Christchurch & Akaroa Holidays

Where are Christchurch & Akaroa?
The South Island’s largest city, Christchurch is around a third of the way down the east coast, tucked into the bottom corner of Pegasus Bay just north of Banks Peninsula. Akaroa lies on the peninsula itself on the south-east shore of a deep, sheltered harbour. Christchurch’s airport is served by flights from a range of domestic destinations, as well as Australia, Singapore and Fiji. The city is also the terminus for two of New Zealand’s most scenic railway journeys, the Coastal Pacific that wends its way beside the ocean from Picton and the celebrated TranzAlpine that takes in the Southern Alps on its route from Greymouth.

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A city reborn
Christchurch suffered badly during the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes, losing around 150 heritage buildings, but has recovered strongly. A reinvigorated city centre featuring some of the country’s oldest buildings interspersed with cutting-edge architecture, recreated landmarks and vibrant street art has helped to put it back on the tourist map. Browse its top-notch galleries and kick back in the pretty green spaces – this is a sophisticated and distinctly English-feeling city, so when you’re not walking you can cycle, hop on the vintage tram or punt down the Avon River.

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Drinking and dining
With its clutch of award-winning microbreweries, Christchurch is a joy for beer lovers. Sample immaculately crafted brews as the finale to a tour of where they’re made or seek out some of the city’s inviting specialist bars. On the food front, spare the time to wander around one of the many farmers’ markets, where you can feast your eyes on displays of super-fresh local ingredients and treat your tastebuds to ready-to-taste goodies from brownies to global-themed dumplings. As for sit-down culinary experiences, there’s a wide choice of styles and influences throughout the wider area, from fine French dining in Akaroa to innovative, laidback venues in Christchurch’s trendy ‘eat streets’.

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Banks Peninsula & Akaroa
All that’s left of two volcanoes that rose from the seabed more than 10 million years ago, Banks Peninsula offers rolling hills, a heavily indented coastline and Pacific Ocean views. It’s excellent walking territory, with trails of all lengths that take in anything from Māori sites to sandy beaches and volcanic plugs. Built on the edge of an extensive natural harbour, tiny Akaroa (population 700) was settled first by the French, who arrived just in time to discover that the British had acquired sovereignty over the whole country. Undaunted, they built themselves cottages along lanes with French names and set about creating a home-from-home, which remains a charming place to stroll almost 200 years later.

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Dolphins and penguins
The protected waters around Banks Peninsula are home to a fascinating variety of marine animals, including several rare, unique and captivating species. The most famous local inhabitants are the playful Hector’s dolphins, one of the smallest cetaceans, found only in New Zealand. Take a boat trip from Akaroa Harbour for a chance to spot some of these smile-inducing creatures in their natural habitat – they have easily distinguishable rounded dorsal fins. At Pohatu Marine Reserve, the main draw is a population of white-flippered penguins, a variant of the Australasian little penguin found nowhere else. See them on a sea-kayaking safari or from waterside hides on a guided walking tour.

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Get active
Banks Peninsula may be a popular destination for sea kayaking thanks to its deep sheltered bays, but it’s not the only area around Christchurch where you can get moving on land and water. The city itself is full of green spaces where you can walk, run or hop on a bicycle, while the surrounding region is studded with nature reserves. Hike and/or pedal through a variety of habitats, from native forests and wetlands to windswept coastlands. If you’re more of an action-loving water baby, head south east to the city limits to the wonderfully named Taylors Mistake Beach – it’s a popular surfing spot backed by century-old beach huts known as baches.

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