Christchurch & Canterbury
Straddling the Southern Alps, known to Māori as Ka Tiritiri o Te Moana (Steep Peak of Glistening White), this vast alpine wilderness became the South…
Must-see attractions in Christchurch & Canterbury
Christchurch
Strolling through these 30 blissful riverside hectares of arboreal and floral splendour is a consummate Christchurch experience. Gorgeous at any time of…
Christchurch
Damaged in the earthquakes, Christchurch's fantastic art gallery has reopened brighter and bolder, presenting a stimulating mix of local and international…
Christchurch
A must-visit for anyone interested in understanding the impact of the Canterbury earthquakes, this compact museum tells stories through photography, video…
Banks Peninsula
An ongoing labour of love by local artist Josie Martin, this whimsical garden is really one giant artwork, a combination of sculpture and mosaics that…
Timaru
One of the South Island’s largest public galleries, this 1908 mansion houses a notable collection of NZ and European art across various eras, alongside…
Christchurch & Canterbury
It's fitting that Waipara Valley's premier winery should have the loveliest setting and one of Canterbury's best restaurants (mains $36 to $43). Verdant…
Banks Peninsula
An arduous post-quake revamp has rewarded Akaroa with a smart, contemporary regional museum. Learn about the various phases of the peninsula's settlement,…
Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park Visitor Centre
Christchurch & Canterbury
Arguably the best DOC visitor centre in NZ. It not only dispatches all necessary information and advice on hiking routes and weather conditions, it also…
Christchurch
Dating from 1877, this enclave of Gothic Revival buildings was originally Canterbury College, the forerunner of Canterbury University. The buildings are…
Christchurch
Yes, there's a mummy and dinosaur bones, but the highlights of this museum are more local and more recent. The Māori galleries contain some beautiful…
Okains Bay Māori & Colonial Museum
Banks Peninsula
Northeast of Akaroa, this museum has a respectable array of European pioneer artefacts, but it is the nationally significant Māori collection, featuring a…
Christchurch & Canterbury
Located within Lewis Pass Scenic Reserve, Marble Hill is home to one of NZ's most beautiful DOC camping grounds – a row of sites tucked into beech forest,…
Christchurch
Historic Riccarton House (1856) sits proudly amid 12 hectares of pretty parkland and forest beside the Avon River. The grounds host the popular…
Timaru
Fronting the town, this expansive park ranges over an Edwardian-style garden under the Bay Hill cliff, then across broad lawns to low sand dunes and the…
Christchurch & Canterbury
Near Broken River Bridge, 2km northeast of Castle Hill, you'll find this 594m-long cave. As indicated by the information panels in the car park, the walk…
Te Papa Ōtākaro/Avon River Precinct
Christchurch
One of the city's key post-earthquake redevelopment projects is reinvigorating the area around the Avon (Ōtākaro) River. Running along the river as a self…
Timaru
Roman Catholic with a definite emphasis on the Roman, this beautiful neoclassical church (1911) impresses with multiple domes, Ionian columns and richly…
Christchurch & Canterbury
The picture window behind the altar of this pretty stone church (built in 1935) gives worshippers a distractingly divine view of the lake and mountains;…
Christchurch
Take a ride to the top of Mt Cavendish (500m) on this 862m cable car for wonderful views over the city, Lyttelton, Banks Peninsula and the Canterbury…
Christchurch
Wrapped around the Botanic Gardens, Hagley Park is Christchurch's biggest green space, stretching for 165 hectares. Riccarton Ave splits it in two, while…
Christchurch
Orana is an 'open range' zoo, and you'll know exactly what that means if you opt to jump in the cage on wheels for the lion encounter ($52.50 per person)…
Canterbury Earthquake National Memorial
Christchurch
Unveiled in 2017, this moving monument comprises a 100m-long memorial wall, curved along the south bank of the Avon and engraved with the names of the 185…
Christchurch & Canterbury
Scattered across lush paddocks around 33km from Springfield, these limestone formations reach up to 30m high, and look so other-worldly they were named …
Christchurch & Canterbury
Perched on a hillside overlooking the valley, this striking black barn is home to some excellent drops – try the pinot noirs from the winery's three…
Christchurch & Canterbury
The variety of craft beers available to taste at this wee brewery never wanes. Stop in to fill a rigger (flagon) to take away, or sup an ale alongside a…
Christchurch
Universally known as the Cardboard Cathedral due to the 98 cardboard tubes used in its construction, this interesting structure serves as both the city's…
Christchurch
Willowbank focuses on native NZ critters (including kiwi), heritage farmyard animals and hands-on enclosures with wallabies, deer and lemurs. There's also…
Timaru
Established in 1864, these gardens are a restful place to while away an hour or two, with a pond, lush lawns, shady trees, a playground and vibrant floral…
Banks Peninsula
Get a glimpse of what the peninsula once looked like with a stroll through this privately owned 1250-hectare nature reserve, which has been replanted with…
Christchurch & Canterbury
Sitting in a pretty glade right next to the general store, this gorgeous little Anglican church (1885) has a warm wooden interior and some interesting…
Timaru
Rose aficionados should visit the Trevor Griffiths Rose Garden, where almost 1200 romantic blooms are set around arbours and water features. The finest…
Timaru
Passionate Ngāi Tahu guides bring this innovative multimedia exhibition about Māori rock paintings to life. You can also take a three-hour excursion …
Christchurch & Canterbury
Opened in 2019, the Ngāi Tahu Lake Pukaki Centre presents the historical, geological and Māori cultural background of the lake and the region. Don't miss…
Christchurch & Canterbury
At 27km long and up to 4km wide, the Tasman is the largest of NZ's glaciers, but it's melting fast, losing hundreds of metres of length each year. It is…
Christchurch
Christchurch's city square stands at the heart of the rebuilding efforts, with the remains of ChristChurch Cathedral emblematic of what has been lost. The…
International Antarctic Centre
Christchurch
As one of only five 'gateway cities' to Antarctica, Christchurch has played a special role in Antarctic exploration since expeditionary ships to the icy…
Christchurch & Canterbury
Just off the highway, this mountainous area becomes a mecca for ski bunnies from June to October, with several fields in its midst, including Broken River…
Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre
Christchurch & Canterbury
This multimedia museum opened just three weeks before the 2008 death of the man regarded by many as the greatest New Zealander of all time, explorer and…
Christchurch
Canterbury College's most famous alumnus was the father of nuclear physics, Lord Ernest Rutherford, the NZ physicist who first split the atom in 1917 …
