Christchurch is one of the easier places in New Zealand to enjoy cheaply, because so many of its best sights are free and sit within a short walk of each other. This guide builds a budget plan around those free stops, then shows where a little spending pays off. Prices throughout are in New Zealand dollars, and the guide avoids quoting exact fares, so check current prices before you go.
Start with the art gallery
The Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū is free and one of the best things in the city on any day, and especially a wet one. Allow one to two hours plus time for the cafe. On Wednesday evenings it stays open until 9 pm, which gives you a free evening activity when many other places have closed. The building itself is part of the story of the rebuilt city.
Walk the green centre
The Christchurch Botanic Gardens are free and sit beside Hagley Park and the Avon River. Spring is the best season for bulbs and colour, summer for borders, and autumn for foliage. Bring a picnic and spend an hour or two. From the gardens the walk to the Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora is short. The Arts Centre is a collection of restored stone buildings and courtyards, free to wander, and lovely in the morning when the courtyards are quiet or in late afternoon when the sun warms the stone. Shops and cafes inside charge for what they sell, but walking costs nothing.
Understand the city for free
Tūranga, the central library on Cathedral Square, is a striking modern building that is free to enter, warm in winter and a useful rest stop. Nearby, the Canterbury Earthquake National Memorial Oi Manawa is a quiet wall beside the river with the names of those who died in the 2011 earthquake. Allow 15 to 30 minutes, and go at a calm time of day. If you want the full story, Quake City is a paid visit of about an hour with personal accounts of the earthquakes and the rebuild, and it is worth the modest cost for context. Together these stops make a thoughtful free morning in the centre.
Eat cheaply and well
Riverside Market is an indoor food hall open seven days a week, with free entry, local produce and food from many counters. Individual stalls keep their own hours, so check before you go. The trick is to share small dishes and graze rather than order a full meal each. On Saturday mornings the Christchurch Farmers' Market at Riccarton House is a good place for breakfast and picnic supplies. Riccarton House and Bush is itself free to wander: 12 hectares of native forest about 5 km from the centre, open all year, including kahikatea trees that can be up to 600 years old.
Free with children
The Margaret Mahy Family Playground at 177 Armagh Street costs nothing and keeps children happy for an hour or two, with big slides, a flying fox and water play. Bring a towel and spare clothes. Combine it with Tūranga, which has a children's floor, and a picnic, and you have a family day for the price of a snack.
Where to spend a little
The Christchurch Tram day pass is good value if you use it, because the 18-stop loop takes about 50 minutes and you can hop on and off all day. It is best used on your first morning to learn the layout. The gondola is worth the money on a clear day because the view across the plains and the Port Hills is the best orientation in the region; save it for good weather rather than risk a cloudy ride. The Antarctic Centre is the most popular paid attraction and the best wet-weather option, and booking ahead is sensible in school holidays.
Where to splurge once
If you can afford one big trip, choose the one that fits your interests. The Akaroa dolphin cruise is the best-value scenic day for most visitors. The Kaikōura whale watching trip is the wildlife splurge. Hanmer Springs is the relaxing treat, and a weekday visit is quieter. Group tours can be cheaper than hiring a car for a single day, particularly if you are travelling alone, but if you are a family of four a hire car for several days often costs less.
Budget stays and practical tips
A central base saves on transport because you can walk to most of the free sights. ibis Christchurch is the budget choice in the centre, and Quest Cathedral Junction Serviced Apartments, with kitchen appliances and laundry, lets a family or group cook breakfast and keep food costs down. Carry a refillable bottle, because tap water is safe to drink, and a rain jacket, because the free sights are mostly outdoors. Tipping is not expected in New Zealand. Book the paid headline trips early and leave the rest of your time free, and you can cover a lot of Christchurch for very little.
