Tours, Open Days & Walks
Discover Wigram
This historic walking tour takes you behind the scenes around the former Air Force Base Wigram. The home of the Royal New Zealand Air Force and the first military airfield in New Zealand, Wigram has a fascinating history. This tour explores the RNZAF's settlement of Wigram and celebrates the adventurous spirit of the early aviation pioneers. From the Art Deco bomb-proof buildings, to the sites used for training back in 1917, you will see where thousands lived and worked. Come prepared to walk, explore, learn and laugh.
Discover Wigram Tours are only available for pre-booked groups (ask about group discount rates).
Air Force Museum of New Zealand, 45 Harvard Avenue, Wigram
Adult $10, Child $10, Student/Senior Citizen $9
For bookings please contact our Public Programmes Team on (03) 3439 583 or programmes@airforcemuseum.co.nz
Disability access
Please use the main carpark on Harvard Ave
Up from the Ashes
A unique opportunity to enter an historic church and see restoration in action after the building suffered a devastating arson attack in August 2009. Learn how a multicultural city church is working with the Historic Places Trust and the Christchurch City Council to restore and structurally strengthen this 135 year old inner city landmark.
View a wood carver specializing in the restoration of historic buildings and contractors demonstrate and explain their specialist methods used to refurbish and restore the fire, weather and earthquake damaged fabric. You can also view static and video displays about the church restoration and its history.
Wednesday 27 October, 12:30pm-2:30pm
St Paul's Trinity Pacific Presbyterian Church
236 Cashel StreetAdult $5, Child $2
Please book by phoning (03) 379 1036 Mon-Fri 9am-3pm or email trinitypacific@xtra.co.nz
Disability access
May be able to provide a bus park
Open Day for the Old Stone House
Come and enjoy the Old Stone House and learn of its place in Christchurch's history. This unique historic building has been faithfully restored and is surrounded by prize-winning gardens. See the magnificent high beamed ceiling, restored fireplace and painting of the original owner Sir John Cracroft-Wilson. A DVD showing many photos with interviews of the great-great-grandchildren of Sir John and also others involved with the restoration will be screening and also for sale. The Cracroft Community Centre uses this building and also hires the venue for functions. Afternoon tea will be available.
Sunday 17 October, 1pm-4pm
Old Stone House, 30 Shalamar Drive, Cashmere
FREE
Disability access
A Guided Walk to Rediscover our Heritage
Rediscover the settlement of our city by taking a two hour guided walk in the central city with the Christchurch Personal Guiding Service. Our trained guides specialise in informative, interesting and entertaining walking tours. You will visit inner city historical buildings with highlights including the Canterbury Provincial Buildings, Christ's College and Kate Sheppard Memorial. You will also hear a personalised, individual commentary on the history and heritage of Christchurch.
Daily: 10am & 1pm
The "Guided walks" kiosk in Cathedral Square
by the BNZ BankAdult $15, Children under 12 free, Student/Senior Citizen $15
Turn up at the kiosk in the Square 15 mins before departure time
Disability access
Use the Manchester Street or Farmers carpark building or travel by bus
The Birth of a Vision
What happened in the early years of the Botanic Gardens? Who made the decisions? Was the public involved? Learn about the first half century of the Botanic Gardens and walk with the Friends of the Botanic Gardens guides in the footsteps of its founders. Find out about the early plantings and view old photographs and maps.
Friday 22, Saturday 23 & 30 & Sunday 31 October, 1:30pm-3pm
Museum Entrance to the Christchurch Botanic Gardens
Rolleston AvenueAdult $5, Student/Senior Citizen $5, Family Pass $10
Disability access
Free parking at entrance off Armagh Street
Pay guide on arrival
Aranui and Wainoni Historical Walk
Aranui and Wainoni have a dynamic history that can be explored at Professor Bickerton's Wainoni Park, with lions, tigers, bears, balloon ascents, fire-works and more. There are also local pioneer families from 1853, first shops 1910, early businessmen, houses and events to learn about. This walk will take about 1-1.5 hours and each person is provided with a booklet with a map and information about each stop. Walking in groups you will be amazed at the local history and will see exactly where some of these events took place.
For those who are unable to walk a slideshow will be shown in the School Hall with 100 photographs from Tim Baker's book Aranui and Wainoni History. The slideshow will also be a wet-weather option if the walk is cancelled.
Saturday 23 October, 1:30pm-3:30pm
Aranui Primary School, 257 Breezes Road, Aranui
FREE
Disability access
Limited parking available on school grounds
Colonial Villas in Beckenham
Join an architectural historian for a group walk around villas and historic houses in the Beckenham area. On this tour, brought to you by the Beckenham Neighbourhood Association, learn about late 19th century houses and the lives of the people who once lived in them.
Sunday 24 October, 10:30am-12pm
Fisher Avenue - meet opposite St Peter's Church, Beckenham
FREE
Disability access
Please park on the street
The event is a walk around the streets of Beckenham
Heritage Village Guided Tours
Take a leisurely guided tour around the Ferrymead Heritage Park and its Museums. Hear the history and experiences of our forefathers and their families, followed by an enjoyable heritage afternoon tea.
Sunday 24 & Monday 25 October, 11am-1pm & 2pm-4pm
Ferrymead Heritage Park, 50 Ferrymead Park Drive
HeathcoteEntry $5
For bookings phone (03) 384 1970 or email info@ferrymead.org.nz
Parking available
Tour cost in addition to regular Park Admission and includes an afternoon tea.
Visit Three Heritage Houses in the City
A chance to visit some important homes of early Christchurch and learn something of their original owners. Light refreshments will be served at the last property. The tour will take approximately three hours and is expected to finish around 4pm. All welcome.
Sunday 24 October, 1pm-4pm
Leaving Nunweek Park
Corner Woolridge & Harewood RoadsAdult $25, Family Pass $40
For bookings phone (03) 352 4506
Meet our bus at Nunweek Park. Cars to be left there and bus will return at conclusion
Spirited Cemetery Tours
Rediscover the earliest years of Christchurch's European settlement by touring the graves of its notable and notorious citizens with Richard Greenaway of Christchurch City Libraries. In the event of rain, contact Christchurch City Libraries on 03 941 7923 to confirm cancellations.
Saturday 23 October, 2pm-3pm
Barbadoes Street – Non-conformist and Roman Catholic Section
Barbadoes St Cemetery, Barbadoes Street
Sunday 24 October, 2pm-3pm
Barbadoes Street – Anglican Section, Barbadoes St Cemetery, Barbadoes Street
Friday 29 October, 6pm-7pm
Holy Trinity Anglican Church
Holy Trinity Anglican Churchyard
Lych-gate Close, off Stanmore Road
Saturday 30 October, 2pm-3pm
Addington Cemetery, Addington Cemetery, Selwyn Street
Sunday 31 October, 2pm-3pm
Lyttelton Anglican Cemetery, Lyttelton Anglican Cemetery
Lyttelton
The following apply to all venues above:
FREE
Disability access
Avebury House Open Day
Avebury House is a gracious Victorian mansion built in 1885 and set in the midst of Avebury Park. A definitive part of the history of Richmond, the house will be open for you to enjoy. Come and enjoy tea in our drawing room and take a guided tour of the house and learn of its history. Displays about the history of Richmond and demonstrations of craft work will be on show and, weather permitting, petanque and horseshoe pitching in the park.
Saturday 23 October, 10am-4pm
Avebury House, 9 Eveleyn Couzins Avenue, Richmond
FREE
Parking available on site or on street
Devonshire teas available for a gold coin donation
Rocky Resource Lifts City out of Swamp – The importance of Halswell Quarry Stone in Christchurch's Settlement
Discover how important the unique Halswell stone resource was to the development of Christchurch's most vital infrastructure during and post European settlement. Learn how the rock was created, how the quarry was discovered, what it was like to live and work in a rock quarry in the mid to late 1800s, the explosive history of rock extraction, what facilities in Christchurch were built from the stone and the now quiet quarry park – a wonderful area for heritage, recreation and conservation.
Sunday 24 October, 1pm-3:30pm
Halswell Quarry Park – Singlemen's Stone Cottage
179 Kennedy's Bush Road, HalswellFREE
Carpark opposite the singlemen's stone cottage within the main entrance
Disabled persons would be able to attend the introduction at the cottage but the walk around the quarry rim track may not be suitable
An Upside-Down Start to a New Life
What kind of living conditions did the European settlers fresh off the boats create for themselves? Start our tour by visiting a replica V-hut in the Canterbury Museum, then follow the settlers' footsteps along the Avon River into Hagley Park. Here new arrivals set up wooden tent-shaped huts for their first homes. Led by Botanic Gardens staff, the tour begins from the Canterbury Museum entrance to the Botanic Gardens.
Sunday 24 & Friday 29 October, 1:30pm-3pm
Christchurch Botanic Gardens
Museum entrance on Rolleston AvenueFREE
Disability access
Ranger Guided Eco-Bush Tours
Learn how the pioneering Deans family lived at Riccarton House and Bush seven years before the arrival of the First Four Ships in 1850. There are a number of things to see at this historic site. Why not take a walk amongst the ancient Kahikatea in Riccarton Bush learning about the fauna and flora. The Eco Tours will run on the hour every hour from 10am.
Tuesday 26 – Friday 29 October, 10am-3pm
Riccarton House & Bush, 16 Kahu Road, Riccarton
Adult $5, Child $2.50, Student/Senior Citizen $4
Family Pass $12.50Riccarton House & Bush phone (03) 341 1018
Disability access
Parking available by entering the grounds from Kahu Road or if busy, park on the adjacent streets
NZ Society of Genealogists, Canterbury Branch Library Open Days
Delve into your history at the New Zealand Society of Genealogists (Canterbury Branch) library and research room at the Shirley Community Centre. The library has a wide range of resources including: NZ Births, Deaths and Marriages indexes on microfiche from 1848-1990, cemetery headstone and burial records from all around New Zealand, electoral rolls, indexes to Canterbury School Admission Registers, transcripts of Canterbury parish registers, a good collection of Canterbury church and school history booklets, and many Christchurch school magazines.
There are a variety of indexes on CD and an extensive book collection to give background information on the places and time your ancestors may have lived in Canterbury, elsewhere in New Zealand or overseas. There is material on the early settlement of our city including some passenger lists with two computers available to access online databases. Come and discover your unique Christchurch history.
Tuesday 26 October, 9am-12:15pm
Wednesday 27 October, 7pm-9pm
Thursday 28 October, 10am-3pm
Saturday 30 & Sunday 31 October, 2pm-4pm
Room 2 Shirley Community Centre
Corner Shirley Road & Slater Street, ShirleyFREE
Disability access
Parking available on site or on Slater & Chancellor Street
Upper Riccarton Church Tour and Family History Presentation
Participants are invited to a presentation on family history research at Upper Riccarton Library, followed by tea and biscuits. Richard Greenaway will then lead a tour of St Peter's Church and graveyard.
In the event of rain the family history session will still take place but the church tour may be cancelled.
Tuesday 26 October, 10:30am-2pm
Upper Riccarton Library/St Peters, Upper Riccarton
71 Main South Road, Sockburn
Gold coin donation for the tour of St Peter's
Disability access
Riccarton House – Guided Heritage Tour
Learn how the pioneering Deans family lived at Riccarton House and Bush seven years before the arrival of the First Four Ships in 1850. There are a number of things to see on this historic site. Visit Deans Cottage, the oldest building on the Canterbury Plains, tour Riccarton House (built from 1856 – 1900), and walk amongst the ancient Kahikatea in Riccarton Bush learning about the fauna and flora.
Riccarton House Tours will run on the hour every hour from 10am.
Tuesday 26 – Friday 29 October, 10am-3pm
Riccarton House & Bush, 16 Kahu Road, Riccarton
Adult $5, Child $2.50, Student/Senior Citizen $4
Family Pass $12.50Riccarton House & Bush Phone (03) 341 1018
Disability access, ground floor only
Parking available enter the grounds from Kahu Rd or if busy, park on the adjacent streets
Christ's College, Diocese of Christchurch and the Settlement of Canterbury
Big School was built in 1863 and is New Zealand's oldest continuously used educational building. Take a tour through Big School to view displays and then listen to a talk which connects Christ's College and the Diocese of Christchurch to the settlement of Canterbury.
Tuesday 26, Thursday 28 & Friday 29 October, 3:30pm-5pm
Christ's College, Rolleston Avenue
FREE
Bookings must be made by email to jteal@christscollege.com.
Maximum of 15 per group
Disability access by prior arrangement
Please park outside the grounds and meet at the front gates of the College
Canterbury Club Open Day
The Canterbury Club was established as a private gentleman's club in 1872. The site is historically important for its purpose built set of buildings that have been continuously used by the same organisation for over 130 years. Between 2007 and 2009, major re-development of the Canterbury Club and wider setting was carried out. Come and view the Club's restoration and development. Only open to the public during Heritage Week.
Saturday 30 October, 9:30am-11:30am
The Canterbury Club, 129 Cambridge Terrace
Gold coin donation
Discover your Early Settlers
Our friendly society invites you to come along and browse or do a little research with the help of our members. Among our records we hold a large number of books, magazines, microfiche and CDs covering Christchurch and Canterbury. This information relates to birth, marriage, naturalisation, death, electoral, census, shipping, towns, suburbs, churches and parishes, the Canterbury Club, schools and colleges, farming and industry, music, theatre, and sport. Entry fee includes tea or coffee.
Saturday 30 October, 10am-1pm
Family History Society of NZ (Inc), 399 Papanui Road, Papanui
Adult $2, Child Free, Student/Senior Citizen $2
Where Did I Come From? Family History Open Day at Christchurch City Libraries
Rediscover your heritage by visiting the Central Library and learning more about the Family History Centre on the second floor. A wealth of online resources will be demonstrated throughout the day and expert advice will be on hand to help with your family history research whether you are a beginner, or have already started growing your family tree.
Saturday 30 October, 10am-4pm
Aotearoa New Zealand Centre, Central Library
91 Gloucester StreetFREE
Disability access
Parking available in Farmers Car Park. First hour free, then $1.20 for each half hour following.
Kawatea Guided Walk and Okains Bay Maori & Colonial Museum Visit
“My pa, karaka. My bay, Kawatea!” Kawatea is a key site in the history of the Ngai Tahu settlement of Te Pa - taka o Rakaihautu (Banks Peninsula). Join Te Runanga o Koukourarata, New Zealand Historic Places Trust Pouhere Taonga and Okains Bay Maori and Colonial Museum representatives for a guided walk to Kawatea (Little Okains), then join your guides for a visit to the Okains Bay Maori and Colonial Museum to view taonga excavated from Kawatea and to learn more about the Maori and Pakeha settlement of the area.
Lunch options available. Further details provided on booking.
Saturday 30 October, 10:30am – 2:30pm
Kawatea and Okains Bay Maori & Colonial Museum
Main RoadOkains Bay, Banks Peninsula
Adult $10, Child $2
Disability access
Booking required please contact NZHPT: Phone (03) 365 2897 or email infosouthern@historic.org.nz
Parking is available in the Okains beach car parking area
Allow 1.5 hours for travel from Christchurch to Okains Bay. Drive past the Museum to the beach where parking is available in the Okains beach car parking area. The meeting point for the Kawatea Guided Walk is at the gate marked ‘to Little Okains' opposite the campground office entrance.
Christchurch RSA Open Day
Visit our open day where we will have extra exhibition items on display from the Defence Forces, War Horse Group and original minute book from the first meeting in 1915 for The Christchurch RSA. Restaurant and bar facilities also available.
Saturday 30 October, 10am-6pm
Christchurch RSA, 74 Armagh Street
FREE
Disability access
Akaroa: Stories of the Long Harbour
Akaroa was first settled hundreds of years ago by Maori who chose it for its abundant food sources and sheltered harbour. Other migrants arrived in successive waves, inhabiting the Akaroa Harbour basin and leaving their marks of settlement on the landscape. Join us for a two-hour cruise of the Akaroa Harbour, with expert guides to interpret the cultural landscape, the landmarks surrounding the harbour, and the histories of human settlement within the harbour basin. Guest speakers include Helen Brown, Maori Heritage Adviser NZHPT; Dr John Wilson, historian and Steve Lowndes, Chairman Akaroa Civic Trust.
Light refreshments will be served during the cruise.
Saturday 30 October, 5:30pm-7:30pm
Departing from Main Wharf, Akaroa Harbour, Beach Road
AkaroaAdult $50
Advanced bookings are mandatory. Contact Akaroa Dolphins freephone 0800 99 01 02 or cruise@akaroadolphins.co.nz
Limited to 40 guests
Disability access
Ripapa Island Tour
To visit Ripapa Island is to visit one of Canterbury's most important historic sites. It is two hectares of history unique to Lyttelton. In the 1820s a musket pa was built there - the first in the South Island. A quarantine station replaced it in the 1870s, which in turn was replaced by a harbour defence fort. Fort Jervois was constructed by prison labour and when completed in the 1890s was described in the British House of Commons as the most modern fort in the British Empire. It can be seen largely as it was then. Two disappearing guns remain, and one in particular, an 8 inch, is rare by world standards.
Sunday 31 October, 9:15am-11:30am
Black Cat Cruises, 17 Norwich Quay, Lyttelton
Adult $30, Child $15
Please book by phoning (03) 328 9078
Parking available on the main street
Public Tours of the Historic Isaac Theatre Royal
Join a guided tour of the Isaac Theatre Royal and learn about the relevance of the theatre to the early settlers and the part it played in Christchurch's history.
Sunday 31 October, 9am-3:30pm
Please note this differs to the time in the brochureIsaac Theatre Royal, 145 Gloucester Street
(near New Regent Street)Adult gold coin donation, Children under 12 free
Disability access
Stepping Stone to Settlement
Enjoy a harbour cruise on Black Cat and a guided tour of Otamahua/Quail Island. Learn about the significance of the island including its connections to Maori, Antarctic expeditions and as a quarantine for settlers and sufferers of leprosy.
Sunday 31 October, 10:30am-3:30pm
Otamahua/Quail Island, Lyttelton
Adult $20, Child $10
To book please phone Black Cat Cruises (03) 328 9078
Heritage Dinner with Ghost Hunt
Learn how the pioneering Deans family lived at Riccarton House and Bush seven years before the arrival of the First Four Ships in 1850. Tour the house by candlelight to find the ghosts of the past
Sunday 31 October, 7pm
Riccarton House & Bush, 16 Kahu Road, Riccarton
Adult $40, Child $20
Book by phoning (03) 348 6190
Disability access, ground floor only
Parking available by entering the grounds from Kahu Road or if busy, park on the adjacent streets
