1 Day in Christchurch: The Most Unique Things to See and Do

Full disclosure: I debated whether or not Christchurch should be a stop on our busy 2 week itinerary through New Zealand. When I visited Christchurch as a student 16 years ago, let’s just say, the most memorable part was seeing its many canals. Don’t get me wrong, the canals are lovely, but I had a hard time figuring out what to do.

Fast forward to present day, and Christchurch is a city very much in transition and still recovering from several tragedies. In 2011, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake rocked the city, killing 185 people and injuring several thousand. It occurred only six months after another powerful quake. Then in March 2019, headlines hit that a gunman attacked a local mosque, killing 51 people.

The city is still working hard to move on. In fact, it’s worth spending an afternoon strolling through the central business district to see all the changes. It’s hard to believe that 60 percent of the historic city center was damaged by the quake.

While some residents decided to move out, the ones who have stuck it out are a resilient bunch. In fact, we found that Christchurch was not only one of our favorites parts of this vacation, but the most unique. It’s rare to see a modern city that is literally being rebuilt from the ground up.

Check out our top picks on what to see and do below. And soon you’ll see why a visit to Christchurch is a must stop for a day or two.

Get Caffeinated: Best Spot to Grab a Coffee or Snack

C1 Espresso makes a great first stop on our full day itinerary. The cool cafe re-opened in the old Post Office on a corner that withstood the quakes. The original cafe, established in 1996, was just opposite of the current location but totally destroyed. At first glance, it looks like a regular cafe. But upon further inspection, you’ll see so much more. Be sure to look up towards the high ceiling to see their unique food delivery system — a clear pneumatic tube that spits out burger sliders and fries from the kitchen to the tables in the dining room. How cool is that? But Kevin had his eye on the other hidden gem — a bathroom hidden behind an automatic door resembling a regular bookshelf. Of course, I had to just use the bathroom to see it in action.

Though a personal favorite feature of mine was the water dispenser inside the sewing machine. Luckily someone took pity on me as I tried to pour a glass and find the right way to get the water to come out. Hey, it’s tricky! I later learned that many of these objects were actually recovered from the earthquake and repurposed for the cafe.

Reflect on Christchurch’s Tragic Past

Quake City:

Quake City, located a short 15 minute walk from the cafe, is not to be missed. While the museum isn’t particularly large, you could easily spend 2-3 hours inside reading all the personal stories of heroism, hope and loss from the Canterbury earthquakes. In particular, the video of Christchurch residents recounting their stories is both moving and hard-hitting. We live in Southern California and haven’t experienced anything on a scale like this. But it really made us evaluate how we’d handle the scenario when the next big one hits.

Beyond the personal stories, Quake City includes some of the objects which have defined the Canterbury earthquakes including the spire of Christchurch Cathedral and the clocks from the now-demolished former railway station. Admission is $13 USD for adults, $11 for students and senior citizens and free for anyone under 15 year old and accompanied by an adult (otherwise, it’s $5).

Canterbury Earthquake National Memorial

This quiet memorial, opened to the public in February 2017, is a place to reflect on the 2010/2011 earthquakes that changed Greater Christchurch forever. It’s located just a short 10 minute walk from Quake City and Kevin and I wanted to pay our respects to all those who passed, were seriously injured as well as the survivors. The memorial can be visited at any time of the day, as it’s in a park along the Avon River.

185 White Chairs

From the memorial, we walked 15 minutes to the next place in honor of those who were lost during the earthquake called 185 White Chairs. While most memorials feature crosses, gravestones, or a list of names, Christchurch’s 185 Chairs installation remembers the earthquake’s victims with an empty white chair for each, designed to fit each victim’s personality. The display is made up of armchairs, dining room chairs, beanbags, wheelchairs, baby capsules, or whatever seat the person would have sat on. The current site of 185 Chairs was once a vacant lot but local artist Peter Majendie transformed it into the unique and powerful installation it is today. Says Majendie, “the installation is temporary—as is life.”

Best Museum: Imagining Life in Antarctica

I visited the International Antarctic Center as student, and thought it was a blast. But they’ve taken it to a whole new level with interactive exhibits and experiences that gives you a whole new appreciation of what it might like to be a scientist working in Antarctica. You’ll need to hop in your car and drive to this spot since it’s located in a suburb outside the city center by the airport. But don’t let the distance scare you away.

Our first experience at the center was joining an all-terrain vehicle tour over mounds of rocks and other materials to mimic driving in Antarctica. Our driver joked, “Now don’t tell me you’re expecting Disneyland rides.” But in all honestly, I thought it was even better as we learned about how these machines roll through the icy terrain.

The museum even simulates an Antarctic storm (be warned, it gets cold and my California bones could hardly take it!), has an interactive husky exhibit, displays on the first expeditions to Antarctica and of course plenty of penguins.

This might be the closest thing you’ll experience to being in Antarctica. Admission is $38 USD for adults, $18 for children and free for infants. Be sure to inquire about discounted prices for students, senior citizens and group packages for families.

Best Thing to do at Night in Christchurch

Christchurch isn’t exactly known for its thumping nightlife. In fact, there are sections right in the heart of the central business district where you won’t see a single person. However, there is one place where you’ll find a big crowd and that’s at the Isaac Theater Royal, which is the major theatrical venue on the South Island to see broadway theater and stage performances.

Built in 1908, the building managed to survive the big quake but sustained considerable damage and was closed for nearly 4 years while restoration took place. The theater has a wide variety of shows ranging from the Royal New Zealand Ballet, hypnotists, broadway touring shows, films and musical acts. But best of all? We loved the intermission where it’s customary to eat ice cream cones. We got such a kick out of it! In fact, when we mentioned it to an elderly kiwi woman sitting next to us, she wondered what people ordered in the US. When I told her it was normally cocktails or wine, she just said, “Oh how sophisticated!” I love it.

Best Late Night Meal For the Night Owl

As mentioned, don’t expect to live it up at night in Christchurch. Or really find much open for that matter. When the sun goes down, the central business district empties out. So it’s a real challenge to find anything open for dinner, let alone a drink. Luckily, we hit the jackpot when we stumbled across the bar lounge inside the Rendezvous Hotel, directly across the street from the Isaac Theatre Royal. And this place is hopping — we got a kick watching the bus loads of international tourists piling through the hotel lobby. They serve food late into the night. In fact, we arrived there after our show — close to 10 PM — and still were able to order the ever-so-light butter chicken curry! Okay, maybe not the lightest of meals, but it tasted so good.

And there you have it — a full day in Christchurch. Clearly, we had a blast and recommend spending a full day to take it all in.