Christchurch

After the cathedral fell, a temporary one was built from cardboard tubes and timber. The architect brought the method he had used in disaster zones.

A river loops around the grounds, which hold a rose garden and glasshouses. Punts work that river and pass through the garden itself.

Restored trams run a loop around the centre. A day ticket lets you get off at any stop and board the next one.

The record of the 2011 earthquake is gathered here with fragments of the fallen buildings. Recorded testimony from those who lived it runs in every room.

The cabin lifts you to a hill with the city, the peninsula and the southern alps all in view. The ridge is the rim of an old crater, and the far side drops to a bay.

Ninety minutes away, a village founded by French settlers where the street names remain French. The smallest dolphin in the world lives in the harbour and boats go out to it.

A covered market built after the earthquake, standing along the river. Kitchens occupy the upper level and the produce is bought below.

Side walls exposed by demolition carry large paintings across the centre. A map guides a walk that links about twenty of them.

A short street of pastel fronts facing each other with the tram running between them. It went up in the 1930s all at once, so every building matches.

Half an hour by bus from the centre to a beach with one large rock standing on the sand. There is enough surf that people come to learn on it.

American, New Zealand and Italian Antarctic programmes fly south from here, and this centre by the airport tells the story. A storm room blasts sub-zero wind, and rescued little blue penguins live on site. The hit is a polar vehicle ride.

Behind its rippling glass facade, this gallery served as emergency headquarters after the 2011 earthquake and reopened only at the end of 2015. Its strength is modern New Zealand art, free to see. Start with the large sculptures in the forecourt.

New Zealand's only open-range zoo, with giraffe and rhino roaming broad grassland. A separate encounter takes you into the lion enclosure in a caged truck bed. The grounds are large, so ride the free shuttle that loops the park to see it all in a day.

A path from Taylors Mistake beach along the clifftops out to the point. At the tip, Second World War gun emplacements and searchlight posts that guarded the harbour remain. No shade, and the wind hits hard off the cliffs, so tie your hat on.

A port town in a volcanic crater, through a road tunnel bored in 1964. Weatherboard cottages climb the steep slope, and boats cross to small harbour settlements. Go on a Saturday morning, when the market is on and locals with coffees fill the street.

An alpine spa village 130km north of Christchurch, nearly two hours by road, with government baths since the 1880s. Open-air pools at different temperatures and waterslides sit amid pine forest. Many come in winter to soak while gazing at snowy peaks.

A scenic train from Christchurch over the Southern Alps to Greymouth on the west coast, crossing the Canterbury Plains, the Waimakariri gorge and Arthur's Pass in about half a day. The open-air carriage is best for photos; pull back before tunnels.

Huge limestone boulders scattered over a hillside by the road to Arthur's Pass. A Narnia battle scene was shot here, and boulderers climb the rocks. You reach them after a 15-minute stroll, a good stop if you drive rather than ride the train.

A large playground opened in 2015 on riverside land cleared after the earthquake, named for the city's children's author. Tall slide towers, a water play zone and swings share one site. In summer, pack spare clothes for any child heading into the water.