50+ Fantastic Things to do in Christchurch during School Holidays
Updated 27 August 2024
School holidays need not be stressful - our guide to over FIFTY activities will easily get you through two weeks, and even all of December and January too. Best of all, most of the activities listed below are free or have minimal cost. And if you want to be financially savvy, annual passes for both Willowbank and Orana Park pay for themselves after two visits so the kids can go as often as you let them.
This is the first edition of this guide, please email us if you would like to have a suggestion included - our team would love to hear from you.
Our activity ideas are listed in the following categories:
This is the first edition of this guide, please email us if you would like to have a suggestion included - our team would love to hear from you.
Our activity ideas are listed in the following categories:
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Sports and Swimming PoolsLearning to swim is a great use of school holidays, and if the kids already can, there are plenty of pool days to be had. A number of good-value sporting activities also operate:
The Christchurch City Council operates a number of pools, with facilities such as wave pools and lazy rivers, spas, steam-rooms and saunas, outdoor pools, dive pools and hydro slides, for less than $5 per child. Learn to Swim Holiday Program Starfish Swim School offers a holiday program designed to get kids comfortable with swimming, running 9am to 12pm Monday to Friday. There's also the learn to swim Swimstart program offered by the CCC, which is a weekly program for kids 5 to 16 for less than $15 a week, with unlimited pool use included afterwards. Plenty of other swim schools exist, including Swim Kings. Take to the Skates...on Ice Many kids take to ice skating without any fear, and Alpine Ice offers 45 minute sessions for around $125 per week. Grab a Game of Mini Golf City Putt and Cruise is right opposite the fantastic Margaret Mahy playground (see below), and offers a round of mini golf for less than $10. Go Bowling Bowling is a great afternoon or evening activity with a group of kids, and Xtreme offers a game of ten pin bowling for less than $15 per child. Take to the Clip ‘n Climb The YMCA is home to the world's first Clip ‘n Climb, and offers sessions every hour. Sessions cost $17 and include a 15-minute warm-up. |
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Explore the Canterbury SurroundingsChristchurch has some fantastic scenery and nature waiting to be discovered. Best of all, it's all free...
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Visit Christchurch's 'Big Five' Attractions that Kids LoveTripadvisor's list, based on thousands of five-star reviews, puts these attractions as the most popular for kids:
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Garden and HarvestingGardening is a great way to get the kids outside with purpose, and if you don't have a vegetable garden, there are fun alternatives...
Get into the garden If you have a vegetable garden, the Tui New Zealand Planting Calendar guides you through what to plant at different times of the year. For example, April school holidays are a perfect time for planting parsnips, June works for carrots and September is great for beans, December/January works for cucumber. The kids will also appreciate eating them if they've planted them, and it is guaranteed to cut down on the grocery bills. Pick your own fruit December and January are when strawberries come into season, and pick-your-own is a great half-day activity. Best of all, it's much cheaper than the supermarket or fruit store. Pokémon Go While we don't advocate the extended use of phones and screens, Pokémon Go gets kids outside running around and getting outside the house. It's free to download, but the app does use data and there are in-app purchases - de-link your credit card and set a PIN to avoid nasty bills. |
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Zoo and Animal Park Deals, and Children's FarmsChristchurch is spoiled for choice when it comes to animal experiences. Annual passes for Orana Park make it less expensive if the kids can commit to going more than twice a year.
Orana Park Lions, meerkats, giraffes - what's not to like? Pricing is around $12 for kids, but you can get an annual pass for $33, which means it pays for itself after three visits within 12 months. Arion Farm Education Park With everything from goats to rats, Arion Farm makes for the perfect day out, with the opportunity to hand feed the animals. Entry is $7.50 for kids. Take the kids Horse Riding The Mairehau Riding Centre offers a 90-minute ride for $15 (a 45-minute ride is an agreeable $10), accepting kids 6 and older of all riding levels (complete beginners to established riders). Kids will walk, trot, canter and even jump (depending on their ability). |
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Arts & CraftsCraft with purpose using our list below - top tips include volunteering for the SPCA by crafting (great for the CV) and letting the kids go crazy with the comic book albums.
Make Crafts for the SPCA The SPCA always needs toys and play items for cats and dogs awaiting new homes. Their list of suggested items has instructions on how to make them. Any kids aged 16 or over can also volunteer their time to work at the SPCA. Buy a Craft kit Spotlight, Kmart and The Warehouse all sell dozens of craft kits, starting from around $5. Hours of fun assured. Create a Photo Comic Book Album for Free This nifty tool puts your kids in control of creating a quirky, personalised photo album from your existing photos, or encourages them to take more and put it all together. Make a box village Always reliable; you can get boxes from supermarkets and liquor shops - kids love putting together a mini city. Best of all, you can fold the boxes away for re-use. Paint stones and rocks This video guide makes it easy, with minimum craft supplies required. Will entertain kids for hours. |
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General Fun StuffAvoid the howls of 'I'm booooooooorrreeddd' with this list of 10 popular quick-win activities, with something for children of all ages.
Bonus - our list of kids eat free restaurants in Christchurch can make an excellent reward for good behaviour. |
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CompetitionsMuch more fun than watching TV and a lot less emotional than a game of Monopoly, competitions are a great way to get the kids to develop their creativity. Our suggestions include:
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School Holiday ProgramsChristchurch puts on a host of school holiday programs, with something for kids of all ages. The YMCA is the most active with day-long activities, with museums offering 1-2 hour programs.
YMCA Day and Week-Long Programs Christchurch is not short of school holiday programs, and the YMCA offers an extensive range of options for kids of all ages in three locations. Activities can include a climbing wall, ice-skating, Court Theatre, movies, magic shows, gymnastics, circus school, arts and crafts, basketball, swimming, visits to nature parks, bowling, archery, cooking, mini golf and many more. Day fees are $50 per child, with a week-long program discounted 10% to $225. Special Christchurch Art Gallery Events Every school holidays, the Christchurch Art Gallery puts on a number of interactive events with reasonable ticket prices and appealing to kids of all ages. Log on to Eventfinda Eventfinda's Christchurch activity listings are worth checking out, with plenty of fun runs, low-priced sporting tickets and activities for the kids. |
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Baking and CookingBaking and school holidays are synonymous, and our list of three recipes below are very popular. Pro tip - make sure you get the kids to agree to do the dishes after - things can get messy!
New Zealand Baking Classics Baking is guaranteed to fill a morning and popular recipes for kids, which conveniently don't require many ingredients, include:
MasterChef Pizza Competition Depending on the age, a pizza-making competition is a great idea to use up some stuff in the fridge and keep the kids entertained. You can award the winner with a blind test. Avoid store-bought pizza bases and get inspiration from Jamie Oliver's pizza dough recipe as well. |
Finally, last-minute ideas and events are advertised online or by visiting:
Related Guides:
- The Christchurch Public library
- The Christchurch Visitor Information Centre
- The Christchurch City Council
Related Guides:
Know about a Christchurch activity you think kids would love?
Email our research team today.
