Tour

Christchurch Hot Air Ballooning over Canterbury Plains

If roaming around and exploring the busy city isn’t a big attraction for you, jump on a hot air balloon tour of the Christchurch and Canterbury plain lands and valleys. Green landscapes and the rising sun are sure to give you a breathtaking view of a life time together with memorable moments atop a certified balloon with a professional pilot. The balloon will take you over the landscapes and the clear blue see to the east for a look down from the heavens. Departure time is 5am in summer and 7am in winter and the tour lasts for 4 hours and costs $275 per head.

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Christchurch Hot Air Ballooning over Canterbury Plains

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Christchurch Big Five Attractions

Activity

A very famous sightseeing tour, the Big Five takes you round the city in one day and covers major areas that are to be visited at least once. The tour starts with an engaging visit to the Antarctic Center, an exciting view of native kiwis and their habitat in the Willow Wildlife Park, an adventurous ride of the tram to see the city center and its busy life, a panoramic view of the gardens of the city on a Gondola and finally a two hour harbor cruise to see surrounding lands. The tour departs at 9am in the morning and lasts for about 7 hours and costs $ 166 per person.

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Christchurch Hop-on Hop-off Tram Tour

Activity

Tram ride offers a very exciting tour of Christchurch, especially the city center. The open tram lets tourists observe natural environment and get a feeling of the Garden City. If you are with family and want to explore the city at your own pace, the hop on hop off tour is the best you can get. The tram pass lasts up to 48 hours on a stretch so you can hop off and take your time around an attraction, eat and freshen up before continuing the tour that would take you around the Cathedral Square, Arts Center, Botanical Gardens, Avon River and Cathedral Junction. The tram ride starts from 9am and the tour as a whole is for about 25minutes and costs $13 for a two day tram pass.

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Christchurch Half day Gardens Tour

Activity

Being the garden city of New Zealand, Christchurch has one eighth of its land dedicated to parks and landscapes. To explore these landscapes hop on a half day tour of two public and two private parks of the city for 3 hours and enjoy a day with nature. The tour includes descriptions of the flowers and shrubs in the park and their historic significance. Tour starts at 9am and costs $80.

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Discover Christchurch Sightseeing Tour

Activity

A gradual progression from the city center highlights like the Cathedral Square, Victoria Street, Arts Center and Botanical Gardens to the northern parks and plains of Christchurch is the highlight of this exploration trip of the city. The tour takes you around the Hagley Park and Mona Vale homestead to a superb view of the beaches and the city from the Port hills. This well rounded tour will bring you back to the city from the eastern side so no corner of the city is unturned for tourists.

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Christchurch Snow and Kiwi Tour

Activity

This tour covers both, the best entertainment of the city and the educational aspect as well. A half day trip to the Kiwi resorts of the Willowbank wild life reserve and the Antarctic Center gives tourists a chance to enjoy the notorious snowmobile ride and get an up close of the Kiwi world as well. Tour starts at 3pm for a cost of $145 and lasts 5 and a half hour.

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Discover Christchurch Morning Tour

Activity

Spend one of your mornings on an air conditioned coach en route to the historical Christchurch attractions. This three hour tour gives you an exciting tour early morning with loads of opportunities to take pictures of the monuments and make your trip memorable. The main stops include those in the city center.

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Christchurch sightseeing tours

Activity

This tour wraps up the entire city in one day with major focus on the most important sights of the city that give it its historic and cultural significance. The tour is for four and a half hour and departs twice each day, one at 9am and the other at 1 30pm. The major sights covered are; Cathedral Square, Victoria Square, Town Hall and Convention Centre, Art Gallery, Arts Centre, Christ's College, Bridge of Remembrance, Botanical Gardens, Hagley Park, Mona Vale, Sign of the Kiwi, and Lyttelton Harbor.

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Tour Operators

Activity

Canterbury Shuttles 2010 Limited Phone: 0800 021 682 Address: 61 Truman Road, PO Box 5563, Papanui.

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Yaldhurst Museum

Museum

Alfred Thornhill Cooper and Marion Cooper are to be credited for this amazing collection of vintage cars in the Yaldhurst Museum. Opened on 26th December 1968, the museum has a collection 400 cars ranging from passenger to school buses to the rare models that had not more than 5 units manufactured! If you are an automobile fanatic, the Yaldhurst Museum will be your favorite attraction in all of Christchurch. Currently it is run by Grant Cooper, great grandson of the founder and is established in an 1876 colonial homestead.

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Arts gallery

Gallery

Opened in 2003, the Arts Gallery is a dominant NZ$ 47 building that has set standards for all others in the South Island. Eluding an aesthetic charm, the exterior complements the various high quality art displays inside that range from early European work to the contemporary video work done by New Zealanders. The gallery holds some of the best and larger than life paintings of New Zealand’s renowned artists and has a lot to hold the viewers attention with colors, textures and bold strokes.

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Arts Center

Building

A gothic stone building, Arts gallery is a show ground for a number of subjects operational in Christchurch such as the crafts market, the produce market and daily exhibitions from over 40 artists in various outlets. The center is famous for quality handicrafts, leather and wood goods and a visit to Ernest Rutherford's den is rated high on the interesting things to do in the Arts Center. Admission is free for all.

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Botanic Gardens

Garden

With the planting of an English oak tree in 1863, this Botanic Garden was given shape in New Zealand. Today it holds one of the most exotic and rare collection of plant species from within the country as well as abroad. Just the thought of 30 hectare of greenery circled by the Avon River is pleasing and one wants spend a good amount of time exploring this place full of the country’s botanic history. The highlights of the garden are the 120 years old trees that represent one of the sacred horticultural sites of the world. Together with the Hagley Park, New Zealand holds the key to the world second largest inner city park that is one of the most visited as well.

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Canterbury Museum

Museum

A thorough exploration of the Canterbury Museum is a must. With elaborate sections dedicated to the displays of Maori, Antarctic, Colonial and Natural history sections, the museum is an attraction to kids as well as adults and offers very interesting material to look at from vintage cars to historic personalities to the entire iced world of the Antarctic. Timing: Winter times: 9am to 5pm & Summer times: 9am to 5 30pm. Location: Rolleston Avenue Phone: 03/366-5000

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Southern Encounter Aquarium & Kiwi House

House

Formerly known as the Aquarium of Discovery, the Southern Encounter Aquarium is a walk through of tanks of aquarium with rare fishes and sea creatures. Documentaries and films are aired for viewers to educate them about sea and bird life. The attraction offers various things to do including watching feeding time at the aquarium, see fly-tying demonstrations, getting your hands wet in touch tank and observation of nocturnal brown kiwis.

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International Antarctic Centre

Town

Experience the Antarctic way of life in Christchurch at the International Antarctic center. Fulfill your dream of getting on a snow mobile and racing across snow land here at the center which is fully acclimatized to the polar weather conditions. Inside you will find penguins, leopard seals, snow caves and a depiction of how life is at the Antarctic. The 4D cinema will take you on a thrilling icy adventure of one of its kind. The Antarctic Hagglund Ride is a new addition which gives a 15minutes tour of the place and is very famous with children.

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Willowbank Wildlife Reserve

Park

The most extensive collection of kiwi birds is found at the Willowbank reserve in Christchurch. On a much smaller scale than the Onara, the Williowbank breeds most of the local animal population of the country especially kiwis. Extended tours for kiwi life and breeding are arranged for tourists who are allowed to play, feed and pet the birds as well. Multiple school programs and skits are also arranged to depict the cultural practices of the Maori tribe.

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What to do with Children in tow

Activity

Canterbury Museum

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Christchurch Cathedral

Churches

This most prominent landmark of Christchurch was completed in 1904 into a dominating grey stone building with a magnificent clock tower. The cathedral holds great historic significance for the city which is visible in its intricate architecture and the creative art work done inside its wall. Tourists find the cathedral a site of major attraction and most of them attend the daily services arranged here. Because of this importance the area around the building is called the Cathedral Square and serves as a starting point for many tours. Location: Cathedral Square Phone: +64 3 366 0046

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Canterbury Tales

Canterbury Tales is known to serve its diners with the best of everything. From pleasant atmospheres to great food and award winning edible pieces of art, the restaurant is a model of perfection from every angle. With a meal for over NZ$ 50, diners get an opportunity to try various blends of spices on the ever changing menu and to taste the best of New Zealand from the best providers.

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Pedro’s

Tastefully decorated on traditional Spanish crockery are New Zealand’s most divine Spanish dishes prepared under the watchful eye of Pedro Carazo. For 30 years, Pedro has maintained his restaurant as a comfortable retreat for diners who enjoy the chatter in the air and the delicious food together with the owner’s hospitality. Sea food is the specialty here topped with lots of seasonings and garlic.

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Pescatore

An attentive service, an ambient place and a superb menu are what Pescatore prides itself on to attract valuable customers who are regulars at the restaurant. Pescatore offers a 10 course menu with the most elaborate food settings and tastes unmatchable in all of Christchurch along with an expensive wine lists.

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Rotherams

Let yourself be spoiled by the most hospitable service, tasteful food and a very impressive wine list, all from the gifted chef and owner of Rotherams. Visited by most locals on very special occasions, this gem of a restaurant offers nothing second best from its well selected ingredients to the artful presentation of its meals and the memorably romantic time diners spend here.

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Bodhi Tree

The only Burmese restaurant in all of New Zealand, Bodhi Tree creates quite a stir in the locals and tourists for its spicy and unique dishes that are seasoned with exotic herbs bound to tingle your taste buds. Meals are served in small servings that ooze specialty and dare you to order more and more. Because of its demand, there is always a crowd waiting to be seated at the Bodhi Tree so remember to make reservations to enjoy these traditions from Burma.

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Flying Burrito Brothers

The spiciest food in all of Christchurch with the biggest selection of tequila in all of New Zealand is housed inside this small den. Mexican herbs and spices are generously used in the meals that will quite certainly make one ooze out smoke! Though the interior is too extravagant, Flying Burrito Brothers has a very loyal clientele that stops by every now and then for a drink and a hot spicy meal on an adventurous day. Main course meals may go up to NZ$40.

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JDV

Taste a fine blend of New Zealand’s specialties at the JDV where the chef is notoriously known for his favorite spice and herb blends. Be ready to be surprised by the unexpected flavor mixes that taste all too good to be true. The aura here is as eccentric as the chef’s combinations but the place will welcome you warmly and ensure that you have a good time.

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Portofino

A savvy mix of excellent service, reasonable good quality food and presentable staff, Portofino has a huge client base that is ever hungry for its tasty Italian servings. With an established restaurant in Auckland, Portofino has been much awaited in Christchurch by locals because from an extravagant wine display to good interior, the restaurant oozes class and warrants a perfect dinner on a table of two.

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Simo's

Simo’s Moroccan born chef, Mohammad Abbari, has his own way of making diners enjoy their food, ‘savored slowly and with immense pleasure’ he puts in. The rich dishes served at Simo’s are worth the time to be savored slowly so that one feels the melting of all herbs and spices for the chef’s creativity to unravel. Pick a free day to visit Simo’s and make an event out of your dinner time

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Tutto Benne

A new eatery by an established chain, the Tutto Benne has an elaborate menu of pizzas, pastas, risottos and traditional favorites of Italian lovers. Located in the heart of Merivale, the restaurant is small but extends great service and value meals for NZ$ 20. Try one of the 15 types of pizzas or the mouth watering veal and end your meal with some delicious tiramisu to top off the evening.