Lyttelton Shore Excursion: Exploration of Christchurch City Sights and Earthquake Recovery
4.6
154 Ratings

Embark on a half-day sightseeing tour of Christchurch while your ship is at port in Lyttelton. This tour highlights both the damage to the city inflicted by several large earthquakes in 2010 and 2011 and the rebuild which is currently in progress, paired with the surviving beauty of the city and historical landmarks.

Duration: 3 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Lyttelton Harbour - The default start time is 8.30am or up to 1 hour after your ship commences disembarkation, depending on what time your ship docks.
  • Mona Vale - Mona Vale Gardens with its picturesque ponds and water.
  • Sign of the Takahe - Best spot to admire some spectacular views over the City, Canterbury Plains and Southern Alps.
  • Cathedral Square - Time at leisure to explore Cathedral Square and have a lunch break at nearby riverside market
  • Riverside Market - Time at Leisure in Central city for a lunch break
What's Included
  • Worry-free Shore Excursion Guarantee
  • Professional Driver/Guide
  • Comfortable In-Vehicle Air Conditioning
  • Convenient Port Pickup and Drop-off
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks
  • Gratuities
Additional Information
  • At time of booking, cruise ship passengers must provide the following information: ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time
  • Collapsible wheelchairs with removable wheels can be accommodated providing the passenger is accompanied by someone who can assist them board and disembark
  • Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.6
(154 Ratings)
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Becky_n
Apr 18, 2024
Great guide, comprehensive tour to see the city - Great city tour if you are short on time and want to see as much as possible. We had beautiful scenic views, a visit to a gorgeous botanic garden, and a tour of the city with our excellent guide. He was animated and informative. We had a little free time in the city center with good recommendations for lunch or other things to see.
Review provided by Viator
Paula_c
Apr 13, 2024
So interesting and informative. - The whole trip was memorable. Our driver was the best and most interest and informative driver we had the whole time in New Zealand. Thank you.
Review provided by Viator
U4770licharlesj
Apr 12, 2024
Great coverage of Christchurch - Great tour. Guide Scotty gave lots of pertinent information about city and sites as well as information of quake, reconstruction, and red zone. Highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gaza74
Apr 10, 2024
Lyttelton/Christchurch tour - My Wife & I along with 2 of our good friends took this tour Monday 8th of April 2024, our tour guide was awesome, he was a very friendly, colorful character with a big bushy white beard, in bright Green Shoes & hat with red & Black Checkered pants, he explained liquefaction & why the earthquake was so devastating to the City of Christchurch, his knowledge of the city redesign/rebuild, buildings, earthquakes & geology was amazing, he explained the red zone and what that entailed, he gave us so many suggestions of where to eat lunch and what to look at. The only very minor negative was as we were from a cruise ship, docked in Lyttelton we needed more time to have lunch free explore the city centre of Christchurch & look at some of his suggestions.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Clare_r
Apr 4, 2024
Very informative - Very informative. Would have liked to focus on other aspects of Christchurch other than the earth quake impacts as well as being shown the aftermath.
Review provided by Viator
Molly_c
Apr 2, 2024
Value for money - Friendly and informative guide. Views were amazing and the garden we visited was absolutely beautiful. Value for money 😁
Review provided by Viator
Cabell_g
Apr 1, 2024
Outstanding tour and service - This was a great tour and great service! There was some confusion in leaving the ship and by the time we arrived at the meeting point the tour had left. However, Leisure Tours staff had already called us and were waiting to get us to the bus to catch up. Robyn volunteered to drive us in her own car and waited with us until the bus arrived. She was amazing! Then Kevin, our guide took over and provided an excellent introduction to Christchurch, including explaining and pointing out the effects and recovery of the devastating 2011 earthquake. I highly recommend Leisure Tours!!
Review provided by Viator
Shawnah698
Apr 7, 2024
Shore excursion - good way to see and learn about the area. - We enjoyed this shore excursion and learned a lot about the area in the short time we had on shore. The city was severely damaged by an earthquake and aftershocks in 2011 and is still undergoing construction. Our guide was a local and shared a lot of good information about the area.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Milton_l
Apr 1, 2024
We had a great day - Lanach Castle and the castle grounds. Kim’s knowledge of everything was very impressive as was his navigation of the curvey roads going up and down from the castle, having to control the bus round oncoming traffic
Review provided by Viator
Julz1122
Mar 31, 2024
Very Knowledgeable - Lyttleton and Christchurch Beautiful, had an amazing tour guide. Learned about the devastating earthquake of 2010, city is still rebuilding. Would like to have known more about the current things happening rather than just the old stuff.
Review provided by Tripadvisor