New Zealand

Travel warning: On 22 February 2011, an earthquake struck the city of Christchurch, causing a large number of fatalities and extensive damage to structures in the city centre - including the iconic Christchurch Cathedral. Be sure to check travel news and advisories before going to the area.

The South Island's largest city, Christchurch is perfect as a pleasant jumping-off point for the mountains, ocean beaches, rivers, lakes and wide-open spaces less than an hour from the city centre. But Christchurch is more than just a springboard.

Before the 20th century

Although few reminders exist, the history of settlement in the Christchurch area goes back around a thousand years. Some radical historians date it back a further millenia before the settlement of the North Island, but more conventionally it's thought that the Waitaha tribe travelled from the North Island's east coat to Pegasus Bay sometime in the early 1000s, to hunt the large moa bird for food.

Today's landscape is vastly different. Large forests of matai and totara trees once grew along the coast, and the now treeless Canterbury Plains were also partially forested. By about 1450 the moa had been killed off, and large tracts of the forests had been burnt.

Between 1500 and 1700, the Ngai Mamoe from the Napier region, and later the Ngai Tahu tribes from the North Island, travelled south and became dominant, either by conquest or intermarriage. By 1800 the Ngai Tahu controlled the coast, with a fortified village (or pa) at Kaiapoi. This was also a major trading centre for greenstone, which was collected over the Alps on the west coast.

Europeans first set foot on the Banks Peninsula around 1815, with sealers and whalers visiting what is now the Lyttleton harbour in increasing numbers. During this time the Maori communities were in crisis, with European diseases and tribal warfare seeing a significant drop in population. In May 1840 the Treaty of Waitangi boat sailed into Akaroa harbour and the Ngai Tahu chiefs signed on behalf of their tribes.

The vast holdings of the tribe were a compelling attraction to colonisers, and throughout the 1840s and 1850s numerous land transactions were carried out. However, from the outset Crown officials failed to uphold their promises in relation to a number of agreements. Kemp's purchase of 1848, which secured 8000 hectares (20,000 acres) of Ngai Tahu land, including Christchurch City, was never settled properly and formed the basis for the Ngai Tahu claim that was finally settled in 1999 under the Ngai Tahu Settlement Act.

Early attempts to establish farming communities began in the late 1830s, and in 1847 John Godley and Edward Wakefield met to plan what was to become the city of Christchurch. Wakefield was a conservative visionary who believed that, unlike anarchic Australian cities such as Sydney and Hobart, towns could be planned before settlers arrived. Village churches, shops and schools would be built along English lines, with imported gentry controlling large runs of land. Cantabrians often fix the town's founding to the arrival in 1850 of four ships that brought the first settlers. By the end of that year around 3000 people had made the journey.

While development on the North Island languished in the late-19th century because of the Land Wars (conflict between the colonial government and the Maori), the South Island prospered, helped first by farming and then by the discovery of gold. Christchurch's northwestern garden suburbs, first settled as farms, are testament to this affluence.

Modern history

After 1870 the North's economy began to recover, but it remained the poorer cousin to the South Island well into the 20th century. Christchurch's golden moment was at the great International Exhibition in 1906-7. This event attracted nearly two million visitors, at a time when the total population of the country was less than half that, and put on show almost every aspect of the colony's life, from agricultural products to machinery, visual arts to music.

The emergence of Auckland as an international player and the establishment of Wellington as the nation's capital saw Christchurch settle into an affluent, confident small city role. The Anglican establishment has remained visible, but subsequent waves of migrants has meant that it is emblematic rather than actual.

As befits a city that so readily evokes Gothic literature, Christchurch's most famous, or infamous, incident of the last hundred years is the Parker Hulme murder case in 1954. Brought to the screen as Heavenly Creatures by Peter Jackson, it's an intriguing tale of two teenage girls' obsessive friendship, which drives them to murder one of the girls' mother.

Recent history

Christchurch is successfully managing the shift from a rural to a knowledge-based economy, and is well-known for its educational institutions. The inner city remains as sedate and affluent as its fathers intended, although the newer suburbs were designed in much the same way as most other New Zealand cities.

Top Accommodation

Top Restaurants

Christchurch has a temperate climate, although summers can be hotter than the norm for the South Island. They are usually pretty dry too, thanks to the shelter of the nearby mountains. Winter temperatures can be cold, with snow at sea level not unheard of. Christchurch has its own notorious wind - a fiery springtime nor'wester - that can cause widespread damage when at gale force.

Average weather

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Transport

Getting around

Trains run to Picton via Blenheim with connections to the Interislander ferry to Wellington. The train station is 2km (1.2mi) southwest of the city centre. There is a daily TransAlpine train service that runs from Christchurch to Greymouth via Arthur's Pass - dubbed one of the world's great train journeys. Regular coach services will get you north to Picton, south to Queenstown, Mt Cook and Dunedin and west to Greymouth and Hokitika via Arthur's Pass.

Christchurch's bus service is good, cheap and efficient. Most city buses run from the well-organised City Exchange, which can be accessed from Colombo Street. Christchurch's compact size and flat topography make it ideal for cycling, and hired bikes can be delivered to your accommodation. Taxis are plentiful, as are car rentals. Christchurch is the best place on the South Island to rent a car or a motor home.

Getting there and away

Christchurch is the main international gateway to the South Island, with flights to Australia and a limited number of other countries. The airport is 12km (7.5mi) from the city centre. Both the international and domestic terminals have excellent facilities, including a bureau de change, ATMs, car rentals and left luggage. Air New Zealand is the main domestic carrier and there are daily direct flights between Christchurch and Auckland, Blenheim, Dunedin, Hamilton, Hokitika, Invercargill, Nelson, Queenstown, Wanaka and Wellington, with connections to other centres. Other carriers also offer daily direct flights to the bigger centres. Departure tax for international flights is payable at the airport.

Trains run to Picton via Blenheim with connections to the Interislander ferry to Wellington. The train station is 2km (1.2mi) southwest of the city centre. Regular coach services will get you south to Queenstown, Picton, Mt Cook and Dunedin and west to Greymouth and Hokitika via Arthur's Pass.

Health & Legal Requirements

Dangers and annoyances

Though often reported in loud and salacious detail by headline-hungry broadsheets, violent crime is not common in New Zealand and Christchurch in particularly is fairly trouble free. (Auckland is considered the 'crime capital' of the country, but even it's very safe by most international city standards.) Theft, primarily from cars, is the major problem you're likely to encounter, and travellers are viewed as easy targets. Avoid leaving any valuables in a vehicle no matter where it's parked; the worst places to tempt fate are tourist parking areas and the car parks at the start of walks. If the crown jewels simply must be left behind, pack them out of sight in the boot (trunk) of the car - but carry your passport with you, just in case. Don't underestimate the risks posed by NZ's unpredictable, ever-changing maritime climate in high-altitude areas. If you are planning some swimming on the beach be aware of hazards in the ocean, such as the rips or undertows that haunt some beaches and are capable of dragging swimmers right out to sea. Take notice of any local warnings when swimming, surfing or diving. When moving on from Christchurch, remember that the islands' byways are often made hazardous by speeding locals, wide-cornering campervans and traffic-ignorant sheep. Set yourself a reasonable itinerary instead of careering around the country at top speed, and try to stay alert on the road despite the distractingly beautiful scenery.