Check out these fab things to do in Christchurch!

Christchurch is whole lot more than the gateway to the South Island, but after the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes, tourists could be forgiven for breezing through the city and on to somewhere else.

I try to go every year to 18 months, but it had been a two year gap since I last popped down and I last went back, seven years on, thanks to Hilton Hotels and their Hilton Discover campaign designed to show the best of cities within cooee of a Hilton hotel.

The city is looking amazing and I discovered a bunch of cool things to do in Christchurch for first timers or old timers – like me!

But first, where to stay in Christchurch.

The elegant old lady that is Chateau on the Park, a Doubletree by Hilton hotel is managed as Doubletree and since joining the Hilton family has had a beautiful soft refurbishment in the 192 rooms, with the restaurant up next. And for those of you who know Doubletree you’ll know that you get a huge warm cookie on arrival!

First impressions are of a majestic building complete with turrets, a moat and dark wood accents with lots of car parking space. Step into the lobby and a glass fire roars beside comfy couches and floor to ceiling windows look onto the moat surrounded by flowers and a fountain with the restaurant behind it, and beyond that are five acres of gorgeous gardens hidden on the property. This is a great hotel for business meetings as they have conference spaces and a separate bar from the dining room.

There is a heated outdoor pool and they have their own winery, all located across Hagley Park, about 3kms from the city centre and about three blocks from the famous Riccarton Farmer’s Market – which is a fab spot to go for breakfast on a Saturday.

I also like Ibis. It’s an Accor property and pretty cheap and cheerful. However it’s been built since the earthquakes, is clean and comfortable and it’s the location I choose this property for. It’s right next to all the restaurants and bars along the river, and just walk a block through to the main shopping precinct.

6 great things to do Christchurch

Take a cycle tour

Pedal off with Chill Urban Tours from their centrally located office on Durham Street with a handy little courtyard out the back to have a “refresher” practice peddle in before hitting the road. And when I say road, Christchurch has very cleverly added cycle lanes to the footpaths in most of the areas we rode, plus trails through Hagley Park, so there was virtually no road cycling at all on our tour.

A cycle tour is such a great way to have a good look around this city that still seems to be opening new doors on a weekly basis. We did a private tour with owner Stu Waddell and talked through the two-hour itinerary we wanted, because we’d done a bit of strolling already through some of the CBD.

He designed our tour to take us past sculptures in Hagley Park (which is so huge you’d never get round it on foot) and around the gardens by the hospital, a stop at the historic Art Gallery building in town, past the Terrace with its new restaurants and bars along the river, down Cashell St to see how the new shops are coming along and a whip through the fun kids Margaret Mahy Playground

Margaret Mahy Family Playground

This is theee place to go if you want to kill a couple of hours with the kids!

New Zealanders know Margaret Mahy as one our most favourite children’s authors and this new park is the largest of its kind in New Zealand, spread over 2.5 hectares, and has been designed with input from local school children who were asked what would make an awesome park.

There is a story arc which takes elements of Margaret Mahy’s books and interprets them into slides, climbing activities, swings, trampolines and flying foxes. And the best part? It’s free!

Ride the tram

Take a tram ride on one of the historic trams where a $25 (per adult) ticket allows you to hop on and off all day and with a conductor/driver you’ll learn about the city and hear some fascinating stories about the earthquake recovery as you tootle past new buildings and look at a few old ones still to be demolished and/or rebuilt.

The tram also stops at the Christchurch Cathedral which is about the saddest thing to see and even more so because it is the central hub of the city waiting patiently for a decision on its future. Meanwhile the birds have moved in and it’s just crumbling away behind the fence.

Shopping in Christchurch

After years without the shopping heart of the city, new city blocks have been designed with laneways to ensure not only is there more shop frontage for smaller stores and boutique businesses, but to provide shelter from the weather depending on any direction of wind or rain.

I loved strolling down Cashell Street (avoiding being run over by e-scooter riders) and ogling into the massive windows of the many new stores. There’s a lot of glass in the new buildings in Christchurch and that’s always good for window shopping!

If you use the tram as a hop-on hop-off you’ll pop down New Regent Street for the eclectic shops, Cashell Street for chain stores and the laneways in between for you to discover some hidden gems.

Riverside Market is the newest shopping, eatery and bar space, down on the Terrace, filled with lots of smaller local retailers and weekend pop ups.

Have breakfast at the Farmer’s Market

Walk to the Christchurch Farmer’s Market on a Saturday morning from Chateau on the Park, a Doubletree by Hilton. It’s about three blocks away and is a great spot to come to for breakfast, especially if you love porridge!

Check out the girls at the Posh Porridge tent, but make sure you come hungry because there’s lots of food to sample and pick up some fresh produce, smoked meats, home made pies for dinner, or just chow down on pastries and empanadas over a coffee and live music.

Go zip lining!

By far the most adrenalin-inducing thing I did was zip lining at Christchurch Adventure Park. I absolutely loved this!

Allow about two hours to zip through the four lines with two guides making sure you are properly harnessed in and comfy before releasing you down the longest zip line in NZ and another one which is the longest zip line in NZ – and stunning views of the city.

You’ll sign up (and provide your height and weight- gulp) then head off to the chair lift to be taken on a stunning, gentle scenic ride up the hillside with beautiful views along the way. At the top you’ll start with a short line to get your eye in. But I was all set for racing!

They are set up so two people can zip line side by side and race each other, or not. However while the others were keen to look around and admire the views out to the sea and over the city, I was all shaping my body like a missile and making sure I won!

You can also mountain bike here and they have a cafe and lockers to leave your handbags while you go out clad in your hardhats and harnesses.

Read more:

If you’re looking for some delicious places to eat and drink in Christchurch, you’ll like this post which I update whenever I visit.

I took a Southern Lights flight from Christchurch and chased the Aurora Australis across the night sky!