Visiting Christchurch, New Zealand: Top Sights on Foot

Christchurch, New Zealand’s largest city on the South Island, blends English heritage, Māori history, and innovative renewal amid parks and the Avon River. Known as the Garden City, it offers a mix of historic landmarks, contemporary art, and stories of resilience after the 2010‑2011 earthquakes. Neywo provides a free audio guide for Christchurch with 93 narrated places to help you explore at your own pace.

The city’s appeal lies in its layered past and its forward‑looking spirit, making it a rewarding stop for anyone travelling through Canterbury.

What to See in Christchurch

Cardboard Cathedral

The Cardboard Cathedral, also known as the Transitional Cathedral, opened in August 2013 as a temporary home for the Diocese after the ChristChurch Cathedral was damaged in the 2011 earthquake. Built from more than ninety large cardboard tubes in its walls and roof, it was designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban with Warren and Mahoney and stands on the former site of St John the Baptist Church at the corner of Hereford and Madras Streets beside Latimer Square.

Air Force Museum of New Zealand

Located at Wigram, the Air Force Museum occupies the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s first operational base. It opened on 1 April 1987 to mark the RNZAF’s 50th anniversary and offers free admission. Its collection includes 31 aircraft together with components, technical equipment, weapons, insignia, textiles, artworks and everyday objects.

St. Mary’s Pro‑Cathedral

St. Mary’s Church on Manchester Street serves as the seat of the bishop of the Latin Catholic Diocese of Christchurch. The parish was established in 1889, and the building became a pro‑cathedral after the 2010‑2011 earthquakes seriously damaged the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. The diocese itself dates back to 1887.

Christchurch Art Gallery (Te Puna o Waiwhetū)

The city’s public art gallery opened on 10 May 2003, replacing the earlier Robert McDougall Art Gallery from 1932. It holds a substantial collection of New Zealand and international works, presents a changing programme of exhibitions, and is funded by the Christchurch City Council.

Ngaio Marsh House

In the Cashmere suburb, Ngaio Marsh House is the longtime home of Dame Ngaio Marsh, one of the original Queens of Crime from the Golden Age of Detective Fiction. The heritage property is registered as a Category I site by Heritage New Zealand and now operates as a museum dedicated to her life and literary legacy.

Our City, Christchurch (O‑Tautahi)

Housed in the historic Christchurch Municipal Chambers on Worcester Street and Oxford Terrace, this building served as the city council’s offices from 1887 to 1924, later hosting the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce and the main tourist information centre. Designed in the Queen Anne style and listed as a Category I heritage place, it is scheduled to reopen in June 2024 after earthquake damage.

Ravenscar House Museum

Opened to the public on 8 November 2021, Ravenscar House Museum is run by Canterbury Museum and displays the art collection of philanthropists Jim and Susan Wakefield.

The Physics Room

This non‑commercial contemporary art space has been supporting critical discussion since 1992. Known for experiential exhibitions, it has moved several times—from the Old Post Office Building on Tuam Street to a temporary site on Worcester Boulevard—before settling permanently in the Registry Additions building of the Christchurch Arts Centre in 2020.

Yaldhurst Museum

Situated just outside Christchurch in the suburb of Yaldhurst, this museum opened in 1968 and focuses on the story of road transport. Its large vehicle collection is located close to Christchurch International Airport, Riccarton Race Course and Ruapuna Speedway.

Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament (former)

The former Catholic cathedral, designed by Francis Petre, was widely regarded as the finest Renaissance‑style building in New Zealand and an outstanding example of Australasian church architecture. It gained Category I heritage status in 1983 but lost its bell towers and dome in the February 2011 earthquake.

Oxford Terrace Baptist Church

This Baptist church occupies a prominent corner facing the Avon River. The current building opened on Christmas Eve 2017 after an earlier structure was badly damaged in the 2010 Canterbury earthquake and collapsed in the following 2011 quake. Prior to its destruction, the building held a Category II historic place listing.

Christchurch Catholic Cathedral (planned)

Announced on 21 April 2024, the new Christchurch Catholic Cathedral will be built on the Barbadoes Street site, returning to the location of the former Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. When completed, it will be the first Catholic cathedral erected in New Zealand in 120 years.

Al Noor Mosque

Known as Masjid al Noor, this Sunni mosque in Riccarton was built between 1983 and 1985 by the Muslim Association of Canterbury. It was the first mosque on the South Island and, until 1999, described as the southernmost mosque in the world. The mosque gained international attention after the 15 March 2019 shootings; the attacker was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole in August 2020.

Christchurch Town Hall

Since opening in 1972, the Town Hall has been Christchurch’s premier centre for the performing arts. Officially the Christchurch Town Hall of the Performing Arts since 2007, it is a Category One heritage building (2020) noted for its brutalist architecture. The venue closed after the 2011 earthquake, reopened in 2019 following a rebuild, and is managed by Venues Ōtautahi, a council‑owned company.

St Paul’s Anglican Church, Papanui

Located in the Papanui suburb, this church was recognised as a Category II heritage building by Heritage New Zealand on 9 December 2005, underscoring its importance as an Anglican church building in New Zealand.

Explore Christchurch with Neywo

Neywo offers a free audio guide for Christchurch with 93 narrated places. There are five walking tours and one bike route. The walks range from 1.35 km (69 minutes) to 3.41 km (100 minutes) and include 8‑11 stops each; the bike route is 3.4 km (17 minutes) with 6 stops. Each story plays automatically as you arrive at a location, letting you go at your own pace with no group or fixed schedule. Narration is available in 11 languages.

Whether you’re strolling through the Avon River parks, discovering contemporary art at The Physics Room, or learning about the city’s renewal at the Cardboard Cathedral, Neywo’s self‑guided walks let you experience Christchurch’s stories exactly where they happened.

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