Sights in Christchurch
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Arts Centre
This precinct is currently closed, pending strengthening and repairs estimated to cost $240 million. An enclave of Gothic Revival buildings (built from 1877), it was the original site of Canterbury College, which later became Canterbury University. One graduate of the college was Sir Ernest Rutherford, the NZ-born physicist who first split the atom in 1917. Before the earthquakes, the Arts Centre was a popular cultural precinct comprising artists' studios and galleries, weekend craft markets, restaurants and cinemas. One business still operating from a modern building within the Arts Centre is the excellent Canterbury Cheesemongers.
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Gondola
At the time of writing, this attraction was closed but was planned to reopen by September 2012. Check the website for the latest information.
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Botanic Gardens
The Botanic Gardens comprise 30 riverside hectares planted with 10,000-plus specimens of indigenous and introduced plants. There are conservatories and thematic gardens to explore, lawns to sprawl on, and a cafe at the Botanic Gardens visitors centre. Get the kids active in the playground adjacent to the cafe. Guided walks ($10) depart daily at 1.30pm (September to April) from the Canterbury Museum, or you can ride around the gardens in the electric Caterpillar train. Tickets are valid for two days and include a commentary.
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International Antarctic Centre
The International Antarctic Centre is part of a huge complex built for the administration of the NZ, US and Italian Antarctic programs. See penguins and learn about the icy continent via historical, geological and zoological exhibits. There’s also an aquarium of creatures gathered under the ice in McMurdo Sound. Other attractions include a '4D' theatrette – a 3D film plus moving seats and a watery spray – and the Antarctic Storm chamber, where you can get a first-hand taste of -18°C wind chill. An Extreme Pass (adult/child/family $65/35/165) includes unlimited rides on the Hägglund outdoor adventure course. An optional extra is the Penguin Backstage Pass…
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Canterbury Museum
The absorbing Canterbury Museum has a wonderful collection of items of significance to NZ. Highlights include the Maori gallery, with some stunning pounamu (greenstone) pieces on display; the coracle in the Antarctic Hall that was used by a group shipwrecked on Disappointment Island in 1907; and a wide array of stuffed birds from the Pacific and beyond: don’t miss the statuesque Emperor penguin. Guided tours (donations appreciated) run from 3.30pm to 4.30pm on Tuesday and Thursday. Kids will enjoy the interactive displays in the Discovery Centre (admission $2). Don't miss the gloriously kitsch Kiwiana of Fred & Myrtle's Paua Shell House.
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Orana Wildlife Park
Orana has an excellent, walk-through native-bird aviary, a nocturnal kiwi house, and a reptile exhibit featuring the wrinkly tuatara. Most of the grounds are devoted to Africana, including lions, rhinos, giraffes, zebras, lemurs, oryx and cheetahs. Guided walks start at 10.40am daily, taking in feeding time for the Sumatra tigers; the 2.30pm departure visits the lion enclosure. Check the website for feeding times and other optional Orana experiences for more personal interactions with some of the animals. Phone [%]03-379 1699 for shuttle transport to Orana.
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Christchurch Art Gallery
Set in an eye-catching metal-and-glass construction built in 2003, the city’s art gallery – closed at the time of writing, with a definite reopening being planned – has an engrossing permanent collection divided into historical, 20th-century and contemporary galleries, plus temporary exhibitions featuring NZ artists. Before the gallery closed following the the earthquakes, free guided tours were offered at 11am Monday to Sunday, plus 2pm Saturday and Sunday and 7.15pm Wednesday. Check the website for the latest information about gallery reopenings. The gallery's shop is currently open.
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Mona Vale
Closed until further notice
This is a charming Elizabethan-style homestead on 5.5 hectares of landscaped gardens, ponds and fountains. Dine in the cafe inside the riverside homestead, wander the gorgeous grounds, or take a half-hour Avon River punt. Tasty picnic hampers (per couple $27 to $65) need to be ordered by noon the day prior. Mona Vale is just north-west of Hagley Park by bus 9.
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Science Alive!
Closed until further notice
Inside the city’s old train station, Science Alive! is crammed with ever-changing interactive exhibits, from optical illusions to things that children can push, pull and climb. Kids will love the climbing wall and NZ’s highest vertical slide. If the sprogs get bored with reality, movie make-believe is right next door.
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Southern Encounter Aquarium & Kiwi House
Southern Encounter Aquarium & Kiwi House, is beside the i-SITE and has eels, seahorses, turtles and other marine life with specific feeding times. Don’t expect too much from the kiwi enclosure, as the endangered birds are hypersensitive to sound and light.
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Metro Gold Cinema
The Metro Gold Cinema is closed until further notice.
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Willowbank Wildlife Reserve
About 6km north of the city, Willowbank focuses on native NZ animals and hands-on enclosures with alpacas, wallabies and deer. Tours are held several times a day, and the after-dark tours are a good opportunity to see a kiwi. Phone [%]03-359 6226 or ask at the Christchurch i-SITE about free shuttle transport to Willowbank.
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Tramway
Prior to the February 2011 earthquake, historic trams operated on a 2.5km inner-city loop, taking in local attractions and shopping areas. At the time of writing the tramway was not operating because the city's CBD was closed. Check the website for an update.
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Tamaki Maori Village
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Sign of the Takahe
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Pioneer Women's Memorial
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Cave Rock
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Cathedral Square
Christchurch's historic hub is Cathedral Square. At the time of writing the square was in the heart of the city's cordoned-off CBD (Central Business District), but was planned to be re-opened sometime from mid-2012. See the CBD Red Zone Cordon Map (www.cera.govt.nz) for the latest information.
At the centre of the square is ChristChurch Cathedral, originally constructed in 1881, and a much-loved icon of the city. The February 2011 earthquake caused devastating damage, bringing down the Gothic church's 63m-high spire and leaving only the bottom half of the tower remaining. It was feared up to 20 people had been in the spire when it collapsed, but it was later found that no…
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Ko Tane
Ko Tane at Willowbank Wildlife Reserve features traditional dancing, a wildlife tour and buffet dinner. You could forego the wildlife tour and/or dinner for a cheaper night out – the performance is $48/24 per adult/child. Another option is to incorporate a paddle in a traditional waka (Maori canoe) with Katoro Waka Heritage Tours, also based at Willowbank.
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