Things to do in Christchurch & Canterbury
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Dux de Lux
Closed until further notice.
Quality micro-brewed beers underpin this Christchurch icon. There’s good food too, especially seafood and vegetarian, and live music features at least four nights a week. On weekend afternoons the garden bar is the place to be after exploring the Arts Centre market.
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Arts Centre
The former Canterbury College site (later Canterbury University), with its enclave of Gothic Revival buildings, is now the excellent Arts Centre, where arts and craft outlets share the premises with cinemas, a live theatre, restaurants and cafes. Visit the workshop and gallery of Te Toi Mana for traditional and contemporary Maori carving and design. Visually Maori also showcases interesting Maori art.
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Gondola
The gondola whisks you from the Heathcote Valley terminal to the cafe-restaurant complex on Mt Cavendish (500m) in 10 minutes. Expect great views over Lyttelton Harbour and towards the Southern Alps. Paths lead to the Crater Rim Walkway, or you can gondola up and cycle down. Lyttelton bus 28 travels here. Secure a combo deal (adult/child/family $35/12/80) if you’re planning on also riding the tram.
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Two Fat Indians
Closed until further notice.
Drawing backpackers and locals alike, this polished twin-room eatery lives by the tagline 'The art of pint and curry'. The extensive menu pleases both carnivores and vegetarians, and includes palak kofta (spinach dumplings) and a reliable chicken tikka masala, all with matching beer recommendations.
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Caffe Roma
Closed until further notice.
Often voted Christchurch’s best spot for breakfast, a relaxed attitude at Caffe Roma means goodies such as salmon with hash browns are available until 3.30pm every day.
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Bodhi Tree
Closed until further notice.
Christchurch’s only Burmese restaurant is also one of the city’s best eateries. Don’t come expecting bold flavours from neighbouring Thailand, but look forward to subtle food crafted from exceptionally fresh ingredients. Standout dishes include the le pet thoke (pickled tea leaf salad) and the ciandi thoke (grilled eggplant). Meat and seafood also feature. Dishes are entrée-sized so drum up a group and sample lots of different flavours. Bookings are essential.
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Alpine Springs & Spa
The Alpine Springs & Spa is open all year round with hot pools scattered amid quickly growing native trees. Private pools and saunas ($24 per hour) are also available, and spa packages start at $80. ‘Skate and Soak’ combo deals are available, and there’s a good cafe for coffee and cake, or a snack and something stronger.
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Belgian Beer Café
Closed until further notice.
Are Belgian beer cafés the new Irish pub? They seem to be springing up everywhere, with the cosy wood-heavy interiors, pots of mussels and fabulous array of beers. This is a fine example of the genre, with a suitably old-world exterior and a good-looking beer menu you'd be happy to work through.
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Lotus Heart
Closed until further notice.
This organic, vegetarian eatery does curries, freshly squeezed juices and filled pita pockets. There’s another more central branch above the i-SITE in Cathedral Sq with longer opening hours, which operates as a more spacious restaurant with tasty veg pizzas and casseroles (mains $8 to $16).
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Town Hall
Closed until further notice.
The riverside town hall and its two main spaces (the 2500-seat Auditorium and the 1000-seat James Hay Theatre) are the main venues for local performing arts such as orchestras, choirs and bands. The venue’s acoustics are excellent.
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Sticky Fingers
Closed until further notice.
Carnivores can go crazy here on aged beef fillet, twice-cooked duck or on numerous pizzas and pastas. Follow your main course with 'Love Handles' (kiwi-fruit pavlova with hokey-pokey ice cream) for a slice of sweet kiwiana.
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Untouched World
At the Arts Centre, Untouched World has quality NZ-made clothing. Clothes may be made of ‘mountainsilk’ (machine-washable fine merino wool) or ‘merinomink’ (a blend of merino wool and possum fur).
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Mountain Designs
Closed until further notice.
For camping gear, hiking boots and outdoor equipment, head to Mountain Designs near the intersection of Colombo and Lichfield Sts.
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Ballantynes
Closed until further notice.
Venerable Christchurch department store selling men’s and women’s fashions, cosmetics, travel goods and speciality NZ gifts.
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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 depart daily from the Canterbury Museum, or you can ride around the gardens in the electric ‘Caterpillar’ train. Hop-on, hop-off 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, including videos of life on Scott Base. There’s also an aquarium of creatures gathered under the ice in McMurdo Sound, and an ‘Antarctic Storm’ chamber where you get a first-hand taste of minus 18°C wind chill (check at reception for ‘storm’ forecasts). Admission includes unlimited rides on the Hägglund outdoor adventure course. An optional extra is the Penguin Backstage Pass (adult/child $20/15) taking visitors behind the scenes…
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Black Cat Cruises
The waters around Akaroa are home to the world’s smallest and rarest dolphin, the Hector’s dolphin, found only in NZ waters. If viewing the dolphins on a harbour cruise isn’t enough, Black Cat Cruises can get you swimming alongside the dolphins (assuming it’s not the calving season). Trips operate year-round and carry only 10 swimmers per trip, so book ahead. Wet suits and snorkelling gear are provided, plus hot showers back on dry land. Count on a 2½-hour outing including time in and on the water, and a $50 refund if you don’t get to swim with the dolphins. Cruises have around a 98% success rate in seeing dolphins, and an 81% success rate in actually swimming with …
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Antigua Boatsheds
Dating from 1882, the photogenic green-and-white Antigua Boatsheds rents out various self-propelled vessels for independent Avon River exploration. There’s also an excellent cafe, which is a great spot for brunch or lunch. The boatsheds are the starting point for Punting on the Avon, where someone else does all the work during a half-hour return trip in a flat-bottomed boat. There is another departure point for punting from the landing stage at the Worcester St bridge. A combination ticket (adult/child $30/15) is available that includes the Tramway.
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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 used by a group shipwrecked on Disappointment Island in 1907; and a wide array of stuffed bird life 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 at Discovery (admission $2).
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Orana Wildlife Park
Orana Wildlife Park 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, and Asia is well represented with an array of Sumatran tigers. Guided walks start from the native bird feed at 10.45am and around the African lion enclosure at 2.30pm. The Orana Wildlife Park shuttle departs Cathedral Sq at 10am and 1pm daily.
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Thrillseekers Canyon
Thrillseekers Canyon is the adrenaline centre of Hanmer Springs. Bungy off a 35m-high bridge ($145), jetboat the Waiau Gorge (adult/child $110/59) or go white-water rafting (Grade II to III) down the Waiau River (adult/child $145/75). Other activities include quad-biking (adult/child $99/90). You can book at the Thrillseekers Canyon centre, next to the bridge where the Hanmer Springs turn-off meets SH7. Another booking office (Tel: 03-3157346; 37 Amuri Ave; 10am-6pm) is in town.
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Liquidity
Closed until further notice.
Liquidity’s eclectic and stylish decor mixing chandeliers and warm timber tones combines with a diverse and proudly local menu. Free-range chicken with Israeli couscous and prime Canterbury lamb are a cut above other players on ‘the Strip’. Later at night good cocktails and plenty of European beer on tap fuels Liquidity’s eventual metamorphosis into a bar. Eclectic beats kick off most nights from 10pm. The morning after it’s a good riverside option for brunch ($13 to $20).
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Discovery Tours
Discovery Tours is based in Twizel and operates guided, small-group tours around the Mackenzie Country and Aoraki/Mt Cook, including hiking and helibiking, plus a popular two-hour tour (adult/child $75/40) to the site of the Pelennor battlefield in the Lord of the Rings movies. You can even get to charge around like a mad thing wearing LOTR replica gear. A shorter one-hour LOTR tour (adult/child $30/5) is also available.
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Tree Crop Farm
The quirky Tree Crop Farm is 1.8km off the main road through Akaroa (take Rue Grehan). This private wilderness garden is perfect for wandering on established tracks, relaxing on sheepskin-covered couches on the ramshackle veranda, or flicking through magazines and playing board games. A drink and snack is included in the admission price (try the berry juice). Rustic and romantic accommodation ($200 to $250) and a spa are also available here.
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4-Day Great Southern Island Circle Tour from Christchurch
4 days / 3 nights (Departs Christchurch, New Zealand)
by Viator
Picturesque mountains, deep fiords and icy glaciers - this is New Zealand's South Island. See for yourself on a four-day independent tour highlighting this scen…
Not LP reviewed
