It won’t take long to discover that winter in Ōtautahi Christchurch is about so much more than skiing and snowboarding. While Aotearoa New Zealand’s second largest city is close to the multi award-winning Mt Hutt ski field – which has one of the longest ski seasons in the motu (country) – there’s plenty of winter tūmatarau (magic) in the revived central city. 

Après ski experiences don’t get much better than a warming soak in a hot pool overlooking the ocean, dining at one of the restaurants at the Riverside Market and indulging in some retail therapy. The city also acts as a great base for those days when winter adventures out in the wider Canterbury region are calling – whether star gazing in the Mackenzie Basin or heli-skiing in Methven.