"Family walk" in Christchurch usually means one of two things: a flat, short loop a three-year-old can actually finish, or a slightly longer one with a payoff at the end — a playground, a beach, a tram ride, a decent lawn to unroll a picnic blanket on. This list is built around that second kind. None of these need hiking boots. Most take under an hour, several are stroller and wheelchair friendly, and all of them have somewhere to eat once you've walked it.
A few are inner-city, a few need a short drive out to the harbour or the coast. Where a spot has no on-site food, we've said so — Christchurch's picnic culture still mostly runs on "bring your own."
Think of this list in two halves: the walks you can genuinely do on a random Tuesday afternoon with a toddler in tow — Charlesworth Reserve, Barnett Park, the Coastal Pathway — and the ones worth setting aside a half-day for, like Ferrymead Heritage Park or a proper drive out to Governors Bay. Mixing a quick one with a bigger one across a weekend tends to work better than trying to cram everything into a single outing.
Mona Vale — Fendalton
A four-hectare heritage garden park on the banks of the Avon, ten minutes' walk from Hagley Park. The homestead, rose garden and fernery are the drawcard, but the real reason it's on this list is the riverside lawn — genuinely one of the best picnic spots in the city, and quieter than Hagley on a weekend. There's an on-site cafe if you don't want to carry your own lunch. Open daily until roughly an hour before sunset; dogs are welcome on lead, and it's worth keeping an eye on toddlers near the lily pond and the riverbank. Late afternoon light through the mature trees makes it a genuinely good spot for photos too, if that's part of the reason you're there.
Bottle Lake Forest Park — Burwood
A 1,000-hectare pine forest about ten kilometres north-east of the centre, and one of the few Christchurch walks that feels genuinely different from the rest of the city. The Blue Track is flat, sandy underfoot and shaded — an easy 30–40 minutes with kids. The forest also hides a "fairy village" with well over a hundred small fairy doors tucked into tree trunks along the tracks, which does more to keep young kids walking than any amount of persuasion. There's a pump track near the car park for older ones, and something closer to an obstacle course a bit further in that older kids tend to gravitate to. Picnic tables and toilets are on site, and an information centre near the entrance has maps if you want to go further than the main tracks. There's no cafe though — bring food and water.
Barnett Park — Redcliffs
A sports park at the base of the Redcliffs hills with a proper playground — see-saw, slides, roundabout, swings — plus free BBQs and open lawn for a picnic. It's a good base for a short family outing: let the kids run the playground first, eat, then take the walking track up toward the historic caves in the cliff face above the park if everyone's still got energy. Quieter than the beachfront parks nearby, and easy parking. It's the kind of park that doesn't show up on many tourist lists precisely because it's a genuine neighbourhood spot — native plantings around the edges bring in enough birdlife to keep an ecology-minded kid interested between playground turns.
Ferrymead Heritage Park — Heathcote
A recreated Edwardian township and living history museum — genuinely one of the better half-day family outings in the city, not just a park. Vintage trams run on weekends, public holidays and school holidays, and a steam train runs the second Sunday of each month (more often over the Christmas period). There's a sheltered picnic lawn if you bring your own food — there's no restaurant on site, though the monthly gold coin night market brings in food stalls. Worth checking the tram/train running days before you go if that's the point of the trip. Beyond the trams themselves, the park runs hands-on education displays and the wider heritage village is genuinely big enough to fill a couple of hours of wandering even on a day the trams aren't running.
Charlesworth Reserve — Ferrymead
A short wetland loop — 15 to 20 minutes return from the Charlesworth Street car park — on a well-formed gravel path that's genuinely stroller-friendly, not just technically wheelchair-accessible. It's a restoration wetland, so the appeal is spotting birds rather than running around: look for the oystercatcher (tōrea), pied stilt (poaka) and white-faced heron (matuku moana) working the tidal pools. Dogs must stay on lead and are kept out of the wetland itself. The main entrance is on Charlesworth Street, with further access points from Humphries Drive, Waterman Place and neighbouring Ti Rakau Reserve if you'd rather approach from a different side. Winter visits are worth timing around the weather — the gravel can turn genuinely slippery after heavy rain. Short enough to pair with Ferrymead Heritage Park, a five-minute drive away, for a fuller day.
Christchurch Coastal Pathway — Redcliffs to Moncks Bay & Scarborough
The newest addition to this list — the Moncks Bay section of the 6.5km shared pathway opened in late 2023, and it's the flattest, widest coastal walk in the city. Sections are cantilevered out over the estuary, so you get water and birdlife right underneath you without any climbing. It runs from Ferrymead through to Scarborough Beach at Sumner, wide enough for prams, wheelchairs and scooters alongside walkers and cyclists. Start from Redcliffs, where there's street parking, a few cafes and a bus stop, and finish at Sumner's beach and cafe strip if you want lunch out rather than a packed one. It's shared with cyclists and scooters as well as walkers, so keep younger kids close on the busier weekend stretches, and the estuary views along the way are genuinely worth slowing down for rather than just walking straight through.
Governors Bay — Lyttelton Harbour
A 25–30 minute drive out via Dyers Pass or the tunnel, and worth it for how much quieter it is than Sumner on a weekend. It's a small beachside village on the harbour with a long wharf, a walking track that follows the coastline around the bay, and shaded spots under the trees near the jetty that are made for a picnic blanket. There are a couple of swimming spots too if the weather's warm enough. Less built-up than the coastal suburbs, so it feels more like a proper day trip than a quick outing — plan for the drive as part of the day, not just the destination. The drive itself, winding through the forested hills above Lyttelton Harbour, is part of the appeal, and Sandy Bay nearby has a smaller, more private-feeling stretch of sand if the main waterfront is busy.
New Brighton Pier & Beach
The 300-metre pier is the obvious draw — walk to the end and back, with the Pacific on both sides — but the beachfront playground next to it is what turns this into a proper family afternoon. It's a mix of wet and dry play: a large rope climbing frame, water cannons, a giant waka kids can climb inside, and a wheelchair-accessible splash pad. He Puna Taimoana hot pools are right there if you want to extend the day, and Salt on the Pier cafe (inside the library building) covers lunch. The beach itself runs a long way in both directions if you'd rather just walk, and the dunes along it are worth timing for early evening light if you're bringing a camera. The pier underwent an $8.5 million earthquake repair completed in 2018, so it's in solid shape for a proper walk to the end and back.
Local Tips
- Charlesworth Reserve's loop is short on its own — pair it with Ferrymead Heritage Park five minutes away for a fuller day out.
- Bring your own food to Bottle Lake Forest and Ferrymead Heritage Park — neither has a cafe on site.
- The Coastal Pathway's Moncks Bay section is genuinely pram and wheelchair friendly, unlike the older clifftop tracks further round toward Sumner.
- Governors Bay is a 25–30 minute drive but noticeably quieter than Sumner or New Brighton on a weekend.
- Check Ferrymead's tram and steam train running days before you go if that's the reason for the trip — they don't run every day.
Get Personalised Recommendations
Ask @OpenLocallyNZBot on Telegram — describe what you're after and get instant local advice.
Chat with Open Locally