Rent a motorhome in Christchurch

Christchurch is the gateway to New Zealand's spectacular South Island — a mecca for motorhome enthusiasts. Nestled on the gorgeous Pegasus Bay, this coastal city boasts beach breaks, whale-watching excursions and pleasant, pedestrianised streets. With a motorhome rental in Christchurch, you’ll experience the best of the city and its surroundings — choose the ideal vehicle at motorhomebookers.com.

With a motorhome rental in Christchurch, you can explore the South Island’s jaw-dropping wildernesses from one of the country’s most lively bases. Christchurch is brimming with cultural and culinary highlights. With plenty of shops to prep for your road trip, you can set off in style across the Canterbury Plains to the towering Southern Alps. Explore vibrant vineyards, towering mountain passes and turquoise lakes.

This article explains why Christchurch is the perfect starting point for a motorhome holiday in New Zealand. We’ve included the attractions in the city for your next campervan road trip.

Top 5 facts about Christchurch

1. The Garden City: known by locals as New Zealand's "Garden City", there's no shortage of greenery in Christchurch, including cycling paths and punts on the Avon River.
2. Christchurch Arts Centre is one of the city's oldest colonial corners, featuring stunning Gothic Revival architecture and a fine visitor's centre with museums, galleries and events.
3. Christchurch Botanic Gardens are a floral, thematic delight of 30 colourful hectares.
4. Arthur's Pass National Park is a road trip highlight within 2 hours from Christchurch. It's the starting point for epic journeys along State Highway 6, which skirts Mount Cook and Franz Josef Glacier.
5. Head to the Banks Peninsula on the outskirts of Christchurch for a stunning coastal drive to spot the rare Hector's dolphin.

These highlights await you when you rent a camper van in Christchurch

Christchurch boasts a plethora of museums in its central, pedestrianised centre. Park your campervan rental in Christchurch to explore the stunning Christchurch Art Gallery. While this art space was damaged in the 2011 earthquake, it has since grown into a bolder and more modern exhibition space. Other highlights include the delightful Canterbury Museum with its Māori galleries and the insightful Quake City, which outlines the impact of the 2011 earthquakes.

One of the highlights of Christchurch is the array of natural sights. Park your RV rental and head to the top of Mount Cavendish via the Christchurch Gondola for panoramic views across the city and its coast. This will inspire your wandering feet and van to explore Quail Island, Pegasus Bay and the Banks Peninsula. There’s no shortage of wildlife trips, too, including Willowbank Wildlife Reserve and Orana Wildlife Park.

This makes Christchurch particularly suitable as a starting point for your road trip

Christchurch benefits from a central road network with four major routes providing unrivalled adventures around the South Island. With a campervan rental in Christchurch, you can head north, west or south on epic circular journeys right from your campervan pick-up point. The most popular stretch heads straight for Tekapo on State Highway 8 before joining State Highway 95 for Milford Sound, home to the hair-raising Mitre Peak and a wealth of lake-borne activities.

You can’t miss out on the west-reaching Great Alpine Highway (State Highway 73) through the legendary Arthur's Pass, a majestic, meandering mountain journey with an elevation of 2,425 feet. This towering landscape of waterfalls, snow-capped peaks and glacial lakes is reminiscent of Middle Earth. For whale-watching enthusiasts, make a round-trip of the route by circling around via Kaikoura — home to fine wine and dolphin encounters.

Christchurch is also a foodie hotspot with global influences. The new Riverside Market has brought the versatile food hall concept to the city with fresh produce and inventive street food stalls. There’s also Riccarton Sunday Market, an old-school favourite with 300 stalls. This all makes the city a great prep stop for your campervan rental in Christchurch.

Camper van rental: Useful information for your trip to Christchurch

What makes Christchurch such a great starting point for motorhome rentals? It’s easy to get to and radiates with many road-worthy attractions. Most visitors land via Christchurch International Airport, just 10 kilometres northwest of the city centre. You can pick up your campervan from the airport before exploring Christchurch and heading off on your South Island road trip. Alternative routes include trips from the North Island via ferries from Wellington to Picton.

A wealth of petrol stations can be found on the outskirts of Christchurch to fuel your adventure. Caltex Hornby, Z Belfast, Z Moorhouse Avenue and Challenge Halswell Road service all possible routes in and around the island. New Zealand is a pleasure to drive — just keep abreast of road conditions and remember you’re driving on the left.

Rent a motorhome now and discover the region around Christchurch

From Invercargill to Nelson, Queenstown and Auckland, Christchurch is the perfect starting point to explore New Zealand's landscape by motorhome rental. The city is surrounded by plentiful campsites to begin or end your journey in tranquillity. Contact motorhomebookers.com to make your NZ motorhome dreams a reality with an affordable campervan rental in Christchurch.