Christchurch Travel Forum

Hi,

As we will be in Christchurch for 2 weeks,
we are thinking of getting a prepaid card from Vodafone
to call back home (Singapore), since my husband will need
to communicate to his clients frequently.

Can we get this prepaid card easily from the Christchurch Intl Airport?
Can the locations of the topping-up of value be easily found?

Thanks,
Melissa.

Hi,

Would like to have some advices/recommendations:

Due to our work commitment
we can only have our honeymoon either in Summer Jan or Winter July.

Besides the rates difference (accommodation/vehicle rental etc) in both season, are there any other issues we should keep a lookout for?

Cheers!

Hello! I so appreciate all the info offered in this forum! We are from the US traveling to NZ for the first time and want to do as many excursions on our own and not via the cruise ship's excursions. Where do we board a Metro in Lyttelton Harbour to get to Christchurch city center? Are the Botanic Gardens too large to walk on our own or can we walk though them? Thank you so much for your advice.

Hi my name is Dusan. I'm looking for one person to share this van from 13.11.09 Christchurch - 25.11.09 Christchurch for travel throughout South New Zealand on a budget.
Please email me if you are interested for more details.
Thanks Dusan

Hi!

Im going to New Zealand in April next year and I will only have 2 days to spend in Christchurch. What attractions would be best to see in my limited time?

Thanks!!!

we are travelling to NZ arriving christchurch13th August late nite and then flying out 18th early morning. We want to spend most time in queenstown but the airfare being almost double we are flying in and out of christchurch. Is it a east drive from christchurch to queenstown and back??/

I knew this questions has been asked many times in this forum, but my question is slightly different.

We will be arriving Christchurch on 13Jul2009 at 12:40 afternoon and will be leaving Christchurch on 19Jul2009 at 6:00am in the morning by plane.

We are two adults and two little children of 7year and 4year.

We will be hiring a motorhome for all the time (13Jul to 19Jul).

There are three things we definitely wanted to do:

Tram in Christchuch,
Antarctica in Christchurch
Lake Tekapo

Now our question is:

With two littlies, only six days and myself being a nature photographer, is it possible to go to Queenstown. We are definitely after beautifull scenery and kids activities. We are not looking for advanture like bungy-jump, jet boat or scenic flight.

We love waterfalls, beautifull scenery, snow, lakes and streams.

So please help us how to plan our journey, where to stay, what to see and what routes to take for taking beautiful photos.

Thanks in advance

We're thinking of staying in Sumner while visiting Christchurch. We found a very nice apt w/ a view and since we'll have a car, we thought it would be nice to stay in Sumner and drive into town if it strike our fancy. Is the Sumner road to and from the city center easy to drive or is the traffic too much to make it a worthwhile place for lodging? On the map there seems to be but one road in and out. Any suggestions? Thanks

My partner and I are planning a trip to NZ in nov-dec with Christchurch as the base for a week stay. How doable is the drive from Christchurch to Nelson? I've read that the road thru the mountains (via Murchison) offers great views but is this too tiring of a drive? As of now, the intent is to pick up a car in Christchurch (a few days spent here), drive to Nelson (another few days), drop the car off in Picton, then take the train back to Christchurch to fly out. With only a week's time, the sampling is limited but we dont want to back dog-tired either. Thanks for any insight.

We're planning a 3 month trip starting in Christchurch. We would like to rent or house sit a base accommodation for 6-8 weeks in the Christchurch / mid-South Island area and do our trips out from there. We are two adults and two children 6 + 4 and we both have been in New Zealand several times before. Any help would be much appreciated.

Hi all! i've booked my hotel in christchurch but didn't opt for their breakfast (costs around $10+ at the hotel).

Any recommendations for breakfast places (sandwiches, pastries, Mcdonald's etc) around the Cathedral Sq area? We'll be staying at the ibis.

thanks

Hi everyone. I just arrived in NZ two days ago. I'm planning to be in Christchurch next week-end, probably arriving on Friday March 27, and staying for a couple of days.

Would anybody be interested to meet for a coffee, a walk, or a meal?

I was in Sydney earlier this month and had a blast with some VT members there. I'm hoping I can do the same throughout my trip in NZ! Cheers.

Looking at booking accommodation for 2 nights and have looked at all the options, we leaning towards Bealey Avenue Motel, has anyone used this Motel and what rating would you give it.
Thanks in advance

What is the distance, driving time, and/or taxi fare between the cruise ship dock in Lyttelton and Christchurch Tranz Alpine train station? Is there a communiter train or easy taxi pickup?

i intend to start my trip in NZ from Christchurch.
i am going to travel all over the south and north islands, for 2 months (March-May).
is it better to rent a car or to buy one for this period of time?

Hi all, just wondering if anyone has or knows of anyone who may have used interislander tickets from a recent trip?

Apparently you can get 2 for 1 lift passes at mt Hutt if you show your interislander pass?

We are coming over tomorrow and hoping to do a bit of snowboarding if we can get hold of tickets!

thanks!

Does someone have a good link to a guide or trail map of the different walks on the Port Hills outside Christchurch? I'll be there over the weekend of 8-10 Nov and would like to do some sightseeing in this vicinity. Thanks everyone.

Hello all seasoned travellers,

I'm off to Christchurch this Sunday (August 24th) for 1 week. I'll be based in Christchurch for the entire week and would love to hear from all in regards to ideas for:

1) Day trip(s) out of Christchurch
2) Best tour company(ies) for boutique wine tours
3) Walking tours - with or without guide around Christchurch
4) Great restaurants (I'm open to all cuisines)
5) Bars & Clubs (to burn all those calories from point 4) and,
6) Places to avoid ie tourist traps and things/places that lone travellers should be wary of.

Many thanks for all your input.

Kind regards,

JustinT.

PS: If there are other lone travellers out there who'd like to join me in Christchurch during this period, feel free to drop me a line or several.

My husband and I are planning to travel around the south island, start and end from Christchurch, in the first two weeks of September. Our original plan was to rent a campervan with shower and toilet. With such bad weather in NZ now, I really don't know if we should still go with campervan? Any suggestions?

Does anyone know anywhere near Christchurch that rents snow shoes? I have a pair and Mt Hutt allow for snow shoeing but they don't rent any, and my boyfriend would like to join me...

Can't find anything online... any help would be appreciated.

Shelley:)

I've checked a few car rental companies and "About New Zealand Cars Rental Co" offered one of the best rates so far. Does the co provide relatively new, clean and reliable vehicles?

Any suggestions for other companies?

Thanks...

Hi,

Planning to go to New Zealand (South Island) in late Nov (soemtime 21-29 Nov). What is the weather like then? Is it cold? What time does it get dark and what time does it get bright in the morning? In the mist of working out my driving itinerary. Thanks for your help

Hi,

I am planning a trip to New Zealand sometime Nov this year.

I have 2 questions which I hope you can help me out

1) What time does the weekend market opens at the Art Center?
2) What time does the food stall opens?

Thanks a lot

I'm thinking of getting married in NZ, but have never been as I live in Sydney OZ. I want the whole European looking scenery, with mountains/lakes and green lawns etc... and as I will not be able to check it out for myself before I get married, I would really appreciate anyone who knows about these properties.
Thanking you in advance so much. :)

I have a possibility to visit Christchurch, but it would only be for ~2.5 days. I won't go if that is only scratching the surface of what the area offers. How much time would you recommend?

I am planning a 3 week's family (2 adults/2 kids) trip to NZ for this July. One friend recommended me by campervan, which is the way I haven't experienced before. But is it OK to drive further south in NZ winter time? Will it be too cold to sleep in the Campervan in July?

Thank you in advance.

My wife and I are planning to fly in to Christchurch in late July-early August and are considering renting a car to take in some of the sights. My question is whether most of the better sites will be accessible at that time of year or are likely to be closed due to snow and ice conditions.

We're going to be in Australia in July and August and were wondering whether a trip to Christchurch and surrounding area would be worthwhile in August or woujld it be really cold there at that time of year. Would it be advisable to rent a car or would many of the roads be impassable due to snow?

Any advice will be appreciated.

Hi
We had such an amazing time in Christ Church and most especially with the Cochrans at Cochran's Potato stand. Their food was delicious, but their hospitality was even better. we have a great Photo of us all together. We left them our email address, but forgot to get a way to reach them. Would you please forward a way we could send them this wonderful photo

Sincerely,
Kathryn Katz
Dennis cochran

My friend is in NZ now..what are the must see places? or things to do?where to shop and where to go....