Christchurch Botanic Gardens
- Address: Rolleston Avenue, Christchurch
- Hours: Opens daily at 7am, closes at 9pm Nov - Feb, 8:30pm Mar & Oct, and 6:30pm Apr - Sept
- Admission: Free. Guided tour: NZ$5
ATTRACTION Keywords:
Good Place to Relax,
Nature & Wildlife,
Romantic,
Park / Garden
Christchurch Botanic Gardens Reviews
We've found 22 Christchurch Botanic Gardens reviews from Viator.com travelers and members: what they loved, what they liked and what they think could be improved. It's all here to help you make the most of your next trip.
Review by Fayelene W, April 2013
Doing what: Akaroa Shore Excursion: Banks Peninsula, Christchurch City Tour and Jet Boat on Waimak River
This was sensational. Thoroughly enjoyed would go again.
Review by Penelope F, April 2013
Doing what: Akaroa Shore Excursion: Banks Peninsula, Christchurch City Tour and Jet Boat on Waimak River
Small group was good. Interesting commentary. Brilliant boat ride, pro driver as well as very personable and helpful.
Review by Karen B, April 2013
Doing what: Akaroa Shore Excursion: Banks Peninsula, Christchurch City Tour and the International Antarctic Centre
There is a 1 1/2 hr. drive from the Akaroa dock into Christchurch, but you get to see alot of the beautiful country side. When you are in Christchurch you truly do see what the people are doing to recover from the 2010 earthquake.
Review by Frank F, April 2013
Doing what: Akaroa Shore Excursion: Banks Peninsula, Christchurch City Tour and Sheep Farm Tour
We had a bit of a 'glitch' with overbooking at the beginning of the tour in Akaroa but Brian straightened it out and all was great. We particularly liked meeting Ivor at the sheep farm. He was great and the simple lunch was an unexpected 'treat'.
Thanks
Frank Foster
Review by Mike W, April 2013
Doing what: Akaroa Shore Excursion: Banks Peninsula, Christchurch City Tour and Jet Boat on Waimak River
This tour was really a mixed bag. The Jet Boat tour was fantastic, fun, lively and well worth doing. However we were very disapointed with the Christchurch tour. Our primary complaint is that there wasn't enough time to really see Christchurch. We spent the entire tour on the bus and was only allowed off for a 5 minute bathroom break at a museum in downtown Christchurch. No time to explore the local community, no chance to support the local businesses trying to recover from that massive earthquake, no time to enjoy the local scenery or museums still operating. Given that Christchurch is a 90+ minute bus ride from Akaroa, you see that you have very little time to stretch and explore.
I think this would be a MUCH better tour if the operator added an hour or two to allow us time to walk around Christchurch, grab a meal and not just tour the devastation caused by the earthquake.
Review by Hugh D, March 2013
Doing what: Akaroa Shore Excursion: Banks Peninsula, Christchurch City Tour and the International Antarctic Centre
Very enjoyable, good local knowledge from coach driver. Tour of Christchurch "red zone" was thought provoking. Antarctic visit interesting and fun.
Review by Wendy L, March 2013
Doing what: Akaroa Shore Excursion: Banks Peninsula, Christchurch City Tour and Jet Boat on Waimak River
We had a great time on this excursion, we were welcomed with such friendliness and everyone was so helpfull, we travelled on the coach to the Gardens and as we were the only 2 doing the Jet Boat, we was surprised that it was not cancelled, in fact when we got to Christchurch we were privately taken round the sights and taken to the Waimak River where we had a fantastic time, I would recommend this to anyone
Review by Nima A, March 2013
Doing what: Akaroa Shore Excursion: Banks Peninsula, Christchurch City Tour and Jet Boat on Waimak River
The tour itself was alright but getting to Christchurch and the buss/buss ride was not. Lack of time to have lunch and a better, newer buss would have made my experience better.
Review by Margaret W, March 2013
Doing what: Akaroa Shore Excursion: Banks Peninsula, Christchurch City Tour and the International Antarctic Centre
A good tour in a very comfortable little coach and bigger coach. It would have been nice to have been taken to a picturesque part of the river and seen a punt in action instead of being told where to go but only having enough time to find the toilet. Good commentary on drive from Akaroa but continuous. Passengers need a break from listening all of the time.
Review by Edward D, March 2013
Doing what: Akaroa Shore Excursion: Banks Peninsula, Christchurch City Tour and Jet Boat on Waimak River
The drive is kind of long. The Jet Boat was very fun. I wish we could have had a bit more time in Christchurch-time to get out and walk around, instead of just driving by everything. I wish the lunch situation had been better-stopping at Subway was not my idea of a good lunch.
Review by Mark R, March 2013
Doing what: Akaroa Shore Excursion: Banks Peninsula, Christchurch City Tour and the International Antarctic Centre
The bus ride from Akaroa was beautiful, but 1.5 hours to get to Christchurch was not worth it. Christchurch is still recovering from the earthquakes and there wasn't much left to see. There wasn't enough time to enjoy the Antarctic exhibits which were mediocre at best. No time set aside on the excursion for eating so the whole group had to eat at the small cafe at the Antarctic experience which ate up a lot of the time there. Looking back, we would have just stayed in Akaroa and enjoyed the town.
Review by Fred, March 2013
Doing what: Akaroa Shore Excursion: Banks Peninsula, Christchurch City Tour and the International Antarctic Centre
A little disappointing. Christchurch 2011 earthquake devastation was incredible but spent too much time driving around looking at it. The International Antarctic Center was a little too commercial. Penguins were cute.
Review by Sandra Conley C, March 2013
Doing what: Akaroa Shore Excursion: Banks Peninsula, Christchurch City Tour and the International Antarctic Centre
We took the tour while on a cruise in February. Due to the earthquake distruction of the Port facilities in Christchurch, we landed in Akaroa and it is 1:45 hour bus ride to Christchruch. Pretty at first but very long! We met the bus at the beautiful natural history museum in town and had not 1 minute to tour that great facility. Instead we were rushed t o the bus and spent more than an hour driving around the city center looking a vacant lots where buildings were before the quake, buildings still standing buat awaiting demolition, street repairs and buildings that we aabout to fall down. There wan not one stop to exit the bus and take pictures. We would rather have watched a movie! Then to the International Antarctic Museum. For everything there is to see and learn about the Antarctic, this museum misses a wonderful oppurtunity. The circulation patern is in one way and then turn around and backtrack your way out the same way. There is a cold room where you suit up and they lower the temp and turn on the fans for you to experience windchill. I grew up in Idaho where we had real windchill so it wasn't a thrilling experience for me. The movie that is probably pretty good did not run at a time that coincided with our presence there. In the gift shop I looked for the classic Antarctic book, "Endurance" by Livingston and they didn't have it. We did get a ride in one of the snowcats and that was an experience. However, as a whole, we thought the tour was an overpriced waste of time. BTW, this is the first review I have ever made. I don't like to be negative, but in this case I could not resist.
Review by Harold P, USA, February 2013
Doing what: Akaroa Shore Excursion: Banks Peninsula, Christchurch City Tour and the International Antarctic Centre
Great day
Review by Charissa H, February 2013
Doing what: Akaroa Shore Excursion: Banks Peninsula, Christchurch City Tour and Jet Boat on Waimak River
I was part of a group of 6 who went on this tour and it was fantastic. The tour company were extremely efficient from the moment we stepped off the cruise, to making sure we were back on board in time. The drive from Akaroa to Christchurch was spectacular. One of the most picturesque drives I've seen. We arrived in Christchurch and had a little stop in town for refreshments. We continued with our guide who took us on a short tour around Christchurch. Our guides local knowledge was commendable, humorous and very interesting. We were then dropped off for our jet boating adventure on Waimak River. We jet boated over the crystal clear waters weaving in and out of some pretty hairy obstacles. I was amazed to see such control over such a speedy vessel. Our jet boating guide was very friendly and truly gave us a ride of our lives. After clutching the front of our seats for over 30 minutes we were then transported back to Akaroa, through the windy hills of Banks Peninsula with enough time to enjoy the local shops/market, test the pleasant sea water and enjoy a famous New Zealand ice cream. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone visiting Akaroa or anyone participating in a shore excursion. It was fantastic as we had time to take in the beauty of Akoroa village, experience the amazing Banks Peninsula, see the city of Christchurch and participate in high speed jetboating on the Waimak River all in one day. Definitely a memorable and worthwhile experience.
