Hire a vehicle in Christchurch and enjoy
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region, Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast. Christchurch is served by Christchurch Airport and by buses and trains. The local bus service, known as Metro, is provided by Environment Canterbury. The car, however, remains the dominant form of transport in the city, as with the rest of New Zealand. Christchurch has over 2,300 km of roads, of this 360 km is unsealed and 43 km is motorway. Christchurch has three motorways consisting of the Christchurch Northern Motorway, Christchurch Southern Motorway and the Christchurch-Lyttelton Motorway, making it easy to get around by car.
Christchurch Climate
Christchurch has a temperate oceanic climate with a mild summer, cool winter, and regular moderate rainfall. It has mean daily maximum air temperatures of 22.6 °C (73 °F) in January and 10.9 °C (52 °F) in July. Under the Köppen climate classification, Christchurch has an oceanic climate (Cfb). Summer in the city is mostly warm but is often moderated by a sea breeze from the north-east. A record temperature of 41.6 °C (107 °F) was reached in February 1973. In winter it is common for the temperature to fall below 0 °C (32 °F) at night. There are on average 80 days of ground frost per year. The coldest temperature recorded was -7.1 °C (19 °F) on 18 July 1945.
11.8°C / 53.2°F
Average annual temperatures
577mm / 22.7inches
Average annual precipitation
82.3 days
Average annual precipitation days
Christchurch recommended destinations
- Botanical Gardens
- Christchurch Art Gallery
Botanical Gardens
At the heart of Christchurch's reputation as the Garden City, the Gardens are a place of ever-changing beauty. Showcasing flora and fauna of New Zealand and other parts of the world, the Gardens feature one of the finest collections of exotic and local plants in New Zealand. With more than 1.1 Million visitors each year the Botanic Gardens are one of the Christchurch's most popular and well-loved attractions.
Christchurch Art Gallery
The Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu is the biggest and most famous gallery in the South Island. The art on display ranges from the old masters to modern art. The Art Gallery also has regular events including talks, museum tours and film evenings. It has a spectacular external design and is well worth a visit.