Rental Car Road Trips

Christchurch, New Zealand, is known as the Garden City. Christchurch has a number of expansive parks and public gardens, mostly due to the planning and foresight of the city’s founding fathers.  Hagley Park is located within a few minutes walk of Chrischurch’s CBD, it is a 161 hectare park, and is home to the city’s magnificent Botanic Gardens, a visitor friendly golf course, a bowling green, tennis courts, sporting fields and the Canterbury Museum. The picturesque Avon River meanders peacefully through the city and Hagley Park, one special way to enjoy the river is on a guided punt tour.

Two large floral festivals occur in Christchurch during summer, Burst! The Festival of Flowers is held in February and the Ellerslie International Flower Show is held in March. Both are popular festivals and it is a wonderful time to visit as the city is always full of life and colour.
Christchurch is New Zealand's second largest city, with a population of close to 400,000. The city is home to world class leisure and sporting facilities, a lively arts and entertainment scene, boutique designer shopping, award-winning restaurants and cafes, heritage architecture and offers easy access to both beaches and mountains.

Although Christchurch is a fantastic city to visit on it’s own merits, it also offers you easy driving access to the whole South Island. Christchurch International Airport is only 20 minutes' drive from the city centre and hire cars can be ready and waiting for you on arrival. The flat terrain makes Christchurch an ideal city to navigate your way around.

A Christchurch rental car will provide you with the independence and freedom to explore the entire region. There is nowhere else in the world where within two hours of an international airport you can ski at a world class alpine resort, play golf, bungy jump, go rafting, mountain biking, hot-air ballooning, wind surfing, whale watching, swim with dolphins and visit world class wineries and gardens.

Travel north to go walking in beech forest, then soak in thermal hot pools at Hanmer (135 km from Christchurch) or Maruia Springs (195 km from Christchurch), along the way we suggest stopping for lunch at one of the delightful Waipara vineyards (55 - 70 km from Christchurch). Head on further up the East Coast to Kaikoura (183 km from Christchurch) for stunning coastal scenery and a host of eco-tourism activities, including whale watching and dolphin swimming. Plus, you can often have an oceanic wildlife encounter without even getting out of the car, as fur seals can usually be seen sunning themselves on the rocks along the coast.

A journey west in your hire car will take you over the Southern Alps to the West Coast, where you will discover the rugged coastline, rainforest and Franz Joseph and Fox glaciers. Stop for a guided walk on a glacier, go canyoning or cave rafting.  For the less adventurous, a stop at Shantytown will give you a feel for the pioneer towns that forged the history of New Zealand, you can also try your hand gold panning.

Christchurch is of course the gateway to the Southern Alps. Fly in and hire a 4WD, then head for the slopes, if the conditions are right you can be skiing within 90 minutes.  There are eight skifields in the Canterbury region, plus a couple of others in both North and South Canterbury.

During your stay in Christchurch, don’t forget to drive over the Cashmere Hills or through the tunnel to check out Banks Peninsula, which is home to many picturesque bays and two deep water ports.  You’ll find some excellent walking tracks up on the hills and plenty of spots where you can capture photos with stunning scenic back-drops.

Akaroa, a village originally settled by the French, has retained much of it’s original French style charm, and is less than an hours drive from Christchurch in your rental vehicle. The Little River Café and art store makes an excellent coffee stop along the way, while Barry’s Bay cheese factory is a great place to stock up on specialty cheeses made on site and perfect for your picnic lunch. The drive over the hill to Akaroa provides some of the most stunning harbour views that you will find anywhere in the world and having your own transport means that you can stop to take photos or picnic anywhere you choose.

For more information on places to visit and things to see and do in the South Island, check out some of the other links on this site and don’t forget to get a quote for your Christchurch car rental.