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 This scenic self-drive guide enables you to explore, at your leisure, many fascinating sites in the Christchurch area, while viewing some of the most beautiful and spectacular scenery in the country.
There are three different drives, all start and finish at Our City O-Tautahi on Oxford Terrace. Cyclists may also find this guide useful and may wish to deviate from the main roads. For example, an entirely different perspective of Hagley Park can be experienced by using its many cycle-ways.
Download the Guide [5964KB free PDF reader] This has a route map included.
The first drive follows the Avon River, named by the pioneering Deans brothers after the River Avon in Scotland. The journey along the river leads you past sights of historical interest. Stop in the seaside suburb of New Brighton for a walk along the Pier, on the beach, or through the mall. The drive then weaves you back past important wetland areas, to the heart of the city.
The second drive takes you from the central city, past sites of special significance, to the city’s expansive Hagley Park then leads you to elegant historic estates and ends near the city’s Botanic Gardens. The Gardens feature many of the most beautiful and unusual trees and plants in the country, while situated close to the city’s central business district.
The third drive marks the way from the heart of the city to the summit of the Port Hills, Christchurch’s most prominent geographical feature. At the summit of the Port Hills magnificent views can be seen of Christchurch, the Canterbury Plains and the Southern Alps, Lyttelton Harbour and Pegasus Bay. The drive carries on through the seaside suburb of Sumner and returns to the city centre past the wonderful Avon-Heathcote Estuary.
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Avon River Drive
Distance 32 kilometres
1. Our City O-Tautahi
This building was erected in 1887 as the former Christchurch City Council Chambers, and it was the centre of local government until 1924. Designed by architect Samuel Hurst Seager, the three storeyed brick and stone building features four different facades blending Gothic, Elizabethan and Dutch motifs. Now home to Our City O-Tautahi, a facility that provides exhibitions and displays examining past, present and future issues about Christchurch city.
2. Edmonds Band Rotunda
Across the Avon in Cambridge Terrace, the octagonally-shaped rotunda with its tall columns and copper dome is built in the Italian Renaissance style. It was a gift to the City from Thomas John Edmonds (1853- 1932), a successful businessman and founder of the Edmonds baking powder factory and gardens. It was one of eight band rotundas in the city by 1945, and was converted into a restaurant in 1987. In his bid to beautify the “Poplar Crescent” stretch of river bank, T.J.
Edmonds also donated the distinctive clock tower, telephone cabinet and street lights further along the river near Madras Street.
3. Avon Loop
Over the Madras Street bridge the river winds around the Avon Loop.
A cairn near the Barbadoes Street Bridge marks the site of the Bricks Wharf where many of the first settlers chose their sections. Christchurch’s first commercial buildings, including Wards Brewery, were also erected on this site. Today a cluster of remaining cottages look over the picturesque Avon to the park-like setting of the old Barbadoes Street Cemetery.
4. Bangor Street Pumphouse
Bangor Street No 3 pumping house on the banks of the Avon resembles a miniature pavilion. The quaint little brick building was designed by the noted architectural firm of Collins and Harman and built in 1907. Two smaller versions were built on the opposite riverbank at Templar Street in 1911 and at Glade Avenue in 1914.
The pumphouses still have an important role, collecting and pumping waste into the main sewerage system.
5. Beverley Park
On Avonside Drive, in the historical area called Englefield, you will find Beverley Park. A heritage rose garden was planted in August 2000 (in the southwest corner of the park and facing the northeast), to commemorate the Millennium and 150 years of European settlement in the area. The roses are old-world varieties, planted according to height, form and colour.
6. Avon River – Otakaro
This gentle river is one of Christchurch’s most significant icons. It is spanned within the “four avenues” by 13 bridges and flanked by distinctive willows, poplars and other trees. Maori called it the Otakaro meaning “the place of a game”, and it was an important place for gathering food and materials for making textiles and medicines. It was also an important means of transport, for both Maori and European.
7. Kerr’s Reach
Kerr’s Reach was named after pioneer Peter Kerr and his hospitable wife, whose house became a favourite stopping place for craft on the river. The river was transformed in 1950 when a cut was put through to create a rowing course for the Centennial Games.
Canterbury Rowing Club (the oldest registered sports club in New Zealand) and other clubs then moved down river to the new course. Since then Kerr’s Reach has been a training ground for many top rowers. A plaque on Fitzgerald Avenue Bridge depicts the history of rowing in Christchurch.
8. Porritt Park
The park was named after New Zealand’s Governor General and Olympic athlete Sir Arthur Porritt and was developed for hockey in the early 1970s. The park now consists of twin artificial hockey turfs and stadium.
9. Amelia Rogers
The former home of Amelia Frances Rogers (Burwood Postmistress between 1891 and 1928) is marked by a plaque in a riverside reserve opposite Bathhurst Lane. From the reserve you can walk to the river through artificial marshland created during the dredging of Kerr’s Reach in 1995.
10. Cockayne Reserve
This 3.3 hectare nature conservation reserve area is the last remnant of pre-settlement vegetation along this stretch of river. It is named after a leading New Zealand botanist and conservationist Leonard Cockayne (1855-1934), who established his Tarata Experimental Garden opposite the reserve. The Bower Bridge marks the beginning of the Jubilee Walkway, which links with the Estuary Walk at Bridge Street.
11. New Brighton Mall
Christchurch’s first Arbor Day planting took place in New Brighton in 1892 and the country’s first surf life saving club was formed there in 1910. During the 1960s New Brighton flourished as Christchurch’s only Saturday shopping venue. Its centre has since been pedestrianised; stop for a stroll amongst the shops and cafes.
12. New Brighton Pier and Library
The original New Brighton Pier, built in 1894, stood on the same site as the present concrete pier (opened in 1997), which stretches 300 metres into Pegasus Bay. The pier is a popular fishing spot and provides fine views back over the city, especially at sunrise. Nearby stands the New Brighton Clock Tower, donated to the Borough of New Brighton in 1934 in memory of Edmund Green. He had arrived in Christchurch in 1859 to install New Zealand’s first telegraph system in the South Island.
The New Brighton Pier Building houses the New Brighton Library - situated right on the beach this is a library where you can sit and enjoy stunning ocean views.
13. Sand Dunes
North New Brighton Beach is one of the 12 beach parks managed by the Council. Dunes are being shaped and planted to ensure they act as a natural buffer between the forces of the sea and salt-laden winds, and urban areas. Beach access-ways have been developed to protect planting, and tracks have been formed for recreation use.
14 Queen Elizabeth II Park
QEII Park was built specifically for the 1974 Commonwealth Games, and today is an impressive multi-sport and leisure complex which caters for family recreation through to elite sport performance and development. The Atlantis themed leisure pool is fantastic for family entertainment. The themed aquatic facility includes a 40m wave pool, lazy river, children's playzone and a 50 metre lap pool. Spa, sauna, and café facilities are also available poolside. For golf enthusiasts there is also a driving range, 18 hole par three golf course, as well as mini-golf facilities.
15. Travis Wetland
Travis Wetland Nature Heritage Park is the largest remaining example of freshwater, lowland swamp in the region. Located in the midst of housing, the 112 hectare park was purchased by the Christchurch City Council in the 1990s to provide a viable habitat for local pukeko and other wildlife. The urban park contains a number of species now rare on the Canterbury Plains, including the only substantial stand of manuka. Other plants such as the spider orchid and native sundew are regionally vulnerable.
16. Horseshoe Lake Reserve
As surrounding wetlands gradually disappear, this reserve is a reminder of a once common land type. The stretch of water, called Horseshoe Lake, was probably once a meandering arm of the Avon River, cut off when the main current found a more direct route to the sea. The reserve offers a unique walking track through wetland reserve.
17. Merivale Village
Surrounded by the affluent suburb of Merivale, the local shopping centre offers a range of restaurants and boutique shops catering for more exclusive tastes. The area was named after “Merevale” farm, purchased by Mrs Charlotte Jackson, who arrived from Rugby in 1851. Her original 40.5 hectare block had been named after a parish in Warwickshire, England.
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Garden Drive
Distance 19 kilometres
2. Nurses’ Memorial Chapel
Built between 1927 and 1928, the chapel is believed to be the only purpose-built hospital chapel in the world which commemorates nurses who died in World War I. In the attractive garden around the chapel medicinal herbs, roses, vines and other plants can be found.
 3 Hagley Park
Covering 161 hectares, Hagley Park was declared a public reserve in 1856. Hagley Park is Christchurch’s most significant city park and a major sporting and cultural focal point, offering facilities for golf, netball, horse-riding, cricket, rugby, softball, hockey and soccer.
4. Mona Vale
Mona Vale is an historic Victorian homestead surrounded by English style gardens, and was once part of the estate belonging to the Deans, Canterbury’s first permanent European settlers. The house and garden date from 1899, with additional land acquired and outbuildings constructed after the turn of the century. The property passed into City Council ownership in the late 1960s, with help from the public of Christchurch in raising funds for the purchase.
The elegant homestead and beautiful, well-established gardens have been further developed since that time and now provide a wonderful place for a walk among the graceful and tranquil surrounds.
Mona Vale house is now a restaurant and function centre, and is a relaxing place to stop for a cup of tea or coffee.
5. Riccarton Bush and Riccarton House
The Maori name for the bush is Putaringamotu (the place of an echo).
Riccarton Bush is among the last remnants of lowland podocarp forest remaining in Canterbury. The 6.4 hectare forest, which is open to visitors, features 400-500 year old kahikatea trees and ancient ti palms (cabbage trees).
Riccarton Bush is also important because it is the site of Canterbury’s first permanent European settlers, William and John Deans of Scotland, who made Canterbury their home in 1843. They gave the name “Riccarton” to the area for their home parish, Riccarton in Ayrshire, Scotland. Their first permanent farm cottage was built in 1843 and still remains within the grounds, as does the homestead which was built between 1856 and 1900.
The grounds of the homestead also feature very broad specimens of some of the earliest exotic broadleaf and coniferous trees planted in Christchurch. Rest at the licensed café or participate in a guided heritage tour.
6. University of Canterbury
The campus of the University of Canterbury was progressively moved from its site in central Christchurch, in what is now the Arts Centre, to the Ilam campus from the late 1950s through to the mid 1970s.
7. Jellie Park
The 12 hectare park was donated to the city by Mr James Jellie.
The park features heated indoor and outdoor pools and gym facilities set within landscaped grounds.
8. St Barnabas Anglican Church
This impressive stone church framed by fine copper beech and lime trees, was consecrated in 1926, as a memorial to men and women who died in world War I, on the side of the original St Barnabas, built in 1876.
9. Millbrook Reserve
Located opposite Little Hagley Park, Millbrook Reserve is a 0.4 hectare reserve which became a public park after the Helmore estate was subdivided in 1917. “River Bank” Owen, a prominent tailor renowned for his efforts to beautify the Avon, was the driving force behind the development of the reserve, which opened in 1924. Established trees planted by the Helmore family were supplemented with collections of other exotics and later a special area of New Zealand plants. A cedar and eucalyptus tree dominate the reserve and are among the tallest trees in Christchurch.
10. North Hagley Park
Hagley Park was set aside as a reserve in 1856. The first tree plantings were undertaken in 1863. Today, North Hagley Park is the venue for many outdoor concerts during the summer, offers a nine hole golf course all year round and features a popular running track. It also provides an entrance into Christchurch’s beloved Botanic Gardens.
11. Christchurch Botanic Gardens
The Christchurch Botanic Gardens cover 31 hectares and feature broad avenues, attractive vistas, large trees, many beautiful floral features, statues, and conservatories encompassed by the meandering Avon River. The Gardens contain the finest single collection of exotic and indigenous plants in New Zealand representative of tropical to alpine regions. There is a visitor information centre, restaurant and cafe, as well as a play area for children, which includes a paddling pool.
12. The Canterbury Museum
Housed in one of Christchurch's finest historic buildings, Canterbury Museum has world class displays of geology, zoology, Maori, Asian and European collections. Other highlights are the late 19th century Christchurch Street, the hands-on Discovery Centre for children of all ages, the world's top stories from Antarctica's heroic era of discovery and exploration, and "Living Canterbury". The Museum's Exhibition Court features a range of changing special exhibitions.
 13. The Arts Centre of Christchurch
This precinct of Gothic Revival buildings was formerly the home to Canterbury University College, first established in 1873. Christchurch’s hub of arts and crafts, featuring art galleries, craft studios and shops, theatres, cinemas, a selection of cafes, restaurants and bars and an exciting colourful weekend market and ethnic food fair.
The Arts Centre includes many places of historic note, including the oldest lecture theatre in New Zealand and Rutherford's Den, named for the New Zealand born Ernest Rutherford, who was known as the "Father of the Atom".
14. The Christchurch Art Gallery
Te Puna o Waiwhetu. Opened in 2003 the gallery is the largest art institution in the South Island and replaces the Robert McDougall Art Gallery (est. 1932) as the home of one of New Zealand's most important public art collections. The new facility houses nine galleries with a vibrant programme of national and international exhibitions; two shops, a café and bar.
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Port Hills Drive
Distance 46 kilometres
2. Edmonds Factory Gardens
Thomas Edmonds (the manufacturer of the famous brand of baking powder) commissioned this garden around his new factory, built in 1923. The garden and factory, which featured on the cover of the best-selling Edmonds Cookery Book, were a horticultural delight and won many awards in civic beautifying competitions.
The City Council acquired a major portion of the original Edmonds Factory Garden in 1991, after the building had been demolished and the property sub-divided. Since then, a rose garden and an oval garden have been added. The garden is well supported by the local community.
3. Heathcote River – Opawaho
The Opawaho was an important river for the Ngai Tahu in the gathering of food (mahinga kai) and materials for weaving. Renamed by early European arrivals, the Heathcote was used as a water thoroughfare for early Canterbury traders and settlers.
4. Sign of the Takahe
Completed in 1948, the Sign of the Takahe is a magnificent Gothicinspired building, designed to satisfy the vision of Harry Ell, a prominent local eccentric, visionary and conservationist. Harry Ell formed a strong attachment to the plants and birds of the Port Hills, and sought to preserve them by establishing a number of reserves along the Port Hills. These reserves were to be linked by a summit road that would eventually stretch from Godley Head at the head of Lyttelton Harbour, right across Banks Peninsula to Akaroa Harbour. The Sign of the Takahe is set within the Cracroft Reserve which features native trees, shrubs and tussocks and a plane table that illustrates and names the peaks of the Southern Alps (including Aorangi, or Mt Cook, New Zealand’s tallest mountain), which can be seen from this lookout.
5. Victoria Park
Considered the gateway to the Port Hills, Victoria Park has been popular for walking, mountain biking and as a picnic spot with Christchurch people since it was constituted a recreation area in 1883. The area was officially named Victoria Park to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897. Facilities at the park include the Port Hills Visitor Centre and a memorial to the soldiers of the 19th Infantry Battalion and Armoured Regiment who fought and fell during the first and second world wars.
6. Sign of the Kiwi
The Sign of the Kiwi was designed by one of Christchurch’s most prominent architects, Samuel Hurst Seager, and opened in June 1917. It serves as a tearoom and offers magnificent views of the western part of Christchurch city and the Southern Alps. The Sign of the Kiwi is also an excellent place from which to begin one of the many walking routes along the Port Hills.
7. Rapaki Rock
This rock marks the path local Ngai Tahu took across the Port Hills from the Canterbury Plains to Rapaki Bay in Lyttelton Harbour where a large Ngai Tahu settlement existed (and still does). Rapaki Rock is an example of the volcanic dykes formed by eruptions radiating from a central vent near Quail Island in Lyttelton Harbour. The now extinct volcano forms the northern part of Banks Peninsula.
8. Castle Rock – Te Tihi O Kahukura
Castle Rock is another vantage point from which to see the city, as well as Pegasus Bay and the broad, sparkling Avon-Heathcote Estuary.
The Rock was familiar to both the Ngai Tahu who lived in and around Christchurch (Otautahi) and Lyttelton Harbour (Whakaraupo), and the early European settlers who struggled over the Port Hills from Lyttelton to settle in the new Christchurch.
A distinctive geological feature is that the rock is strongly magnetic.
Because of the many facets and aspects of the rock, a uniquely diverse range of plant species abound within a very small area.
9 Bridle Path and Memorial to Pioneer Women
This hexagonal shaped stone memorial is to the courage of the European pioneer women who rested at the top of the path that led from the Port of Lyttelton. They had disembarked after a four month journey by sea from England to Christchurch, and the arduous tramp over the Bridle Path, often carrying their children and possessions, was the only practicable route to Christchurch from Lyttelton. The Bridle Path still exists today and is a popular excursion for walkers.
 10. Christchurch Gondola
At the top of Mount Cavendish sits the top station of the Christchurch Gondola. The building offers panoramic vistas of both sides of the Port Hills from its various viewing platforms. Gondolas glide up to the top station from the Heathcote Valley below for visitors to enjoy the views and other attractions on offer. Situated in the building is a restaurant, souvenir shop and a Time Tunnel, which graphically illustrates the history of Banks Peninsula from the dawn of time to the present day.
11. Sumner
From Christchurch’s early days, city residents have enjoyed coming to Sumner and neighbouring Scarborough beaches for their summer fun. The area is also distinctive for its two unusual rock features, Cave Rock (Tuawera) and Shag Rock (Rapanui). Stop for ice cream, a cold drink, coffee or even gourmet pizza at one of the local stores, restaurants and cafés.
12. Moa-bone Point Cave
Moa-bone Point Cave was occupied at least 600 years ago by the earliest inhabitants of Canterbury, the Waitaha people, who hunted the moa and took fish and shellfish from the estuary and Pegasus Bay.
13. Avon-Heathcote Estuary
The Avon’s journey ends at South New Brighton where it merges with the Heathcote River in the Avon-Heathcote Estuary. Only 12km from the City Centre, the 880 hectare estuary is a vast playground for many different recreational groups including yachties, windsurfers, kayakers, walkers and birdwatchers. More than 100 species of birds have been recorded there in recent years, with total numbers peaking at 32,000. Oystercatchers, herons and kingfishers add to the colour and diversity of the estuary and adjoining oxidation ponds. The waters and margins of the estuary provided a rich food supply to the tangata whenua (local Maori) including shellfish, flounder, birds and plant life.
14. Convention Centre and Town Hall
Now a bustling part of Christchurch’s tourism and convention activities, this area was once a substantial settlement called Puari and was occupied by the Waitaha people from c1500.
For further information contact:
Christchurch City Council - City Promotions,
PO Box 237, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand.
Email: christchurch@ccc.govt.nz
Tel (03) 941 8999, Fax (03) 941 8262
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