Activities for the autumn school holidays

With the autumn school holidays about to start, we’ve put together a list of free and low-cost activities to keep you busy!

The Walking Festival

Explore Canterbury with the Walking Festival 2023 from Saturday 8 April to Sunday 23 April! Whether you’re a fan of local history, getting out into nature, socialising or pushing yourself to get that awesome view – there’s something for all ages and abilities. The Walking Festival provides a change for Cantabrians to explore amazing walks in Ōtautahi, Selwyn and Waimakariri.

This year there’s two brand new walks! A Wanderful Foraging Journey gives young children and their grown-ups a chance to explore the Red Zone. This 1km walk lets you explore the area together to see what edible weeds and fruit you can find in the Richmond and Avonside area.

A second, longer walk is the Ōtautahi Red Zone Urban Foraging Wander on Saturday 15 April. Wander through the Richmond and Avonside Red Zone, sharing knowledge about edible plants and fruit trees with guides from Ōtautahi Urban Foraging and Kaputahi Community Orchard.

Also, after a hiatus due to COVI-19, one of your favourite walks is back – Dog Day in the zone! Walk through the red spine of the Red Zone, led by the Richmond Community Garden and Avon-Otakaro Network.

The Walking Festival has 50-plus walks to explore, and it coordinated by the Council in partnership with over 35 host groups. Find out more information here.

Inflatable fun

Rush, jump, slip, slide, biff and bash your way through our big inflatable obstacle courses at your local pool! Each weekend until 14 May, three of our pools are setting up the ultimate obstacle course for you. Plus other fun inflatables will be in the pool.

Head to Te Pou Toetoe: Linwood Pool on Saturday’s 1pm – 3pm and Sunday’s 1pm – 3pm, Graham Condon on Sunday’s 12:30pm – 2:30pm, and Taiora QEII on Sunday’s 2pm – 4pm.

General pool entry fees apply. Please check our pool status page before you come.

The Bluescope Youth Orchestra

The Bluescope Youth Orchestra are visiting from Australia to the Christchurch Transitional Cathedral on Friday 14 April. The orchestra will perform from 1pm – 2pm with entry by gold coin donation.

The group will be performing ‘Through The Ages’: Vanhal Symphony D Min, Vivaldi’s Winter, Waltz from Masquerade, Dvorak Czech Polka, Underground Tango, Ross Edwards Ecstatic Dances, Kurt Weill’s Youkali and more. This great low cost school holiday activist is for both children and adults alike!

Easter Eggstravaganza

The Riverside Market has teamed up with the Easter Bunny this year to bring you some eggscellent activities this April, including a colouring competition and an egg hunt! Starting from 1 April, there will be an Easter-themed selfie stand for you to strike a pose and take a photo at Riverside Market, 96 Oxford Terrace.

Plus, you’ll be able to enter a colouring competition to win a chocolate egg.

An eggciting treasure hunt will begin from Friday 7 too! Come along and join in on the hunt to find the special eggs throughout the market, and discover a hidden treasure. The Easter Bunny will be hopping in to visit during Easter Weekend too from Friday 7 April to Monday 10 April.

The Riverside Market is open from 9am to 6am daily.

Christchurch Netball Centre April School Holidays Programme

Christchurch Netball Centre is pleased to offer holiday activities for netballers in years 3 to 8 during week one and two of the school holidays. The April holiday programmes are themed and include dress-up, games and activities, plus netball skills and gameplay.

The programme will run on each Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of the school holidays. Each day runs from 9am - 3pm for Year 3-8 participants, and from 10am - 1pm for Year 1-2 participants. 

The activities will be held at the Christchurch Netball Centre, with daily fees of $20 for Year 1-2 and $40 for Year 3-8. Find more information here. 

Botanic Gardens and Mona Vale Guided Tours

Join the volunteer Friends of the Botanic Gardens guides on a journey through stunning plant collections. Learn about botany, horticulture and history while enjoying the beauty of the gardens! The guided tours will take place on a range of dates, always beginning at the same time.

Tours of the Christchurch Botanic Gardens will begin at the Kiosk at 1:30pm. Walks are offered on a variety of topics, and run for 45-60 minutes unless otherwise stated. Find more information here. Please note, there are no dogs allowed in the Botanic Gardens.

A tour of the Mona Vale Gardens will begin at the Rose Garden car park at 1:30pm. The tour will run for 90 minutes, and will be held on further dates throughout the year! Find more information here.

Urban Art Takeover

Explore the Museum you’ve never seen, with over 50 urban artists taking over the empty, redevelopment ready Canterbury Museum! With the redevelopment not far away, most of the complex is empty and we’ve handed it over to urban artists worldwide to use as their canvas. They’ve created a winding pathway of art across give floors and over 35 spaces, including storerooms, offices and other parts that are normally off-limits.

Their artwork ranges from traditional graffiti, to projections and more! They’re inspired by the Museum and the toanga (treasures) it cares for. This weekend is the end of the 3 month exhibition, which closes on 11 April. These artworks are temporary – when Museum redevelopment starts, they’ll be gone forever! Don’t miss this opportunity! Grab a ticket from $10 here.

Christchurch Antarctic Walk

Come along to the Canterbury Museum on Saturday to see what makes Christchurch an Antarctic Gateway City! The NZ Antarctic Society delivers a free guided walk to showcase the city’s rich Antarctic heritage. Learn about historical highlights and how we support scientific research conducted by the National Antarctic Programmes.

The walk starts outside the Museum at 1pm and moved to the Magnetic Observatory, Scott’s Statue, Canterbury Club, Erratic and several other Antarctic points of interest around the inner city.

As the Museum is currently closed for repairs, there will be a presentation at Tūranga Library of images and objects from the museum’s Antarctic collection. Keep an eye on the NZ Antarctic Society website for weather cancellation.