The Best Parks and Gardens in Christchurch, New Zealand

Halswell Quarry Park is the gateway for some of the Christchurch’s best walking trails. The scenic city-fringe reserve is within close range to Kennedy’s Bush track, the Cashmere Hill Loop, and Findlay’s Walk – the latter of which will give you access to an extensive picnic area. Halswell Quarry Park is also home to the Sister City Gardens, which showcase small botanic collections from some of Christchurch’s main sister cities: including Adelaide in South Australia, Christchurch in England, the Chinese Gansu Province, Kurashiki in Japan, Seattle in the United States, and Songpa-Gu in Korea.

A suburban park that is greatly loved by resident families and has an interesting story to tell. Abberley Park began as a private garden and, even though its original homestead no longer exists, its early 19th century character has been sustained ever since. Trees dating as far back as the 1860s and parkland-style gardens feature prominently in this location. The park also consists of a popular children’s playground, a series of walkways meandering by the stream, and extensive shrub plantations.

A short drive from the central city will lead you into the Port Hills-based Victoria Park. This is a fantastic place to enjoy the Canterbury vistas, allowing its visitors to catch a glimpse of the Southern Alps and the coastal plains from a faraway distance. Picnic spots, several bush walks and cycling tracks are some of the other highlights you’ll get to experience on any given visit.

An exotic, 800-hectare (1976.8 acres) pine forest, with trees stretching as far as the eye can see, is ready to inspire and amaze anyone who enters the Bottle Lake Forest. This is a great location for cycling in particular – there are clearly-marked tracks for beginners and advanced riders alike to get their heart pumping. If pedalling is not your thing, there’s plenty on offer for hikers, horse riders, and runners too.