Airport
Christchurch Airport is New Zealand's second largest airport. As the gateway to the South Island, the airport services 11 different airlines connecting Christchurch with domestic centres and 10 international airports.
Christchurch city centre is a short 20 minutes' drive from the airport and several transport options are available from the terminal including buses, rental cars, taxis and shuttles.
Buses from Christchurch Airport
Regular Metro bus services connect the airport to the city centre and many other locations in Christchurch.
- Route 8 Port to Port/Airport to Lyttelton
- Route 29 Airport to City
- Route 3 Airport to Sumner via City
The Metro bus service is a good way to travel around and familiarise yourself with Christchurch city and surrounds, with buses regularly departing from the Bus Interchange.
Find out more about fares and routes from Christchurch Airport.
Alternative transport from the airport
- Super Shuttles provides door-to-door service around Christchurch using multi-passenger vans. Shuttles can be booked in advance here.
- Uber ridesharing
- Taxi companies as listed below
Getting around the City
Walk
A flat city built – and recently redeveloped – through careful urban planning, Christchurch is an easy city to navigate. The Ōtākaro Avon River, which bi-sects the CBD, provides a beautiful, tree-lined promenade for strolling amongst the city’s cafes, restaurants and attractions. Distinctive laneways and pedestrian precincts make for an intriguing way to explore the centre city on foot.
All hotel suggestions provided on our accommodation page are within walking distance of Te Pae Convention Centre making getting to and from the conference easy.
E-Scooters and E-bikes
Another way to reduce your emissions while at the conference is to jump on an e-scooter or e-bike. Simply unlock the scooter nearest to you, and away you go! Once you’re done, hop off and park it to the side for the next person.
Find and book your e-scooter or e-bike via your Uber app or download Lime https://www.li.me/
Cycle routes map: https://smartview.ccc.govt.nz/data/cycle-routes
Bus
You can find the Christchurch Bus Exchange on the corner of Colombo and Lichfield Street. Buses come and go regularly with a variety of travel routes, see the bus network map to plan your journey. The Christchurch bus service also has several all-electric vehicles.
A standard bus fare in Christchurch is NZ$ 4 per trip and must be paid in cash.
If you plan on using the bus regularly, we recommend getting a MetroCard, where you preload your fares. This also reduces the cost of a trip to NZ$ 2 with daily and weekly caps on fares. MetroCards cost NZ$ 5 and can be purchased from the bus exchange or a number of other locations around the city. Children under 5 travel free, and children aged 5 – 12 ride for free with a MetroCard.
More information can be found here https://www.metroinfo.co.nz/travel-and-fares-info/
Taxi
There are a number of taxi companies available in Christchurch.
Blue Star Taxi’s +64 3 3799 799
First Direct Taxi +64 3 377 55 55
Gold Band +64 3 3795 795
Corporate Cabs +64 9 632 0641
Rental Car
There are a number of rental car options if you wish to explore the region while you are here. Details of companies based at Christchurch Airport can be found here.
Budget New Zealand have offered IAMCR delegates a 10% discount on your rental car. Please click here to utilise this and enter the code E066300.
