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Christchurch Art Gallery

Spectacular $47-million facility opened in 2003, the largest in the South Island, with over 5000 items and visiting exhibitions. The gallery reopened in Dec 2015, after 5 years of being a Civil Defence Centre and then repairs. You can store your suitcase at the reception, so it is a nice place to go in the morning if you are leaving in the afternoon.

museum

Address: Worcester Blvd and Montreal St
Getting there: one block east of Botanic Gardens
Hours: Thu-Tue 10AM-5PM, Wed 10AM-9PM
Price: Usually free
Website: christchurchartgallery.org.nz (opens in a new tab)

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Listing from Wikivoyage: Christchurch, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Updated 28 Sept 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.

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Centre of Contemporary Art
Toi Moroki, CoCA
Contemporary Art by New Zealand artists.
9am–5pm
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Arts Centre
Gothic Revival stonework of former University campus. This area was damaged during the 22 Feb 2011 earthquake. By late 2022 reconstruction work was mostly complete, with two buildings still to be restored. The beauty and historical significance of these building can be appreciated by viewing them from surrounding streets such as Worcester Blvd and Hereford St, or from the internal courtyard. Four art galleries, the Great Hall (and the courtyard outside) and Rutherford's Den (donation requested), an exhibition on physics, are open. If you want to stay, the Observatory Hotel has 33 upmarket rooms. There is also a cinema (Lumière Cinemas) located here showing art-house films. To access spaces not accessible to the public, join the 90 minutes guided walk tour from Wednesday to Sunday (summer hours: 11AM–12:30PM & 1-2:30PM, $30 per adult and $15 per child (12–18 years)).
Centre entry free
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Teece Museum of Classical Antiquities
A collection of artefacts from Greek, Roman, Egyptian and Near Eastern cultures.
Wed–Sun 11AM–3PMFree (suggested donation of $5 per adult)
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Quake City
Coordinated by Canterbury Museum, it has exhibits about earthquakes in Christchurch, particularly the quakes of 2010–11.
Daily 10AM–5PMAdult $20; free for children under 16