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We've compiled the best of the best in Christchurch and Canterbury - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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.
Starting in 1916, New Zealand pilots learned how to fly at Wigram Airfield. The Air Force's old hangars plus a state-of-the-art aircraft hall now hold exhibits on aviation history, including the Royal New Zealand Air Force, flight simulators, and 30 classic aircraft. Take the behind-the-scenes guided tour to see aircraft restoration projects in action in other hangars.
The focus of historic interest is the Akaroa Museum, which has a display of Māori pounamu (greenstone) as well as alternating exhibits on the area's multicultural past. The peninsula supported a significant Māori population, and the collections and displays tell some of the exciting stories of Kai Tahu, the people of the land. The Old Courthouse, the old Custom House, and Langlois-Eteveneaux House, the two-room cottage of an early French settler, are also part of the museum.
This collection of buildings contains 20,000 Māori and 19th-century colonial artifacts, including waka used in Waitangi Day celebrations and displays such as a smithy and print shop. There are also a wharenui (Māori meetinghouse), colonial homes, including a totara slab cottage, and a saddlery and harness shop. If you happen to be in the area on Waitangi Day (February 6), New Zealand's national day, the museum marks it in style.
