8 Best Sights in Christchurch, Christchurch and Canterbury

The historic Canterbury Museum, founded on Rolleston Avenue in 1867, is undergoing a major redevelopment. A pop-up museum is now located on the first floor of the CoCA building on Gloucester Street, which is dedicated to collection highlights and visitor favorites from the museum’s permanent galleries. The other half displays temporary exhibitions.

There's something nostalgic and reassuring about the ding-ding of these heritage trams. All-day tickets allow you to hop on and off and explore the inner city with fascinating commentary by the conductors. The Tramway Restaurant departs daily at 7 pm (bookings are essential). The Tramway ticket office is in Cathedral Junction, but you can buy tickets at other places en route and onboard. Tickets can also be bought in a combination pass that includes the Punting, Gondola, and the Botanic Gardens Tour.

Built for the Christchurch Boating Club in 1882, this green-and-white wooden structure is the last shed standing of a half dozen that once lined the Avon. On sunny days, punts, canoes, and paddleboats take to the river paddled by visitors and families alike. Join them by renting a boat and taking a champagne picnic into the Botanic Gardens or farther up into the woodlands of Hagley Park. After exploring the waterway you can rent a bike for more action or rest a while at the boat shed's licensed café (open for breakfast and lunch) with a deck overlooking the Avon.

Founded in 1850, Christ's College is New Zealand's most well-known private school for boys. It is housed in a magnificent precinct of buildings designed by the city's leading architects over a period of 165 years. Set around an open quadrangle neighboring Hagley Park and the Botanic Gardens, the school's many heritage buildings have undergone extensive repair and strengthening following the earthquakes. Guided tours of the school are available during summer from January to late April, at 10 am for 80 minutes on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

One of the largest city parks in the world, these superb gardens are known for the magnificent trees planted here in the 19th century. Pick up the Historic Tree Walk brochure from the information center for a self-guided Who's Who tour of the tree world. Spend time in the conservatories and the award-winning Visitor Centre and Ilex Cafe to discover tropical plants, cacti, and ferns on days when you'd rather not be outside. Go to the New Zealand plants area at any time of the year; the modern and heritage rose gardens are also quite lovely.

Hagley Park was developed by European settlers in the mid-1800s with imported plants given trial runs in what would become the Botanic Gardens. Now the 407-acre park includes a golf course, sports fields, world-class cricket oval, netball and tennis courts, cycling paths, walking and jogging tracks, and a 17-station fitness circuit. In spring, you'll be treated to a magnificent blossom display from the flowering cherry trees and a host of golden daffodils. You can access the park from most of its perimeter. The Botanic Gardens are near the middle, closest to the city center. Every Saturday morning at 8 am, hundreds join in the Hagley Parkrun, a free timed 5,000-meter (3-mile) run.

This central square was named for Queen Victoria in her jubilee year and has recently been restored, keeping its character and heritage. A poupou, a tall, carved, wood column in the square, acknowledges the site's history as a significant trading point between Māori and the European settlers. It is home to Christchurch's oldest iron bridge, a floral clock, two fountains, and statues of Queen Victoria and Captain Cook.