The Lagest City in the South

Christchurch is located on the east coast of the south island. It became a city by Royal Charter on July 31, 1856, making it the oldest established city in New Zealand. It is the largest city in the South Island, with a population of around 300000.

Christchurch is famous for natural beauty and a wealth of things to do. Christchurch has a strong cultural heritage lively entertainment scene, gardens and gorgeous parks and lots of sports facilities.

Among the must sees are Christchurch Cathedral, the weekend Arts Centre market, Botanic Gardens and International Antarctic Centre. The Christchurch Art Gallery exhibits New Zealand and international art and Canterbury Museum has the fine cultural and natural collections as well as creative and imaginative displays.

Christchurchs heritage trams are a great way to experience the heritage and charm that makes Christchurch special.

North of the Square and over the River is a small area with many cafes and restaurants. There is a good assortment of styles, flavours and ethnicities.

Punting on Avon River is one of the major attraction in Christchurch. You can hire a punt and tour the Avon River. Each punt is custom built and the boat person will do all the work. All you have to do is enjoy the ride and scenery.

The tramway offers a quality inner city tour experience that combines the heritage of the trams, attractions and historic buildings with the culture of the Garden City. The trams follow a 2.5 kilometre loop around central Christchurch taking in some interesting sites.

The Cathedral Square Market is located in the heart of the city, Cathedral Square. An outdoor market with stalls offering handcrafted and imported goods such as New Zealand jewellery wood ware, sunglasses hand knitting, bone carvings, possum fashions, sheepskins, clothing, healthcare products, t shirts and much more.

Christchurch is centred around an impressive neo gothic Anglican Cathedral located at the heart of the city in Cathedral square. You can tour the Cathedral and, after climbing the 133 steps to the spires belfry, 33 metres above the city, one gains a view over the city. More importantly, perhaps, the square provides a central hub for shopping tourism and public transport. The main tourism information centre is here, and most of Christchurchs attractions can be reached by foot, or failing that, by bus bicycle. Another mode of transport is by tram, which is both transport and an attraction.