Events at the Botanic Gardens

You are invited to join a number of events throughout the year at the New Zealand World Peace Bell located in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens.

Celebrate, commemorate and have a go at ringing the bell.

Annual events

The World Peace Bell Association(external link) organises all of the above ceremonies with the exception of UN Holocaust Memorial Day, Hiroshima and Nagasaki Remembrance and Joya-no-kane 108 Bells.

Sometimes new events are added so please check back for commemorations of interest.

Find out more about the New Zealand World Peace Bell.

10am to 11.30am, Mondays during the school term.

Calling all parents, grandparents and caregivers! Bring your preschool-aged tamariki into the Christchurch Botanic Gardens to enjoy a simple craft or plant-based activity with the Canterbury Horticultural Society.

Stories, toys and colouring-in are available too.

• All welcome - no booking needed (caregiver supervision is required).
• Tea and coffee are provided.
• Gold coin koha entry
• Runs during school term-time.

Enjoy gardening and nature-based activities with your preschooler.

More information is available on the Canterbury Horticultural Society Facebook page(external link).

Envirokids is a chance to connect Kiwi kids to our environmental community, and it's free.

Every Saturday, the Envirohub(external link) will have activities for kids inspired by the mahi (work) of different organisations that work with the environment.

Activities are available between 10am to 3pm every Saturday, even during the holidays.

• 10am to 3pm every Saturday at the Kiosk, Botanic Gardens.
• Children who come regularly can record their learning in a special passbook available once they attend their second event.
• EnviroKids is also an accredited Children's University learning destination, so stamps are available for participating children's passports.

Find out more information about EnviroKids(external link) or keep up to date on the EnviroKids Facebook(external link). 

10.30am to 1.30pm on Thursdays.

Pop in for an environmental chat if you need inspiration or advice on anything from starting a new environmental project,  volunteer challenges,  funding advice for green projects, sustainability at home or waste and recycling processes.

The EnviroHub are here to help:

• An opportunity to join an ongoing conversation or have a one-on-one chat.
• Free, no bookings required.
• Drop into the Kiosk anytime between 10.30am and 1pm in the Kiosk, Botanic Gardens.

Find more information about Environmental Chat(external link).

The Friends of the Botanic Gardens run a plant stall opposite the Kiosk. It is restocked daily, and available plants often change.

• All plants are just $7.
• Payment is either via cash in the donation box or EFTPOS at the Kiosk.
• Kiosk hours for EFTPOS payment are 10am to 4pm from September to April, and 10am to 3pm from May to August.
• Please bring your own bag to carry plants; the Kiosk does not have any available.

For more information about the varieties on offer, please contact friendsofthegardens@gmail.com.

The Canterbury Horticultural Society(external link) host a number of paid workshops and classes during the year. These range from arts and crafts to practical horticultural and botanical skills, and include something for all ages.

Workshops and classes are held at The Kiosk, Te Māra Huaota o Waipapa Christchurch Botanic Gardens, just over the footbridge from the Armagh Street car park.

Contact 03 366 6937 or office@chsgardens.co.nz.

Become a member of the CHS(external link) and receive up to 30% off all our courses and workshops.

Join the Friends of the Botanic Gardens volunteer guides for free guided walks at the Botanic Gardens (October to April) and Mona Vale Gardens (year-round).

Pick and choose from a wonderful selection of topics or come along to all of them for a dose of exercise, beautiful displays, and education rolled into one.

See the walk schedule.

Botanic Gardens guided walks

• October to April
• 1.30pm daily, lasting 45 to 90 minutes.
• Meet at the Kiosk, Christchurch Botanic Gardens.

Mona Vale guided walks

• Selected dates throughout the year.
• 1.30pm, lasting approx. 90 minutes.
• Meet by the Mona Vale rose garden.

If you have any queries about guided walks at Mona Vale or the Botanic Gardens, please contact friendsofthegardens@gmail.com.

Join the Canterbury Horticultural Society for their monthly meet-up. Hear fascinating speakers, connect with like-minded folk and learn new skills for the garden.

Garden life(external link) runs at 6pm on the first Tuesday of the month, with a repeat on Wednesday at 1pm.

• The Kiosk, Christchurch Botanic Gardens.
• $5 for CHS and Friends members, $10 general public.
• Tea, coffee and biscuits are provided in the afternoon session and nibbles and a glass of wine in the evening.

November

6pm, Tuesday 4 November and 1pm, Wednesday 5 November.

Main speaker: Helen Osbourne, Te Whare Waiutuutu Kate Sheppard House Museum

Where Change Took Root: Kate Sheppard and the Landscape of Suffrage

This talk explores the remarkable life and enduring impact of Kate Sheppard through the lens of her home and garden in Ōtautahi Christchurch. As Aotearoa New Zealand’s leading suffrage campaigner, Kate Sheppard understood the power of persistence, strategy, and community — values still deeply rooted in the place she once called home.

Helen Osborne shares insights into Kate’s vegetarianism and its influence on the historic garden, as well as the transformation of the house into a public site of memory. The presentation highlights how this space continues to spark conversations about women’s rights, political change, and social justice — inviting reflection on how heritage places can serve as powerful reminders of activism, resistance, and the everyday lives that shape history.

Helen is the Property Lead for Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, where she manages Te Whare Waiutuutu Kate Sheppard House Museum.

Mini Speaker: Bear Astill - Midgarden

Discover the world of chilli peppers with Midgarden, a small organic farming enterprise based in Ōtautahi/Christchurch. Founded by Bear Astill and Amy Wilson, Midgarden began with a lockdown passion for growing chillies and has since grown into a vibrant business specialising in organic, flavourful varieties—some familiar, others rare and surprising.

Come along to hear their story, learn how they grow sustainably, and dive into the colourful, spicy world of chillies.

The Friends of the Botanic Gardens warmly invite you to their monthly speakers series.

Join this month's speakers, Murray Radka and Fran Rawling, two of New Zealand's leading rosarians, for a fascinating insight into the world of beautiful, hardy and historic heritage roses.

Murray Radka, a former history teacher, will speak about the importance of roses in human history, saving the New Zealand collection of historic roses, and creating a garden to house and preserve this collection for the future.

Fran Rawling will speak about the development of the heritage roses collection at the Dunedin Northern Cemetery, and why Heritage Roses Otago became involved in its restoration. 

• 4pm Sunday 16 November. Afternoon tea from 3.30pm
• $5 for CHS and Friends' members
• $10 for non-members
• No bookings required.

Talk takes place in the Kiosk at the Christchurch Botanic Gardens. The Kiosk is near the children's playground and is one of the first buildings you come across when entering via the Armagh Street car parking entrance.

To get involved in volunteering in the Botanic Gardens, join the Friends of the Botanic Gardens(external link).