Things to Do in Christchurch, New Zealand

Christchurch Botanic Gardens

The Christchurch Botanic Gardens sit beside the Avon River within Hagley Park as the city’s most concentrated planted displays. The layout leads visitors through themed spaces: formal bedding and the central Rose Garden, the shaded Woodland Garden, and a conservatory complex that houses succulents and tropical orchids.

Clear paths, lawns and riverbank bridges make for easy self-guided walks, with memorial features such as the Bandsmen’s Memorial Rotunda and the New Zealand World Peace Bell.

Interpretive panels, a Visitor Centre exhibition and regular guided walks explain plant collections, conservation projects and seasonal highlights, and wide, mostly level paths suit families and many mobility aids.

Official Christchurch Botanic Gardens website →

Hagley Park

Hagley Park is Christchurch’s large central green space, divided by Riccarton Avenue into North and South sections and providing expansive lawns, mature woodlands, sports fields and riverside paths along the Avon.

The park’s scale creates a sense of escape from surrounding streets and makes it popular for long walks, informal sport, cycling and large public gatherings. Typical visitor routes follow riverside promenades or looped trails that pass Pilgrim’s Well, specimen trees and the boundary with the Botanic Gardens.

Marked walking and cycling paths, sports precincts and mapped trails let visitors choose short family-friendly circuits or longer runs, but check for event closures or conservation work when planning organised activities.

Official Hagley Park website →

Canterbury Museum

Canterbury Museum sits beside the Botanic Gardens and Hagley Park and presents regional natural history, Māori and Pacific taonga, and social history accessible to families and researchers. Themed galleries trace Māori connections to whenua, nineteenth‑century settlement and Antarctic exploration, supported by archival photographs, specimen collections and rotating special exhibitions.

Highlights often include Māori tāonga, Antarctic/Scottish exploration material and geology displays that explain the South Island landscape. The museum links easily with a Botanic Gardens visit and supports learning through object-led programmes, specimen handling sessions and digitised resources—check the museum’s information for temporary exhibition locations or group‑visit details.

Official Canterbury Museum website →

Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū

Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū is the city’s principal public gallery, sited where Worcester Boulevard meets Montreal Street in the cultural precinct. The glass‑fronted building contains multiple exhibition rooms, a reference library, education studios and a shop.

It holds a major public collection of Aotearoa New Zealand art alongside international works and stages curated temporary exhibitions that foreground Māori and Pacific artists as well as other voices. The gallery emphasises learning through guided tours, family programmes and talks; facilities include lift access, accessible toilets, a parenting room and a café.

Because exhibitions rotate, consult the gallery’s official information when planning visits.

Official Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū website →

ChristChurch Transitional (Cardboard) Cathedral

The ChristChurch Transitional Cathedral, commonly called the Cardboard Cathedral, is an Anglican pro‑cathedral in Latimer Square and a symbol of post‑earthquake recovery. The interior is formed from large cardboard tubes, timber framing and translucent panels that create a quiet, contemplative atmosphere while echoing the vertical proportions of the original stone cathedral.

It functions as a working church with services, concerts and civic events; interpretive material and volunteer guides explain the building’s engineering choices and the cathedral’s earthquake context. The space welcomes drop‑in visitors for reflection, but check official communications for any visitor restrictions, special services or access notes.

Official ChristChurch Transitional (Cardboard) Cathedral website →

International Antarctic Centre

The International Antarctic Centre beside Christchurch Airport is an experiential centre interpreting Antarctica’s environment, exploration history and logistics through immersive exhibits and live demonstrations. Key features include a cooled Storm Experience that simulates polar conditions, displays about Antarctic science and logistics, a small gentoo penguin exhibit and vehicle rides in replica Hägglunds.

Interactive galleries and outdoor demonstration areas explain how Antarctic stations operate and how Christchurch supports international programmes. Convenient to the airport, the centre has on‑site parking and visitor facilities; because demonstrations and animal schedules can change, consult the centre’s official information when arranging timed activities or group visits.

Official International Antarctic Centre website →

Christchurch Gondola (Port Hills)

The Christchurch Gondola lifts visitors from Heathcote Valley up onto the Port Hills for 360‑degree views over the city, Lyttelton Harbour, Banks Peninsula and the Southern Alps.

The summit precinct offers short interpretive walks, viewpoints and a café, with trails that lead to named ridgelines such as Mount Cavendish and historic bridle paths for longer hill walks. Interpretation explains volcanic geology, Māori place names and the Port Hills’ earthquake history.

Enclosed cabins suit all‑weather trips and families; the ride itself takes only a few minutes but pairs well with summit photography and walking. Check visibility and trail conditions before travel.

Official Christchurch Gondola (Port Hills) website →

Willowbank Wildlife Reserve

Willowbank Wildlife Reserve is a compact conservation‑focused park near Christchurch Airport that showcases New Zealand’s native fauna alongside select exotic species. The reserve is arranged into themed precincts—from farmyard encounters to a native‑biodiversity sector where visitors can see takahe, tuatara, kaka and kea—and features a nocturnal kiwi house designed for low‑light observation.

Keeper‑led feedings and talks illustrate animal behaviour and conservation challenges, while close‑encounter programmes offer behind‑the‑scenes access under staff supervision. The site runs education programmes and partners on regional species recovery; allow two to three hours for a visit including talks and encounters, and check the reserve’s information for booking specific experiences.

Official Willowbank Wildlife Reserve website →

Quake City

Quake City is a purpose‑built exhibition in central Christchurch that interprets the 2010–2011 Canterbury earthquakes through rescued artefacts, first‑person testimony and hands‑on displays. The gallery combines fragments of demolished buildings and structural pieces with filmed interviews and community‑sourced material to anchor personal stories to wider seismic events.

Interactive elements—such as a liquefaction simulator and a simple seismograph—explain soil behaviour under stress, while family‑friendly stations and captioned films make complex geology accessible. The exhibition also highlights recovery and civic creativity, and it provides school programmes and group learning options that connect science, social history and preparedness.

Official Quake City website →