Christchurch Attractions

The Christchurch Art Gallery, with the formal name of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu, is the public art gallery of the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. It is funded by Christchurch City Council. It has its own substantial art collection and presents a programme of New Zealand and international exhibitions. The gallery opened on 10 May 2003, replacing the city's former public art gallery, the Robert McDougall Art Gallery, which opened on 16 June 1932 and closed on 16 June 2002. The Māori elements of the name are explained as follows: Te Puna honours waipuna, the artesian spring beneath the gallery and Waiwhetu refers to one of the tributaries in the immediate vicinity, which flows into the River Avon. Waiwhetu may also be translated as ‘water in which stars are reflected’.

The Royal New Zealand Air Force Museum or Air Force Museum of New Zealand as it is now known, is an air force museum located located at Wigram, the RNZAF's first operational base, in Christchurch, in the South Island of New Zealand. It opened on 1 April 1987, the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the RNZAF, and is primarily a museum of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, its predecessor, the New Zealand Permanent Air Force and New Zealand squadrons of the Royal Air Force. The Air Force Museum of New Zealand's mission is to preserve and present the history of New Zealand military aviation for commemoration, learning, inspiration and enjoyment. The museum holds the national collection of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. The collection includes objects covering the early days of New Zealand military aviation both prior to World War I and during this major conflict, the int...

The Christchurch Botanic Gardens, located in the central city of Christchurch, New Zealand are botanical gardens founded in 1863, when an English oak was planted on 9 July 1863 to commemorate the solemnisation of marriage between Prince Albert and Princess Alexandra of Denmark. The Gardens sprawl over an area of 21 hectares and lie adjacent to the loop of the Avon River next to Hagley Park. The Christchurch Botanic Gardens have a variety of collection of exotic and local plants of New Zealand. Some of the attractions of the Gardens include: The Herb Garden (started in 1986) has several plants of culinary and medicinal value (see Herbalism). The Rose Garden has more than 250 varieties of roses. Collections of plants from all around the world including Asia, North America, Europe, South America and South Africa. Cunningham house- a large Victorian glass house cont...

The Canterbury Museum is a museum located in the central city of Christchurch, New Zealand in the city's Cultural Precinct. This small provincial museum was established in 1867 and has since grown in size to encompass New Zealand's diverse natural and human heritage. The Museum has become a widely-renowned and an internationally-visited institution. The Museum has more than two million collection items and specialises in the stories of early Maori, European settlement and Antarctic exploration. The original building is registered as a "Historic Place - Category I " by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust. The museum sustained some damage to its facade during the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake, but remains structurally sound. An estimated 95% of the collections were unharmed. The statue of William Rolleston, located at the front of the museum, toppled off its ...

Ferrymead Heritage Park is a museum in Christchurch, New Zealand, housing a number of groups with historical themes, the most frequent of which is transport. Formerly known as Ferrymead Historic Park, it was founded in the mid-1960s by a number of groups, local government bodies and other interested parties. It is in the Heathcote Valley, at the site of New Zealand's first public railway.

The International Antarctic Centre is located in the suburb of Harewood, Christchurch, New Zealand, close to Christchurch International Airport. It is one of the major tourist attractions of the city. The Centre is home to the New Zealand, United States and Italian Antarctic Programmes and comprises administration offices, warehousing, an American/New Zealand clothing store, a post office and travel agency, the Antarctic Passenger Terminal and the Visitor Centre, now called 'The Antarctic Attraction'. It is for this last item that the centre is best known, as it forms a significant tourist attraction. 'The Antarctic Attraction' consists of Antarctic exhibits, a café, and bar. The centre operates a Hagglund Ride around the centre's land. This is aimed mainly at children, however is an educational tool for all ages, to display the mobility of the Hagglund. The Hagglun...

Orana Wildlife Park is New Zealand's only open-range zoo, located on the outskirts of Christchurch. It opened in 1976, and is owned and operated by the Orana Wildlife Trust, a registered charity. The Wildlife Park is the largest wildlife reserve in New Zealand which houses animals in their natural habitats with few barriers or fences, permitting visitors to see them up close and feed the gentler species.