Christchurch

Getting Here and Around

The inner city is compact and easy to explore by foot; the central sights can be reached during an afternoon's walk. Four avenues (Bealey, Fitzgerald, Moorhouse, and Rolleston) define the city center. Beyond this core are a number of special-interest museums and activities, about 20 minutes away by car.

Outside the Four Avenues, the best way to get around the city is to use the network of buses that radiates from the center, or the tram within the city's inner loop. The easiest place to catch a bus is the Bus Exchange, as most buses go through it. Yellow buses and some specially signed red buses are free shuttles that run through the city center, linking the Casino with Moorhouse Avenue. The Red Bus line offers Metrocards, or prepaid travel cards; it also runs the Midnight Express, four routes that run from midnight to 4 am on Friday and Saturday night.

The Christchurch Best Attractions bus service provides transport (combinable with the entry fees) for several attractions: Willowbank, the Gondola, and the Antarctic Centre at $6.50 per attraction. Tickets can be booked at the Information Centre or you can pay when you hop on; the bus stop is opposite the main entrance to the visitor bureau.