sign of Takahe, 200 Hackthorne Road Cashmere, Christchurch, Canterbury , New Zealand
Beyond the airport is Tiptree Cottage (1864), a three-story building of wood and cob (a mixture of clay and chopped straw) that is open to the public as a museum.