Car Hire in Christchurch - Getting to Christchurch
Located midway down the eastern side of New Zealand’s South Island, Christchurch is a hub for international travel (including travel to Antarctica), and has good road and rail connections. Once you’re in New Zealand you can fly from one end of the country to the other in less than two hours. Christchurch’s centralised location makes it an ideal base.
Christchurch International Airport is the largest and busiest airport in the South Island and is located 12kms northwest of the city. Shuttle buses depart from directly in front of the terminal to the city; the journey costs around $12 and takes about 25 minutes. Regular buses also leave from the terminal to the city every 30 minutes in the day and hourly in the evening, taking about 35 minutes. Taxis are about $20 and take half the time.
By road from Wellington in the North Island, catch the vehicle ferry that regularly crosses the Cook Strait to Picton (South Island). From Picton, take the coastal road, State Highway 1, through Kaikoura and on to Christchurch, entering the city through the northwest suburbs of Papanui and Merivale. Journey time from Picton is about five hours.
Coming from the south you’ll also take State Highway 1. Christchurch is five hours north of Dunedin. From the west coast, you'll go over Arthur's Pass and enter Christchurch at Upper Riccarton. This trip takes four hours.
The Coastal Pacific is a daily train linking Picton and Christchurch, timed to coincide with the Interislander ferry from Wellington. The train has panoramic windows in the better seats and leaves Picton at 13:40, arriving in Christchurch at 19:00. From Christchurch, the train leaves at 07:30, arriving in Picton at 12:50. Christchurch Railway Station is on Clarence Street in Addington, and shuttles run from the station to the city centre.
InterCity has two coaches daily from Wellington, timed to coincide with coaches from Auckland and taking 10 hours to reach Christchurch. These buses include the ferry crossing and also stop at Kaikoura for lunch. Buses run in the other direction as well. Intercity also offers services between Christchurch and most of the rest of the South Island’s cities.
