Airports
 Christchurch International Airport is an important regional hub that manages an increasing number of international flights every year. This is a convenient gateway for visitors arriving from across New Zealand as well as from several destinations in Australia. Beyond this, there are occasional charter flights to Tokyo, Singapore and Dubai. Flights from Los Angeles connect three times weekly.
 International airlines operating at this airport include: Air New Zealand, Qantas, Jetstar, Emirates, Air Pacific and Virgin Blue. Beyond services by national carrier Air New Zealand, domestic connections are handled by Air Chathams, Jetconnect and Pacific Blue.
The airport’s current expansion project will see a drastic increase in parking facilities, a taller control tower, and a brand new domestic terminal. Currently, the dual-terminal airport boasts a full roster of facilities including cafés and drinking establishments, left luggage, two currency exchange counters, and several boutiques.
Taxis queue up to meet each arrival, and there are several airport shuttle services that drop passengers off in the city centre, a mere six miles away. Car hire is also available for those who wish to self-drive, and routes from the airport are well-signed.
Public Transport
 There are a number of ways to reach Christchurch from other towns on the South Island and even across the Cook Strait from the North Island. InterCity is New Zealand’s premier coach operator, with buses bound to Christchurch from Dunedin and Picton. Newmans Coach Lines incorporates sightseeing into transport and leads worthwhile tours between South Island cities.
 Another popular means of arriving in Christchurch is via train. A railway spans the South Island’s eastern coastline from Blenheim south through Christchurch and continuing on to Dunedin and Invercargill on the Foveaux Strait. There is also a line running west from Christchurch across the Southern Alps and past Greymouth. This stretch of railway is known as the TranzAlpine service and offers some spectacular scenery along the way. Christchurch’s train station is situated next to Tower Junction in Addington.
 It is also possible to combine a rail ticket to Picton with onward travel by ferry to Wellington on the North Island. Christchurch’s own port, known as Lyttleton, lies across the Port Hills and is linked to the city centre via a tunnel. A number of tour operators offer relaxing catamaran tours of the coastline that launch from here.
Once you’ve settled into Christchurch, public transportation consists primarily of city buses. Red buses run a set circuit around the city and issue day passes that can be repeatedly used throughout the day. Yellow buses are usually free, running frequent circuits to the city’s most popular destinations. There are also a few buses running to and from the suburbs and outlying shopping districts. The metro Bus Exchange is the terminus for most of these lines.
If you would rather transport yourself, bicycles are a popular mode of getting around Christchurch. The city planners made way for an impressive grid of biking lanes to accommodate cyclists. Most major international car hire firms are represented at Christchurch International Airport, and the city can be reached via State Highway 1, which spans the east coast. State Highway 73 crosses Arthur’s Pass to Greymouth.
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