Things to Do in Canterbury

• Christchurch
  A gracious garden city famed for its English character and historic buildings, Christchurch is the second largest city in New Zealand after Auckland. Visitors can enjoy punting on the Avon River or a stroll through the beautiful Botanic Gardens.
• Banks Peninsula
  A scenic area of rolling farmlands south of Christchurch, containing wineries, wildlife and New Zealand's only French settlement, historic Akaroa.
• Kaikoura
  A world-famous centre for whale and dolphin watching with aerial and on-the-water viewing. Swim with dolphins tours are available.
• Hanmer Springs
  This scenic thermal resort is famous for its natural hot pools. The town also offers many adventure activities, including forest walks, jetboating and mountain biking.
• Chatham Islands
  These little-known islands are the first in New Zealand to see the light of the new day.
• Timaru
  The focal point of this attractive South Canterbury port is Caroline Bay, where visitors can take a cruise to view dolphins and marine wildlife, or sample some of the region's fine salmon.
• Mount Cook National Park
  A magnificent alpine region featuring 28 peaks that exceed 3000m, including its namesake, Aoraki Mount Cook (3754m).
• Lake Tekapo
  Located in the Mount Cook Mackenzie region, this beautiful glacial lake is famous for its milky turquoise colour. Tekapo offers horse trekking, bicycle touring, lake cruises, fishing, heli-skiing and heli-mountain biking.
• Arthur's Pass National Park
  This Southern Alps park offers rugged mountains, alpine vegetation and skiing, and is home to New Zealand's cheeky native parrot, the kea.
• Winter Fun
  There are ten ski areas within two hours drive of Christchurch. Five commercial areas, including the internationally recognised Mt Hutt, and five club areas provide variety and excitement for skiers and boarders, from the beginner through to the expert. The ski season begins in June and runs until October, with falls of spring snow occasionally extending the season into November. For those wanting to take a step beyond the many ski areas in the region, there is exhilarating heli skiing available throughout the magnificent Southern Alps, and it's even possible to ski the Tasman Glacier.
• Adventure
  Canterbury provides fresh thrills from almost every angle, with jetboating, rafting, skydiving, heli biking and hot air ballooning, Mt Cook/Aoraki in the majestic Mackenzie region (the tallest mountain in Australasia), and even has a new bungy jump high up on Mt Hutt ski area.
• Relaxation
  The majestic beauty of Canterbury in winter can be enjoyed from the alpine village of Hanmer Springs. Few attractions can rival a soak in Hanmer's natural thermal pools, surrounded by snow-covered peaks and lush evergreen forest, only one and a half-hours drive from Christchurch and close to the Southern Alps.
• Golf
  For golfing fans the region has plenty of challenging courses, from the Harewood and Russley courses, just five minutes from Christchurch International Airport, to the alpine beauty of the Lake Coleridge and Hanmer courses. There is also the newly developed golf resorts of Terrace Downs, near Methven and Clearwater Resort close to Christchurch, truly establishing the region on the national and international golfing map.