The Hurunui i-SITE Visitor Information Centre has tourist information about Hanmer Springs and the surrounding Hurunui District.
Hurunui i-SITE Visitor Information Centre
Hanmer Springs bus and coach stop
InterCity Coachlines coaches stop in Hanmer Springs en route between Picton and Christchurch.
The route between Christchurch and Hanmer Springs is also served by minibuses operated by both Hanmer Connection and Hanmer Tours and Shuttle.
Buses and coaches stop at the bus stop on the corner of Amuri Avenue and Jacks Pass Road, across the road from Robbies Restaurant.
Geraldine Vintage Car & Machinery Museum
The Geraldine Vintage Car & Machinery Museum is a small transport museum that features 1,400 exhibits including a 1929 Spartan biplane, 30 vintage cars and 101 tractors including the oldest working tractor in New Zealand.
Punting on the Avon
Christchurch is no substitute for Cambridge, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t try.
Punting on the Avon is one of the more pleasant ways to see the city from the river. You ride in a flat-bottomed boat propelled by a punter dressed in traditional Edwardian garb.
The standard ride is in a shared boat that holds up to 10-people with a return trip that takes around 30 minutes. For a more romantic option, go for the 45-minute private tour on a smaller boat.
Jet boating in Christchurch
Jet Thrills and Waimak Alpine Jet both operate jet boat rides on the Waimakariri River near Christchurch.
Jet Thrills operate from a site only a 15-minutes drive from the city centre and is the easiest to get to if you don’t have access to a car with prices starting at $90 for a 30-minute ride. With Jet Thrills you also have the option to experience both types of horsepower with their Jet Trek package that involves a 60-minute horse ride followed by a 30-minute jet boat ride.
Waimak Alpine Jet operates from a site much farther from the city, but it is considered a better experience as they operate in the stunning Waimakariri Canyon. Like Jet Thrills, Waimak Alpine Jet operate 30 and 60-minute jet boat rides, but if you have the time and money, the half-day Alpine Jet Wilderness Safari gives you a jet boat ride down the entire length of the Waimakariri River Canyon.
Willowbank Wildlife Reserve
Willowbank Wildlife Reserve has lots of animals that you can hand feed with a focus on native bird life and it is best known for its excellent kiwi tours. Unlike other kiwi houses that have glassed-in enclosures, Willowbank allows you to see the kiwi without any glass for a more natural look at this unique and rare bird.
Orana Wildlife Park
Orana Wildlife Park is New Zealand’s only open range zoo. It is home to a large variety of animals from around the globe with the focus on African animals such as cheetahs, giraffes, lions, monkeys and meerkats. Native animals include birds such as the kaka, kea and kiwi and reptiles like the tuatara.
Christchurch Gondola
The gondola ride in Christchurch’s southern suburbs offers excellent views of the city centre and surrounding areas including Lyttelton Harbour, the Canterbury Plains and the Southern Alps.
Cardboard Cathedral
The Cardboard Cathedral (also known as the Christchurch Transitional Cathedral) is an A-frame structure built from cardboard tubes and shipping containers with a polycarbon roof. The cathedral on Latimer Square, which seats around 700, is the world’s only cathedral constructed substantially from cardboard.
The cathedral was built as a replacement for the Christchurch Cathedral which was originally built in 1874 and which dominated Cathedral Square until it was destroyed in the February 2011 earthquake. It is intended as a temporary structure to be used by the Anglican Church while the Christchurch Cathedral is being rebuilt.
Christchurch Art Gallery
The Christchurch Art Gallery us the city’s impressive art museum that features a substantial permanent collection and a programme of temporary exhibitions.