7 Things To Do in Christchurch (1 Day Itinerary)

Located on the east coast of New Zealand’s South Island, Christchurch is one of the more well-known cities in New Zealand. It’s also the second largest city in South Island and it’s most famous for the beautiful Christchurch Botanic Gardens. I planned a full day’s itinerary in Christchurch and made sure that I would spend plenty of time in the gardens. I couldn’t wait to get started on my tour of the city!

Christchurch: The 7 Things You Can Do in Just 1 Day

1. Morning: Riverside Market for breakfast

I decided to go to the Riverside Market for breakfast first. It was a food hall and there were lots of shops and restaurants. I saw from the sign at the front that the market was open throughout the day, from early in the morning till late in the evening. And the bars were open even later.

Then I went inside the market. There were so many different kinds of stores. I could see bakeries with all kinds of baked goodies. Cookies and pastries were being sold.

There was a shop that sold award winning German sausages.

Since I wanted to eat a light breakfast that morning, I decided to pick up some things from the bakery. The cinnamon brioche, pecan pies and fruit puffs all looked delicious.

There were also various flavors of cookies. They were thick and chunky.

The food hall was really big and there were seating areas upstairs. Customers could take their food to a table and enjoy it in peace.

I ordered a blueberry custard puff and a coffee. The puff pastry was so flaky and the blueberry custard was just the right amount of sweet and tart.

I also got a savory puff, which was just as delicious. Once I had finished my quick breakfast, I was ready to see the rest of Christchurch.

2. Bridge of Remembrance

Christchurch had two main war memorials and the Bridge of Remembrance had been built in memory of the soldiers who died in the First World War. But it was also meant for all the soldiers who had died in the following wars too.

The Bridge had existed since 1873 but the memorial arch over the Bridge of Remembrance was completed in 1924.

I first stood on one side of the river and admired the structure. It looked really majestic and striking.

The arch was absolutely huge. It was built of white stone and there were carvings at the top. It towered over all the buildings that stood nearby.

There was a plaque on the Bridge of Remembrance to commemorate World War II as well.

3. Cathedral Square, Cardboard Cathedral

Then I went to Cathedral Square, which was the heart of Christchurch. It was the crossing of two main streets, Colombo Street and Worcester Street. The Godley Statue stood at the center of the square.

I had read that the stone cairn in front of the cathedral had been a protest about water management and about democracy in June 2010. I thought it was very interesting that the cairn was still standing in the middle of the square.

There really were a lot of important buildings in Cathedral Square. The Christ Church Cathedral, which has been damaged in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, was just one of those.

Many of the heritage buildings, including the Christ Church Cathedral, were still being renovated and rebuilt. I had read that there were a lot of disagreements about how it would be rebuilt so that it would not be damaged by earthquakes again.

Meanwhile, Christchurch had a Cardboard Cathedral or a temporary cathedral that had been built to take its place.

4. City Tram

One of the most interesting things about Christchurch was the city tram. The tram ran by electricity and there were tram tracks running through the cobbled streets and squares. The small tramway network had first started in 1882.

Nowadays, it was mostly used for tourism purposes and there were some vintage carriages that would loop down the High Street.

5. Christchurch Botanic Gardens

After that, I decided to go to the famous Christchurch Botanic Gardens. I knew that it would take me a while to see the whole garden.

At the very front, I saw the huge fountain. This was the Peacock Fountain and it had been imported from England. The Botanic Gardens were really old. They had been founded in 1863. An English Oak had been planted to commemorate the marriage between Prince Albert and Princess Alexandra of Denmark. And that was the start of the gardens.

They had a huge collection of flowering plants and herbs, local plants and exotic plants. There were whole beds that were just used for annual plants so that there would be colorful seasonal plants throughout the year. Even though it was winter, I could see so many flowers.

The trees were mostly oak and some of them were really quite old.

I liked how the planners had placed wooden benches all around the Garden. In case people got tired of walking around, they would be able to sit down and rest under the shade of the trees. It was a very nice and sunny day so it was perfect for exploring the Botanic Gardens.

I didn’t know the names of all the trees but some of them had very interesting cone-shaped fruits and flowers.

The flowers that were in full bloom were so colorful! I could see shades of red, yellow, pink, purple and blue.

Then I went to look at the Visitor Centre. The Christchurch Visitor Centre had opened quite recently, in April 2014. There was a café, a gift shop and an interactive exhibition inside. The exhibition was permanent and it told visitors a little bit about the history of plants and gardens in the Canterbury area. Since I was interested in the history of Christchurch, I looked through the exhibition.

There was a Japanese bronze crane from the mid nineteenth century that was displayed in the Visitor Centre. I read that it had been bought by a local couple while they were honeymooning in Japan and they had brought it back to New Zealand.

One of the most interesting exhibits was a wooden and glass chest. These chests were once used to transport flowers and plants by ship to New Zealand. That is how so many English plants had been brought to Christchurch. They had sailed over the oceans!

The section that showed how gardens and the history of gardening had evolved was really fascinating. I learned that English women used to garden a lot in the older days because it was considered a good hobby for a lady. Christchurch Botanic Gardens also had lots of conservatories and heritage buildings inside it. Each of these buildings had special plants that grew within them.

The Canterbury Horticultural Society had given the Christchurch Botanic Gardens a ton of gardening tools. Many of them were pretty old and rusted but they were all displayed for the interest of visitors.

6. The Art Centre

Even though I had already spent so much time looking around Cathedral Square and at the Christchurch Botanic Gardens, there was still time to visit a few other spots. The next place on my list was the Art Centre. It was a very important space for art, culture and creativity in Christchurch. And it was located inside a historic building.

The Art Centre was inside the former Canterbury College. It was now the University of Canterbury and there were still some classes held in the building. The architecture of the old college was the Gothic Revival style and it was really beautiful. The Centre had the largest collection of heritage buildings in all of Christchurch. There was an interesting art installation right in front, which almost looked like it was floating in space.

I went inside and looked at the sculptures and installations. There was a statue of a man that seemed to be made of wooden blocks. There were big windows so there was plenty of light inside the Centre.

The windows were long and narrow and some of them had stained glass panels. I liked how the Art Centre had preserved the original features of the building. Even though the Art Centre had been damaged in the 2011 earthquake, it had slowly been renovated and was opening to the public.

There was a lawn in front and some chairs and tables where visitors could sit down.

One of the towers housed the Observatory Hotel.

7. Antique Boat Sheds

My final stop for the day was the antique boat sheds.

Punting on the Avon River was a fun pastime and a lot of tourists enjoyed the experience.

The river was full of ducks swimming around.

I walked down to the deck and looked at the water. It was a narrow river but it was very pretty. There was a gentle breeze.

There were signs showing the way to the punting deck. They were full for that day but visitors could book in advance for the next day.

I just stood and watched the people who were punting. There were quite a few boats on the river and they seemed easy to operate. I was sure it would be a lovely and unique experience.