See

Christchurch Botanic Gardens

30 hectares of exotic and indigenous plants and trees wrapped in a loop of the picturesque Avon River and linking to the 160-hectare Hagley Park. These put the "Garden" in the "Garden City", and the combined total with Hagley Park makes them the second largest inner city park in the world (after New York's Central Park). A new visitor centre and cafe opened in 2014.

Address: Rolleston Ave, Central City
Getting there: car park entrance opposite Armagh St
Hours: Gates open 7AM until one hour before sunset, conservatories 10:15AM–4PM. Information centre open 10:15AM–4PM daily summer, 11AM-3PM winter
Price: Free
Website: ccc.govt.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.

Close by

Do
Hagley Oval
With a capacity of 9000, it hosts Test matches, plus Canterbury Knights men's and Magicians women's teams.
See
Canterbury Museum
Includes colonial, Māori and natural history sections, Antarctic exploration display, and visiting exhibitions. Closed until mid-2029 for rebuilding. A small selection of exhibits is on shown in the CoCA gallery at 66 Gloucester Street (daily 9AM-5PM), near the Art Gallery.
free
Do
Christ's College
80-minute tours of the independent (fee-paying) boarding school. The school was established in 1850 and follows the English public school model. The school has about 650 boys who wear a black and white striped blazer. Tour tickets can be bought from the i-Site.
Oc–Apr: Mon-Fri 10AM$20
See
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