ONLY IN CHRISTCHURCH

Don’t miss these awesome photo ops and experiences you’ll find only in the Garden City.

NEW REGENT STREET Quite possibly one of the country’s funkiest streets, this pastel-coloured parade of 1930s Spanish Mission-style architecture oozes effortless cool and is home to some superior eats, drinks and fashion boutiques. It’s also the main tram stop and regular hangout of the Wizard.

THE WIZARD Move over Gandalf; the Wizard who’s really most indelibly associated with New Zealand is undeniably this Christchurch icon. Our magic man has been classified repeatedly as a ‘living work of art’. A feature of the central city since 1974, he can be spotted getting up to his mysterious, wizardly business during lunchtimes in New Regent Street, or occasionally bringing some magic to kids at the Margaret Mahy Playground. Look out too for his apprentice wizards-in-training set to carry on a wizarding tradition that’s been 01 — The Arts Centre muscled into existence by the sheer force of personality of the much-loved magician.

QUAKE CITY Capturing the impact of Christchurch’s devastating earthquakes, this multi-sensory attraction pairs sobering video footage, photography, artefacts and survivors’ stories with an educational element. Durham Street North

QUAIL ISLAND A former leper colony and rock quarry in the centre of Lyttelton Harbour, Quail Island is now an ecological project in progress and important penguin breeding colony. It’s just a short ferry ride from Lyttelton. With an amazing history, it’s home to several burial sites including a ship graveyard, which you can kayak around at low tide, and has been a recreation reserve since 1975.

THE ARTS CENTRE Once part of Canterbury University, this Gothic architecture-inspired wonderland is home to the

02 — Margaret Mahy Playground

country’s largest collection of Category 1 heritage buildings, including atom-splitting Ernest Rutherford’s early lab/den. Now filled with cafés and artisan foods, crafts, art and the exquisite Great Hall, this historical hotspot is a must see. 2 Worcester Boulevard

ORANA WILDLIFE PARK A zoo where visitors are put in cages! Orana’s Lion Encounter sees guests driven through the lions’ den for lunch as keepers feed the hungry pride clambering over the cage mere whiskers away. McLeans Island Road

CANTERBURY EARTHQUAKE NATIONAL MEMORIAL OI MANAWA This moving tribute to those killed and injured in the 2010/11 earthquakes offers a reflective, tranquil space along the banks of the Avon River by the Montreal Street bridge. Oxford Terrace

PIER AND POOLS The coastal neighbourhood of New Brighton boasts a hot new scene: He Puna Taimoana Hot Salt Water Pools, where you can soak in various-temperature pools in the open air with stunning views of the beach in every season. Right next door is the iconic New Brighton Pier, offering views of Pegasus Bay and Kaikōura. Marine Parade

TE ARA ŌTĀKARO AVON RIVER TRAIL Much of the land in this winding trail through the heart of Christchurch was full of houses before the earthquakes. It is now an unparalleled swathe of open spaces and green regrowth, with a transitional biking and walking trail running through it along the riverside.