Looking for a range of low-cost activities to do in Christchurch?
Got kids or visitors to entertain while in town?
Here you’ll find a list of 10 Cheap or Free Things To Do In Christchurch With Kids or Without PLUS some bonus paid activity ideas at the end.
1. Botanic Gardens & Hagley Park
Christchurch is known as ‘The Garden City’. Its biggest and most well known central parks include the Botanic Gardens (map) and Hagley Park – north & south.
Botanic Gardens
With extensive parking available for up to 3 hours at a time, you’ll have plenty of time to find your way around these parks or picnic the day away here.
Plus the Canterbury Museum borders the garden on one side, making for a great day out in Christchurch.
The Botanic Gardens are open 7 am – 6.30 pm and include a range of walks, a visitor centre, and a cafe. They also offer tours.
For a great family activity there are fun seasonal treasure hunts which you can download maps for, plus school holiday trails.
Hagley Park
With car parks available off Riccarton Ave and Armagh Street and additional parking around the perimeter, Hagley Park can be easily accessed. While the park itself is open all year round, mind the parking times as they can vary.
Bikers, walkers, dog enthusiasts, and others share this great green space. Both North and South Hagley Park are equipped with picnic facilities, free barbecues, drinking water, and toilets.
Check here for options on walking tracks to do around these or the Botanic Gardens.
2. Canterbury Museum
Located on the east end of Hagley Park, to the west of the CBD, visit this free museum to explore New Zealand’s rich cultural and natural heritage. Learn about the past, present, and future of Canterbury.
There’s always lots to see and do at this amazing museum with changing exhibitions and events complementing the permanent displays. Well worth a visit.
You can download an explorer map here to guide you around the museum or look up what’s on.
Open every day except Christmas Day. Entry is free but donations are appreciated. Entry to the ‘Discovery’ section is $2 per person (under 3 yrs free).
3. Rauora Park
Spanning five city blocks from Margaret Mahy Family Playground to Lichfield Street, this park is one of Christchurch’s largest public spaces.
The park’s proximity to the heart of the central city and the Margaret Mahy Family Playground make it ideal for family stops on a day out in Christchurch.
Opposite the Margaret Mahy Playground at the northern end of Rauora Park is an area with table tennis tables and a basketball hoop.
There’s also an awesome pump track for bikes and scooters and large grassed areas you can picnic on. Over time this area will develop into a new residential neighbourhood of the central city.
Margaret Mahy Family Playground
This is a new, super cool park built after the Christchurch earthquakes of 2010 and 2011. It’s innovative, bright, and varied. My 8-year-old LOVED it here.
From swings, to climbing wall, water cannons (summer), in-ground trampolines, and a slick stainless slide, there’s plenty to entertain kids. And it’s right in the heart of the city so it can be a great alternative to walking the city or a pit stop to burn some energy.
Not far from here are other key points of interest too such as the Cardboard Cathedral, White Chair Memorial, and Quake City.
4. Libraries
Christchurch is home to a range of cutting edge libraries/ community hubs. We visited New Brighton, Beckenham, Rolleston, and the new central city library: Turanga.
The views from the downstairs area of New Brighton Library are hard to beat: you look straight out on to the beach and down the pier!
This is a seriously cool place to work at, or at least try to…
Each library offers a wide range of activities. From community playgroups, storytimes, sewing classes or use of machines on site, to board games, play stations, and of course books and free use of pcs.
Mostly we’ve clocked our learning, web, and reading time at these places and it’s easy to spend whole days in one especially as most have cafes in them and a range of comfortable work and relax zones.
Turanga deserves its own mention. My boys couldn’t get enough of this central city library!
It’s five floors contain 180 000 items for borrowing, multiple zones for reading, technology use, Lego creativity, community sessions for laser cutting, 3D printing, sewing, and more.
Chess and other board games can be used there too and there are puzzles to help build. It’s a modern indoor space for researching, work, recreating, or escaping cold, wet weather and would be easy to pass a day in.
5. New Regent St
Opened in 1932, New Regent Street is Christchurch’s only complete heritage streetscape.
It has beautiful Spanish Mission architecture, and a pastel colour scheme and is popular with locals and tourists alike. The street is full of cafes and specialty type shops where among other things, gelato, caffeine and Mrs. Higgins cookies can be bought.
There’s paid parking if you drive in or the central bus station is just 10 mins walk away. Or if you are on the $25 city hop-on, hop-off tram tour, Stop 17 is on Regent St.
6. A Walking Tour
Earthquake Ruins, Renovations and Street Art Around the City
Christchurch is a juxtaposition of old, new, memorials, and ruins. It’s fascinating looking at the history and how that’s been interrupted recently by earthquakes (2010 & 2011) and how the city and its people have responded.
Graffiti is sadly easy to spot around the city, especially in places where abandoned or disused buildings still stand empty.
More aesthetically pleasing though are the many street art examples that brighten many building sides throughout the area.
We had fun wandering the streets and coming across them as we went, only scratching the surface with the ones we saw.
If you like mural art, you could create your own street art ‘treasure hunt’, join a guided tour to take it in or, use this map to guide yourself on your device.
7. City Tram Tour
If history and sightseeing are what you’re after, look no further than the city tram tour aboard a restored heritage tram.
The $25 per adult day-long ticket allows you to get on and off as often as you please and allows up to 3 kids to ride free with you.
The tram drivers inform you about the city, its landmarks, and local sights as you ride. The full route takes 50 mins and with 17 stops to choose from, there’s sure to be something for everyone along the way.
The journey takes you to the appropriate stops for Punting on the Avon, the Christchurch Botanic Gardens, and the Gondola Shuttle bus.
Cathedral Junction, the Avon River, the Gothic-style Arts Centre, the Canterbury Museum, and New Regent Street are just some of the other sights to be seen from the comfort of your tram.
Trams run every 15 mins or so from designated stops. You can buy a ticket and board at any tram stop. Pick up a city tram tour map which shows all points of interest.
8. Cardboard Cathedral
The original Christchurch Cathedral was badly damaged in the earthquake in February 2011. As a result, The Cardboard Transitional Cathedral was built in Latimer Square.
It’s the world’s only cathedral made substantially of cardboard and will be home to cathedral activities until the original in Cathedral Square has been restored. Repair and strengthening work is estimated to reach completion in 2029 or so.
It’s quite beautiful from the inside and out with its colourful windows and arched roof. You can visit to learn, pray, or catch a service as most are open to the public.
9. Chess in Cathedral Square
Cathedral Square, is the geographical heart of Christchurch, where the city’s Anglican cathedral, ChristChurch Cathedral is located. The square stands at the theoretical crossing of the city’s two main orthogonal streets, Colombo Street and Worcester Street, though in reality both have been either blocked off or detoured around the square itself.
The surrounding area and Cathedral were badly damaged when the city was struck by a magnitude 6.3 earthquake on 22 February 2011 and the fate of this historic landmark was unsure for a time, although now there has been a commitment to restore it.
Markets and buskers can often be found in the square, as well as street art and Turanga, the central city library on one corner.
The tram passes by here and something else that makes it a cool place to hang out is the huge chess set that can be used by the public. When we first passed by it was in use but after a wander around town it was free. Neil and the boys love chess so cold happily pit stopped here for a few hours playing and watching others.
10. McLeans Forest
A 15 min drive from Christchurch out to McLeans Forest will take you away from it all! Set in a pine forest and edging the golf course, there’s plenty of space out here. And with 17kms of mountain biking track and 11kms of running/ walking track, it caters to all.
We parked there in the bus and enjoyed the Tresillian Track (10.4km) bike track. We added the River Loop near Farm road too and the walk out into the Waimakariri River bed was well worth it for the mountain vistas.
We also did sections of the well-maintained walking tracks including the Coringa loop. Pine pollen fall was heavy in August when we visited. When the wind blew you could see clouds of it drifting in the yellowed air, settling on all surfaces.
Bikes can be hired on-site at McLean’s and there’s a cafe/ shop selling key items like ice creams. More info here.
What else is there to do?
Now you have loads of ideas of what’s on offer in and around Christchurch, I recommend picking up an ‘Explore Central City Mini-Map’ from an iSITE.
Our strategy was to circle all the places on that map that we wanted to visit. We then grouped them by area and visited an area/ group of places on a given day, repeating until we were done.
There’s so much to do in Christchurch but if you’re looking for more to do, check out the trip ideas and paid attractions below.
(*Before you go to any paid attractions, check out bookme.co.nz a few days in advance for possible discounts. The savings can be 50% or more!)
Antarctic Centre
Located next to Christchurch International Airport, and open every day of the year, the International Antarctic Centre has a huge range of experiences guaranteed to entertain the whole family.
Be chilled in their incredible Antarctic storm room. Be thrilled on an all-terrain vehicle tour. Make friends with penguins and huskies.
Learn about the first expeditions, modern-day life on Scott Base, and the future of humanity on the ice. Be amazed through the big screen ice tour and astonished within the immersive 4D theatre.
In just a few hours here the icy continent will create memories to last a lifetime. It’s cold. It’s cool and it’s waiting to be discovered by you.
I thoroughly enjoyed our visit there. Allow at least 3 hours. Highlights for us were the freeze room, seeing penguins, the Hägglund ride, and Antarctic dress-ups.
Entry prices:
Adult $59.00
Child (5-15yrs) $29.00
Under 5’s FREE
Senior/Student (60+/With ID) $45.00
Family (2 Adults + 3 Children) $149.00
A Day Trip To Akaroa
Daytripping from Christchurch to Akaroa is a great way to pass a sunny day. There are walks, dolphin cruises, a Giant’s mosaic garden, a museum, shops, cafes, and plenty of coastline.
With its distinctive French flavour, Akaroa is something unique in New Zealand and I highly recommend you go there.
Gondolas
The Christchurch Gondola gently lifts you nearly a kilometre to the top of the Port Hills, almost 500 metres above sea level. What a view there is up there on a fine day!
Entry prices:
Adult $30
Child (5-15yrs) $15
Under 5’s FREE
Family (2 Adults + up to 3 Children) $75
Boat to Quail Island
Catch a boat ride out to Quail Island.
In the summertime, from the 1st of December to the end of March, Black Cat runs the Quail Island Treasure Hunt. Maps and entry forms are available onboard the ferry.
Those who find the seven clues on the island and solve the mystery go in to win a family trip to Stewart Island!
Entry prices:
Adult $30 – cash only
Child (5-15yrs) $15 – cash only
Under 5’s FREE
Punting
Relax as a skilled punter in traditional Edwardian attire propels you slowly along the tranquil Avon River in Christchurch.
Entry prices:
Adult $30
Child (5-15yrs) $15
Under 5’s FREE
Private Adult $50
Quake City
‘Quake City charts the aftermaths of the September 2010 and 22 February 2011 earthquakes and the extraordinary response of the emergency services, international rescue teams, the thousands of volunteers who pitched in to help and the incredible resilience of Canterbury’s communities.’
The exhibition includes some of the objects which have defined the Canterbury earthquakes including the spire of ChristChurch Cathedral and the clocks from the now-demolished railway station.
Allow 2 hours I’d say if you like to watch the clips and read inscriptions in museums.
Entry prices:
Adult $20
Child (under 15yrs accompanied by adult) FREE
Child (under 15yrs unaccompanied by adult) $8
Under 5’s FREE
There you go!
Is there a place you’ve been in Christchurch that you’d recommend to others?
Comment on it below!
Please also click the image below to pin this.
Thanks!
Meagan
