Cruise Port Guide · 59 cruises visit Lyttelton (Christchurch) →

Lyttelton Cruise Port

Plan the whole trip —

The bucket-list things to do — and who runs each one.

Here’s the bucket list for your day ashore: the most extraordinary thing to do at each stop, who runs it, and how to book it direct — so you can weigh it against your ship’s excursion and pick what suits you.

In port at Lyttelton (Christchurch), the bucket-list move is TranzAlpine Train: NZ's Greatest Alpine Journey. Below: 3 bucket-list things to do on a Lyttelton (Christchurch) port day — worth weighing against whatever your ship offers.
TranzAlpine Train: NZ's Greatest Alpine Journey
1scenic

TranzAlpine Train: NZ's Greatest Alpine Journey

Board one of the world's great train journeys, crossing the Southern Alps from Christchurch to Arthur's Pass through breathtaking gorges, viaducts, and snow-capped peaks. A once-in-a-lifetime rail experience that reveals the raw grandeur of Canterbury.

We have not yet verified a bookable operator and price for this one, so we are not quoting either.
What to expect, timing & how to book →
Private Akaroa Day Tour: French Village & Hector's Dolphins
2wildlife

Private Akaroa Day Tour: French Village & Hector's Dolphins

Ride in a chauffeured private vehicle along the volcanic ridgelines of Banks Peninsula to Akaroa, New Zealand's only French colonial village, then cruise its turquoise harbour to swim with the world's rarest and smallest dolphin — the Hector's dolphin.

Book it From Christchurch: Akaroa Day Trip with Hector's Dolphins $203 per person
Run by Black Cat Cruises · 4.70 from 1,400 reviews
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What to expect, timing & how to book →
Crater Rim Guided Walk: Volcanic Harbour from the Sky
3adventure

Crater Rim Guided Walk: Volcanic Harbour from the Sky

Trek the ancient volcanic rim above Lyttelton Harbour with an expert local guide, savoring 360° panoramas of Banks Peninsula, the Canterbury Plains, and the Southern Alps — a dramatic perspective that reveals just how extraordinary this port really is.

We have not yet verified a bookable operator and price for this one, so we are not quoting either.
What to expect, timing & how to book →
Christchurch Tram, Punt & Gondola Combo: City Icons in One Day
4culture

Christchurch Tram, Punt & Gondola Combo: City Icons in One Day

Glide through Christchurch's resurgent city centre on a heritage tram, punt peacefully along the Avon River through lush gardens, then ascend the Port Hills by gondola for sweeping views over the rebuilt city and the Pacific coast.

Book it Christchurch: Tram, Punt and Gondola Ride Combo Ticket $72 per person
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What to expect, timing & how to book →
Castle Hill & Inland Canterbury: Sacred Limestone Wilderness
5landmark

Castle Hill & Inland Canterbury: Sacred Limestone Wilderness

Journey into the Canterbury high country to Castle Hill / Kura Tāwhiti, where thousands of ancient limestone boulders rise from tussock grassland — a sacred Māori site so otherworldly that the Dalai Lama called it 'the spiritual centre of the universe.'

We have not yet verified a bookable operator and price for this one, so we are not quoting either.
What to expect, timing & how to book →
International Antarctic Centre: Immersive Ice Continent Experience
6history

International Antarctic Centre: Immersive Ice Continent Experience

Christchurch is the world's gateway to Antarctica — step inside the award-winning Antarctic Centre to experience a simulated polar storm, ride an amphibious Hagglund vehicle, and meet the resident little blue penguins in a genuine behind-the-scenes encounter.

Book it Christchurch International Antarctic Centre Entry Tickets $44 per person
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What to expect, timing & how to book →
Your day in Lyttelton Nothing picked yet — tick what you fancy
$0 for two, booked direct

Now plan the rest of it

You know what to do on the day. Here is the trip it belongs to — each one opens as a whole plan, not a list: where to fly in, every port, what it runs.

Cruises that call at Lyttelton

All 59 sailings that call here →

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Other ports on these sailings

⚓ Your bucket-list concierge

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