The Travel Guide to Christchurch on a Budget

© NZPocketGuide.com

Free Activities in Christchurch

Experience the city highlights and surrounding landscape without spending a dime! A good place to start, if you’re staying in Christchurch city centre, is exploring Hagley Park and the Botanic Gardens. As Christchurch is known as the “Garden City”, see these iconic city-centre parks that sit side-by-side. The Botanic Gardens boasts an array of water features, themed gardens, winter gardens and much more. Check out the 10 Beautiful Gardens & Parks in Christchurch for more parks to visit and their locations.

Alongside the gardens, the Canterbury Museum offers another free attraction. Inside, learn about the local Maori, European and natural history of Christchurch and the surrounding region, as well as the city’s connection to the Antarctic, in an array of captivating displays.

Surrounding Christchurch, various landscapes are available to explore between the Port Hills to the long sandy beaches on the coast. Sumner Beach and New Brighton Beach are highlights; easy to get to by bus and bringing their own charms. At Sumner, explore the arches and caves, while New Brighton is home to a 300m (980ft) pier giving an alternative perspective of the coast. Learn more about New Brighton in the 10 Free & Cheap Things To Do in New Brighton.

Although shopping is an obvious thing to do in a city, the farmers’ markets are something of an attraction. The Christchurch Farmers’ Market at Riccarton House & Bush is a bustling hub of arts, crafts, street food and artisan goods happening every Saturday from 9am to 1pm. The Downtown Farmers’ Market is another opportunity to experience a classic Kiwi event every Sunday at The Commons. A super popular one is the Lyttelton Farmers Market on Saturday mornings in this picturesque harbour suburb.

For more free stuff, see the 14 Free & Cheap Things to Do in Christchurch.

© NZPocketGuide.com

Cheap Activities in Christchurch

If you have a little bit of cash to spare in your travel budget, then you might want to add some of Christchurch’s affordable attractions to the itinerary.

We briefly touched on the suburb of Lyttelton in the section above, which is also the launch point for trips to Quail Island. For around NZ$25 per person, the Quail Island ferry takes you to an island rich in history as a quarantine station, leprosy colony, training centre of Antarctic expeditions and much more. It also has some scenic beaches and walks with a wealth of birdlife to discover. Check out more things to do in Lyttelton here.

There are a few more museums in Christchurch well worth visiting to educate yourself and, well, see some cool stuff. While the Air Force Museum is free and full of beautifully preserved warplanes, they also offer an array of events and activities that are typically under NZ$10. Alternatively, Quake City in the city centre is NZ$20 entry to learn all about the famous Canterbury earthquakes which impacted the city in 2010/11.

For more cheap activities, head to the 14 Free & Cheap Things to Do in Christchurch.

© ChristchurchNZ

Cheap Eats in Christchurch

You’re in the city now! There’s no need to buy overpriced cafe cabinet food or expensive pizzas (why are the pizzas in New Zealand so expensive?)

Christchurch offers an array of local and international flavours in its takeaways, cafes, restaurants and food trucks. Some of the highlights include Shirley’s Kitchen (72 Waimairi Road) for its filling Malaysian dishes for under NZ$10. A popular joint is Steampunk Laboratory (270 St Asaph Street) serving cheap Korean cup-bops where you can add your own sauces at the counter.

For more local eats, try Bun Runners Cafe (Fitzgerald Avenue) for their Southland cheese rolls or “Southland sushi”. You’ll also find 3 Cows Cafe, Bar and Restaurant (71 Victoria Street) and C1 Espresso (Tuam Street) serving hearty cooked Kiwi breakfasts.

For much more recommendations, head over to the Cheap Eats in Christchurch or find food activities listed in The Foodie Guide to Christchurch.