HOW TO GET FROM CHRISTCHURCH AIRPORT TO THE CITY

Yay, you’re heading to Christchurch!

In this post, I’ll take you through the options to get from Christchurch Airport to the city centre.

The Airport is less than 10km from the city centre and there are a variety of options to get you there. To keep this post simple, I’ll be using Cathedral Square as the destination you’re heading to from the airport.

Of course, you could be staying anywhere in Christchurch and the surrounding suburbs. If you’ve got any questions about how to get from the airport to your specific destination, email me jub@churnewzealand.com and I’ll be happy to help.

There are at least 7 options departing from Christchurch Airport to the city:

center>1. Walk
2. Public Bus
3. Shuttle
4. Ridesharing Apps
5. Taxi
6. Pickup
7. Rental Car

And yes, you can take each option in reverse, from the city to Christchurch Airport.

Arriving super late or departing super early?

You might want to book in at the Sudima or if you’re on a budget the Jucy Snooze Hostel, both are less than a 10-minute walk to the terminals.

Looking for something fun to do close to the Airport?

The International Antartic Centre, one of the most popular tourist attractions in the city, is next to Christchurch Airport.

1. WALKING

Walking from the airport to your hotel could be an easy option if you’re staying in one of the places mentioned above, but if you’re planning to walk from Christchurch Airport to the City, you’ve got to be a little crazy…or travel with little 🙂 Or you’re just looking for the cheapest way to get from Christchurch Airport to the city (hitchhiking could work too).

That said, it’s less than 10km so definitely doable. You won’t have the scenery like you would walking from Queenstown Airport, but you won’t have to deal with the hills like walking from Wellington Airport.

The first half of the walk pretty much follows Memorial Avenue, which isn’t the most exciting walk. But you do walk through Hagley Park North which is pretty, and then you’ll get a sample of the city centre as you make your way towards Cathedral Square.

2. PUBLIC BUS

The public bus system in Christchurch does well at serving all the various suburbs around the city. I’m just not a big fan of how much the fares are without a metrocard.

It’s easy to get the public bus from Christchurch Airport to city. Leaving the airport head to this bus stop (less than a 5-minute walk). The two buses that go directly to the city are the 3 and 29 (from ~6am to ~Midnight). Do note, they go to the bus interchange rather than Cathedral Square, but that’s a 500 metre walk away.

You can see the #3 timetable here and the #29 timetable here.

Cash Fares (no debit card):

• Adult $8.50
• Children $4.50

Total time is about 40 minutes to get from the airport bus stop to Cathedral Square.

Or if you walk 1.3km down Memorial Ave to this bus stop the fares are $4.20 for adults and $2.40 for children. There’s a surcharge for airport services, so this bus stop is not in the airport zone.

Don’t forget to get some cash out at the airport if you don’t have a metro card.

If you’ve got a MetroCard (you can order one online for $5 if you’re organised in advance), the fares are $2.65 for adults and $1.50 for children. That’s a much better deal, especially if you’ll use public transport around Christchurch regularly.

3. SHUTTLE

The main airport shuttle company operating out of Christchurch Airport is Super Shuttle. They’re a reliable company and their shuttles are seen at most of NZ’s big airports.

Some people love shuttles, others not so much. I’ve caught them a couple of times, but tend to use public transport instead…though if you have lots of baggage, a shuttle is a good idea.

From Christchurch Airport to the City by shuttle, the cost varies depending on the number of people and shuttle type.

If you get the regular shuttle, where other people may be dropped off before you the cost is $19 for 1 person, then increases $5 per person after that. For example, four people would be $34 dollars.

For the exclusive use of a shuttle, for up to 10 people the cost is $85 (regardless of how many people there are).

If you’re short on time, make sure you book your Super Shuttle in advance.

If you’d like more personalised service, and nicer vans you can book this shuttle on Get Your Guide for $140 at the time of writing.

4. RIDE SHARING APPS

You can use all three, YourRide, Uber, and Ola ride-sharing apps to get to and from Christchurch Airport.

The important thing to note, is pickups from Christchurch Airport all happen at the Rideshare Pick-up Zone behind the Express Park building. There are signs at the airport that’ll guide you here.

At 2.30pm on a Thursday when I looked up the price from Christchurch Airport to Cathedral Square on Ola, the cost would be $29 – $35 (drivers are charged an extra $5.50 for rides to/from the airport).

p.s. If you haven’t used Ola before (and have an NZ sim card), use this link to download Ola, use the promo “BKFYYPU” and you’ll get $10 off your first ride if it’s within 10 days of signing up. I’ll get some Ola credit to 🙂

5. TAXI FROM CHRISTCHURCH AIRPORT TO THE CITY

If you’ve read several articles on ChurNewZealand.com, you’ll know I’m not a fan of taxis. But that said, there are various taxi companies that’ll take you to the city from Christchurch Airport. They are:

• Blue Star Taxis
• Corporate Cabs
• First Direct
• Gold Band Taxis

Make sure you understand what you’ll be paying roughly before you get in.

6. PICKUP

If you’ve got someone willing to pick you up from Christchurch Airport, they’ve got a pretty easy journey to Christchurch Airport which is ~15 minutes from the Square, depending on traffic.

Once there, they won’t be able to wait at The Loop for you to exit the airport, so if they’re early they can park here on Orchard Road for free for 30 minutes while they wait to hear from you.

If they’re planning to come in and see you come through the gates, they can goto the paid parking zone at the Express Park.

7. RENTAL CAR

If you’re planning to rent a car to drive around Christchurch, you’ve got lots of options open to you. There are some located in the international terminal and others in and around the airport.

The rental car companies located in the International Terminal are:

• Avis New Zealand
• Budget
• Europcar
• Ezi Car Rental
• Hertz
• Enterprise Rent-A-Car
• Sixt

If you prebook your rental car with another company, they’ll usually have a courtesy shuttle from the airport (outside Door 2) to their pick-up locations.

You can book rental cars on Booking.com. Like the accommodation bookings, they list the options by price so you can shop around. Make sure to visit the individual company websites too.

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I hope this makes your journey from Christchurch Airport to the city easier.

If you’re a solo traveller, the public bus is the best option I reckon. But if there are a few of you, a shuttle or rideshare quickly makes sense. And if you’re planning to road trip around the South Island, getting your rental car from the airport makes sense.

And yes, you could catch a limousine or ride a scooter from the airport but they’re rare user cases so I won’t include them here.

WHAT TO READ NEXT:

• Godley Head Walk
• Some Amazing Hikes In The South Island
• Should you book a flight with Jettzy?