Question 1

Christchurch on Your Own

Accepted Answer

The city shuttle drops you in the central city, where the Avon River, the Botanic Gardens, Quake City and the heritage tram are all found. If you would rather stay near the harbor, take the Lyttelton shuttle instead: the town is small enough to walk, though its streets are steep. The tram: Restored heritage trams run a 50-minute loop with 18 stops, and a day ticket lets you get on and off. Buy it online, on board or at the office at stop 1, 109 Worcester Street. Quake City: At 299 Durham Street North, Canterbury Museum's exhibition tells the story of the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes, with the spire of ChristChurch Cathedral and a hands-on display that explains liquefaction. The Botanic Gardens: Founded in 1863, they cover 21 hectares inside a loop of the Avon beside Hagley Park, with conservatories and a playground. In Lyttelton: The Timeball Station tower above the port, rebuilt after the 2011 earthquake, and a ferry across the harbor to Diamond Harbour are two short outings from town. Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own, so leave time for the shuttle back to the berth. Watch the clock: All-aboard is given in ship's time, which may not match the local clocks or your phone. New Zealand moves its clocks forward an hour from the last Sunday in September to the first Sunday in April. Opening hours change, so check before you go.

Question 2

Getting Around

Accepted Answer

In the central city, the heritage tram and your own feet cover most sights. Metro runs the city's buses and the Diamond Harbour ferry from Lyttelton. Check how to pay before you ride. The Diamond Harbour ferry crosses from Lyttelton Jetty. The road tunnel under the Port Hills, opened in 1964, is about 2 km long. The Bridle Path, the settlers' track over the hills, is a steep walk of about an hour and a half each way between Heathcote and Lyttelton. Taxis and ride-share cars can meet you at Norwich Quay in Lyttelton. Check service notices before you travel, because routes change.

Question 3

Where to Eat

Accepted Answer

Riverside Market, an indoor food hall of about 100 small businesses on Oxford Terrace, reaches through to Cashel Street, where the cruise shuttle stops. New Regent Street, a row of Spanish Mission-style shops from 1932 that the tram runs along, has more cafés. Riverside Market opened in 2019 on a site cleared after the earthquakes. Lyttelton has a variety of small shops and cafés. The tram's route also passes The Terrace and the Arts Centre, which have restaurants and cafés. Diamond Harbour, across the water from Lyttelton, has walks and cafés.

Question 4

Tipping in New Zealand

Accepted Answer

Tipping is not a New Zealand custom, and no tip is expected, even in restaurants and bars. Some people treat a tip with suspicion, so there is no need to add one. Payment in foreign currencies is rarely accepted, so use New Zealand dollars or a card. Travel Money NZ at 94 Cashel Street exchanges currency and opens seven days a week.

Question 5

Culture & Customs

Accepted Answer

Christchurch's Māori name, Ōtautahi, refers to a seasonal food-gathering place of the Ngāi Tahu chief Te Pōtiki Tautahi on the Avon River, and Ngāi Tahu is the principal iwi, or tribe, of the South Island. The city's English founding shows in its Gothic Revival buildings, and the 2011 earthquake in its new ones. The Transitional Cathedral at 234 Hereford Street, designed by the Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, who is known for building with cardboard, opened in 2013 after ChristChurch Cathedral was damaged. ChristChurch Cathedral in Cathedral Square, consecrated in 1881, was damaged in the earthquakes. The Canterbury Earthquake National Memorial stands beside the Avon, just downstream from Montreal Street. The Bridge of Remembrance on Cashel Street gained its memorial arch in 1923 and 1924, honoring those lost in the First World War and later conflicts. Christchurch Art Gallery, on Worcester Boulevard at Montreal Street, opened in 2003 and reopened in 2015 after earthquake repairs. Punts on the Avon, poled by boatmen in uniform, leave from the Antigua Boatsheds.

Question 6

A Brief History

Accepted Answer

People have lived on this coast for more than 700 years, and Christchurch was laid out in 1850 as the planned settlement of the Canterbury Association. Lyttelton, its port, has sent expeditions to Antarctica since 1901. Waitaha settled the area in the mid-13th century; Kāti Māmoe arrived in the 16th century and were absorbed by Kāi Tahu (Ngāi Tahu) about a century later. The Scottish Deans brothers began farming at Riccarton in 1843, showing that the swampy plain could be farmed. The Canterbury Association adopted the name Christchurch on March 27, 1848. Between December 16 and 27, 1850, four ships carrying the association's first settlers arrived in Lyttelton Harbour. Christchurch became New Zealand's first city on July 31, 1856, and the railway tunnel to Lyttelton opened in December 1867. The Timeball Station at Lyttelton began signaling Greenwich Mean Time to ships in 1876. Scott's Discovery left Lyttelton in 1901, Shackleton's Nimrod on January 1, 1908, and Scott's Terra Nova in 1910. The road tunnel through the Port Hills opened in 1964. After an earthquake in September 2010, a shallower quake on February 22, 2011, killed 185 people and wrecked much of the central city. To learn more ashore, visit Quake City at 299 Durham Street North, which tells the story of the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes.

Question 7

Traveling with Family

Accepted Answer

The central city has the tram, the Botanic Gardens and Quake City, and two bigger outings are the Gondola in the Heathcote Valley and the International Antarctic Centre beside the airport. Younger children: The Botanic Gardens have a playground and lawns beside the Avon, and the tram, with live commentary from the driver, gives tired legs a rest. School age: Quake City explains the earthquakes with hands-on displays, including one on liquefaction, and is designed for all ages. Teenagers: The International Antarctic Centre beside the airport has penguins, simulated polar weather and rides in a Hagglund all-terrain vehicle. The Christchurch Gondola climbs to the summit of the Port Hills, with views and walking trails. From Lyttelton: The ferry to Diamond Harbour gives a view back to your ship, and Hector's dolphins live in the harbor.

Question 8

Accessibility

Accepted Answer

There is no walk-off route from the cruise berth, so every passenger leaves the port by shuttle. Central Christchurch is flat, but Lyttelton is very hilly, with steep streets. Two of the heritage trams can each carry up to two manual wheelchairs, loaded by a hoist at Cathedral Junction. The hoist cannot lift powered wheelchairs, and its safe working load is 220 kg; phone the tram office on the day to check that an accessible tram is running. The shuttle drop-off on Cashel Street is in the central city, close to Riverside Market and the Bridge of Remembrance. Ask the cruise line in advance about accessible shuttle transfers from the berth.

Question 9

Shopping & Local Markets

Accepted Answer

Central Christchurch's shops sell locally designed and New Zealand-made gifts, fashion and art. Riverside Market, the Arts Centre, The Terrace and New Regent Street are the main clusters of small shops. New Regent Street's Spanish Mission-style shops date from 1932 and reopened after the earthquakes. Riverside Market mixes produce stalls with food counters and shops. Lyttelton has a few small boutique shops. The post office nearest the center is at 220 Moorhouse Avenue, about 15 minutes' walk from the shuttle stop.

Question 10

Beaches

Accepted Answer

Sumner, a seaside suburb of Christchurch facing the Pacific, has a popular surf beach: gently sloping, with fine gray sand and a sea wall and promenade along its length. Near the port, Corsair Bay is a small sandy beach one bay west of Lyttelton. Cave Rock, a volcanic outcrop called Tuawera in Māori, stands on Sumner beach. Surf at Sumner can build up in some swell conditions, so swim with care. Shag Rock, at the western end of the beach, was broken into boulders by the 2011 earthquakes.

Christchurch (Lyttelton), New Zealand

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