Christchurch: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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Christchurch, Ōtautahi, was founded in 1850 as a planned Anglican settlement, and for over a century called itself the most English city outside England. On 22 February 2011 an earthquake killed 185 people and destroyed much of the centre; most of its buildings were demolished, and the city has been rebuilding ever since. Half a day on foot.

A short history of Christchurch

Christchurch was founded in 1850 by the Canterbury Association, which wanted to build an orderly Anglican community in the southern hemisphere. In 1856 it received city status, the first in New Zealand, and it was built in an English style with a cathedral, the River Avon and broad parks. On 22 February 2011 an earthquake struck it, 185 people were killed and much of the city centre was destroyed, including the cathedral spire. On 15 March 2019 a terrorist murdered 51 worshippers at two mosques in the city. Since then the city has been rebuilding.

The ten best sights in Christchurch

1
Cathedral Square
The heart of the rebuilt city
2
ChristChurch Cathedral
Under reconstruction since the quake
3
Cardboard Cathedral
Shigeru Ban’s temporary church
4
Quake City
The story of the earthquakes
5
Earthquake Memorial
The names on the river wall
6
Avon River
Ōtākaro, through the centre
7
Antigua Boat Sheds
Punting and canoes
8
Botanic Gardens
Free; roses in summer
9
Hagley Park
The great park of the city
10
Canterbury Museum
Closed for redevelopment; check

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Whole routes, with a room up to $80 at every stop.

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What is an audio walk?

Tours in Christchurch →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Christchurch:

Free walking tours in Christchurch

The city after the earthquake

Cathedral Square · The square at the centre of the grid, which was cordoned off as a red zone for more than two years after the 2011 earthquake; around it new buildings now stand among the gaps.
ChristChurch Cathedral · The Anglican cathedral of 1881, whose spire collapsed in the earthquake. For years the city argued whether to demolish or restore it; in 2017 the decision was to rebuild, and the work is still going on behind the hoardings.
Quake City · A museum of the earthquakes of 2010 and 2011, with the fallen spire of the cathedral, the stories of rescuers and survivors, and an explanation of liquefaction, which turned whole suburbs to mud.
New Regent Street · A short street of pastel shops in Spanish Mission style, built in 1932, repaired after the earthquake; the heritage tram runs right down the middle of it.
Cardboard Cathedral · The transitional cathedral, designed by the Japanese architect Shigeru Ban and opened in 2013, built of large cardboard tubes coated against water, with a triangular window of coloured glass.
Earthquake Memorial · A long curved wall of white marble beside the Avon, opened in 2017 and engraved with the names of the 185 who died, among them dozens of foreign students and visitors; across the river is a garden for reflection.

The garden city

Christchurch is called the garden city: a slow river runs through it, and the great park of Hagley lies beside the old university quarter. Half a day on foot or by punt.

Antigua Boat Sheds · Boat sheds built in 1882, from which punts are poled along the Avon by boatmen in Edwardian dress, in the English manner the settlers brought with them.
Botanic Gardens · Founded in 1863 with the planting of an English oak to mark the marriage of the Prince of Wales; the gardens survived the earthquakes almost untouched.
Hagley Park · A park of some one hundred and sixty hectares set aside in the plan of 1850 to remain a public park forever; its oaks and limes were planted by the first generation of settlers.
Arts Centre · The Gothic Revival buildings of the old Canterbury College, where the young Ernest Rutherford studied before he went on to split the atom; his den, where he did his first experiments, can be visited.
Christchurch Art Gallery · A glass building that survived the earthquake and served as the headquarters of the civil emergency response in the weeks after it; it was later lifted onto base isolators.
Riccarton House · The homestead of the Deans brothers, Scottish farmers who settled here in 1843, before the city; beside it they protected a patch of ancient kahikatea forest, which is still standing.

The Port Hills and Lyttelton

South-east of the city the Port Hills, the rim of an extinct volcano, separate Christchurch from its harbour at Lyttelton, where the first settlers landed. Half a day by car or bus; beyond lies the French village of Akaroa.

Christchurch Gondola · A gondola up the crater rim of the old Lyttelton volcano, with the city and the Southern Alps on one side and the harbour on the other.
Lyttelton · The port where the first four ships of the Canterbury settlers landed in 1850; the settlers then climbed the steep Bridle Path over the hills to reach the plain. The epicentre of the 2011 earthquake was close by.
Sumner · The seaside suburb at the foot of the hills, where in the earthquake great boulders rolled down the cliffs into the houses; the beach is the city’s favourite on a summer day.
New Brighton Pier · A concrete pier of some three hundred metres into the Pacific, on a long surf beach, built in 1997 to replace an earlier one of 1894.
International Antarctic Centre · Beside the airport, from which the New Zealand, American and Italian Antarctic programmes fly south; visitors can stand in a room with an Antarctic storm and meet little blue penguins.
Akaroa · On the far side of Banks Peninsula, a village founded by French settlers who arrived in 1840 just after Britain had claimed New Zealand; its streets still have French names, and Hector’s dolphins, the smallest in the world, swim in the harbour.

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Getting to Christchurch and getting around

Christchurch Airport · Also the gateway to Antarctica

Cheap eats in Christchurch

At the counter in Christchurch: the cheese roll, a slice of bread rolled around a cheesy filling and toasted, the snack of the South Island; a mince pie; and the food stalls of the Riverside Market. A cheese roll costs a couple of New Zealand dollars, a pie six to nine.

Riverside Market · The food hall
New Regent Street · Cafés on the tram line
Lyttelton · The Saturday farmers’ market

Museums in Christchurch

The earthquake museum, the art gallery and Rutherford’s college.

Quake City · The earthquakes
Christchurch Art Gallery · New Zealand art
Arts Centre · Rutherford’s den

Holy places in Christchurch

The broken cathedral, the cardboard one, and a synagogue rebuilt after the quake.

Canterbury Hebrew Congregation · The synagogue
Cardboard Cathedral · Shigeru Ban
ChristChurch Cathedral · Being rebuilt

Things to do in Christchurch with kids

With children: a giant playground, an Antarctic storm and kiwi at night.

Margaret Mahy Playground · Named after the children’s author
International Antarctic Centre · The storm room
Willowbank Wildlife Reserve · Kiwi

Nature and day trips near Christchurch

Gardens, an old forest, the crater rim and dolphins.

Botanic Gardens · The gardens
Christchurch Gondola · The crater rim
Akaroa · Hector’s dolphins

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Frequently asked questions about Christchurch

What is there to see in Christchurch?

The top sights in Christchurch are Cathedral Square, ChristChurch Cathedral and Cardboard Cathedral. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Christchurch?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Christchurch without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Christchurch?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Christchurch, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The city after the earthquake.

How do you get to Christchurch and get around?

The main ways are Christchurch Airport. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Christchurch, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Christchurch that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

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