Ferrymead Heritage Park
Ferrymead Heritage Park
4
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
About
Ferrymead Park features an early 1900s (Edwardian) township and the park has a variety of restored cottages plus a school house, church and businesses which reflect the period and allow visitors to experience life for the early residents of Christchurch including the smell of a coal range and the sounds of a tram rattling past the door.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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See what travellers are saying
- Michelle H1 contributionSomething for everyone - even picky teens!What a treasure this is. So many hours of love and care in preserving this part of NZ history. So so impressed at the variety of exhibits and quality of information. Something for everyone and our teens were honestly captivated for HOURS! Win! Many thanks for your ongoing work and effort. We will be back. Loved it heapsVisited January 2024Travelled with familyWritten 9 January 2024
- Karen.Derby, United Kingdom118 contributionsA fun time.We went during the evening food fair. Really enjoyed the atmosphere. Good food. Not much choice of drinks. Good Icecream and waffles. Live music. Loved the tram and train and going into the old buildings. Learnt lots. Enthusiastic staff. Would go again.Visited April 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 7 April 2024
- Kathleen C21 contributionsOutdoor fun regardless of season; explore NZ's history and meet enthusiastic volunteers to answer your questionsThis park is in a lovely setting nestled amongst the Port Hills and easy drive from central Christchurch. There is lots to learn here with many buildings and collections that depict parts of New Zealand's and Christchurch history. The chapel is particularly beautiful and well-preserved. The park is home to many incorporated societies, all run by volunteers, which are dedicated to preserving an aspect of the park - be it the collection of fire history items in the fire museum to an Edwardian home and contents on the property. Please be sure to bring cash and coins so you can donate to the work being done here. Each group has a donation box on their part of the park. It's well worth dropping in a few coins to support their efforts!Visited June 2024Travelled with familyWritten 30 June 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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4.0
159 reviews
Excellent
69
Very good
66
Average
17
Poor
4
Terrible
3
Dunedin traveller
5 contributions
Sept 2021 • Family
What a great place to spend a couple of hours with your kids. The tram ride was fun and there was plenty to see and do,including feeding the chickens, exploring old houses and shops, a fire station, fun fair, post office etc etc. The staff are really friendly and take great pride in ferrymead. Would thoroughly recommend a visit.
Written 13 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lenny H
Auckland, New Zealand978 contributions
Nov 2024 • Couples
What a find! Our GPS and the road signs weren’t in total agreement, but we were so glad we found it. So much to see. Lots and lots of history. You can enter lots of the houses and get a good feel for what it was like to live in them.
Written 25 November 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kev H
Ryde, UK68 contributions
Feb 2020
Visited this great place with the family,a historical village,restoration centre and also a great little museum,well worth the visit with tram rides amongst other things
Written 17 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Heather S
Brisbane, Australia17 contributions
Jun 2016 • Family
My 2.5 year old loved it here. she is train mad so the train and tram rides made her day. The visit to the printery to make her own name stencil (with a little help) was also great fun. We saw almost everything in about 3 hours which was perfect for a toddler. We visited on Queens birthday Monday so there were extra events like a bouncing castle and coffee cart which improved our visit.
Written 27 June 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
David S
Wellington25 contributions
Mar 2016 • Friends
My wife and I spent a good four hours going round this site. It is well worth a visit and gives a good impression of what life must have been like in the early 1900's. The tram ride was great and we were shown around the tram workshops where they are currently restoring various trams. It is amazing how you just find more and more to see here and could easily spend an entire day. I found the atmosphere a little bit eerie as there were not many visitors around and I kept expecting people in Victorian dress to appear. It were almost as if the town had just been abandoned.
Would recommend this for all age groups with plenty to do and see.
Would recommend this for all age groups with plenty to do and see.
Written 23 March 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
timthetraveller_com
melbourne91 contributions
Ferrymead Heritage Park is a short drive from the Christchurch CBD or you can take a bus - directions are on their website - www.ferrymead.org.nz
From their website: Ferrymead Heritage Park features an early 1900s Edwardian township complete with homes, picture theatre, school house, church, jail and railway station, as well as a fascinating array of museum and heritage collections.
* Electric trams operate on weekends, event days and during school holidays, and that's when the railway station tearooms are open too
* Steam trains run on the first Sunday of every month (April/November). From November 2010 to February 2011 the Steam Trains will run EVERY Sunday.
Ferrymead is one of those places that every kid who grows up in Christchurch goes to. If not on a school trip then during the school holidays for sure. It is a part of Christchurch & is adding new features on a regular basis. During the week the trams & trains do not run but there is still heaps to see & do & the admission price is reduced. On the weekends & during the holidays the trains & trams run along with some special events during the year - check their website for upcoming events.
A number of different groups contribute to Ferrymead so there is a large variety of things to see & do. Many of the buildings have been restored & displayed as they were used in the past.
There is a main street with a church, school house, bakery, shops & a printers. You can tour the buildings & see how the people lived. The printers has some great old print plates ( apparently Man has Landed on the Moon ) & it looks like you can get copies on the weekends also. There is also a post office that is open on the weekends.
On the day we went there was a school group running around & they had dressed the kids in period costumes & were showing how the bakery worked & how clothes were washed way back when.
As you head down the back to the model train building & the history of electricity area there are some examples of old building styles & a relaxing pond to kick back at.
One advantage of going on a quiet day is you can sometimes get to see things you normally wouldn't. I want to say a special thanks to one of the many volunteers Dave. He took me & my sister & another visitor on a tour around the aircraft area.
We got up close to the Douglas LC 47 which used to fly down to the ice. We also got to see the Vickers Viscount & hear about the planned airport scene they are developing around it.
The best part was being shown around the non public parts of the aircraft restoration area. Dave is working on part of a Sunderland flying boat. I also got to see a Hudson up close for the first time & hear about all the work that has gone into it so far.
For me the absolute best part was getting up close to the DeHavilland Mosquito, one of my all time favorite aircraft. I knew it was made mostly of wood & had always assumed this was because of a lack of metal supplies during the war. Turns out the reason was actually to provide work for cabinet makers etc during the war. It was just awesome to see inside a mossie.
There are several other displays on the way back to the town centre & train station including some workshops. One had cool stuff including those goofy mirrors that make you look tall or short. There were some old trucks & cars along with restored trams. Upstairs there is a history of the telephone display.
Ferrymead has lots more to offer but I don't want to give it all away. Its well worth spending a day here if you are visiting Christchurch.
From their website: Ferrymead Heritage Park features an early 1900s Edwardian township complete with homes, picture theatre, school house, church, jail and railway station, as well as a fascinating array of museum and heritage collections.
* Electric trams operate on weekends, event days and during school holidays, and that's when the railway station tearooms are open too
* Steam trains run on the first Sunday of every month (April/November). From November 2010 to February 2011 the Steam Trains will run EVERY Sunday.
Ferrymead is one of those places that every kid who grows up in Christchurch goes to. If not on a school trip then during the school holidays for sure. It is a part of Christchurch & is adding new features on a regular basis. During the week the trams & trains do not run but there is still heaps to see & do & the admission price is reduced. On the weekends & during the holidays the trains & trams run along with some special events during the year - check their website for upcoming events.
A number of different groups contribute to Ferrymead so there is a large variety of things to see & do. Many of the buildings have been restored & displayed as they were used in the past.
There is a main street with a church, school house, bakery, shops & a printers. You can tour the buildings & see how the people lived. The printers has some great old print plates ( apparently Man has Landed on the Moon ) & it looks like you can get copies on the weekends also. There is also a post office that is open on the weekends.
On the day we went there was a school group running around & they had dressed the kids in period costumes & were showing how the bakery worked & how clothes were washed way back when.
As you head down the back to the model train building & the history of electricity area there are some examples of old building styles & a relaxing pond to kick back at.
One advantage of going on a quiet day is you can sometimes get to see things you normally wouldn't. I want to say a special thanks to one of the many volunteers Dave. He took me & my sister & another visitor on a tour around the aircraft area.
We got up close to the Douglas LC 47 which used to fly down to the ice. We also got to see the Vickers Viscount & hear about the planned airport scene they are developing around it.
The best part was being shown around the non public parts of the aircraft restoration area. Dave is working on part of a Sunderland flying boat. I also got to see a Hudson up close for the first time & hear about all the work that has gone into it so far.
For me the absolute best part was getting up close to the DeHavilland Mosquito, one of my all time favorite aircraft. I knew it was made mostly of wood & had always assumed this was because of a lack of metal supplies during the war. Turns out the reason was actually to provide work for cabinet makers etc during the war. It was just awesome to see inside a mossie.
There are several other displays on the way back to the town centre & train station including some workshops. One had cool stuff including those goofy mirrors that make you look tall or short. There were some old trucks & cars along with restored trams. Upstairs there is a history of the telephone display.
Ferrymead has lots more to offer but I don't want to give it all away. Its well worth spending a day here if you are visiting Christchurch.
Written 18 July 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Craigie
Christchurch, New Zealand16 contributions
Sept 2020 • Friends
Haven’t been to ferrymead for a few years, always a great afternoon exploring the park, be sure to visit curragh House!.
Written 18 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Steve_Vince
Wolverhampton, UK60 contributions
Nov 2019
The best place of its kind that I've ever visited, and I can't understand why it wasn't a lot more crowded (though it's not too easy to get to by public transport). We visited on one of the days when the steam train was running, and with that, the tramway, the buildings, the village and everything, I just can't speak too highly of it.
Written 17 April 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LindsayandSteve
Christchurch, New Zealand123 contributions
Dec 2018 • Family
We spent a lovely day walking around this heritage village and found plenty of variety to keep us entertained.
There is history, antiques in old houses, old cars, planes and trains as well as model railways. There’s a good little playground for little ones and plenty of open space for older kids to run around too. We weren’t there on steam train day, but I’ve heard that’s worth a visit too.
There are a few snacks and coffees for sale at the entrance, but you’d be better off packing a lunch if you plan to be there all day. Lots of nice spots for a picnic.
There is history, antiques in old houses, old cars, planes and trains as well as model railways. There’s a good little playground for little ones and plenty of open space for older kids to run around too. We weren’t there on steam train day, but I’ve heard that’s worth a visit too.
There are a few snacks and coffees for sale at the entrance, but you’d be better off packing a lunch if you plan to be there all day. Lots of nice spots for a picnic.
Written 14 December 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Felipe S
New Zealand93 contributions
Jun 2018 • Couples
My wife and I just moved to Christchurch and this is one of our favorite parks to visit. They have really nice museums and the old town is really unique. Try to visit this place on the recurring night markets, they're really fun. Must be nice to visit if you have kids too, you can even ride the trains.
That said, I think it's more of a place for people who live in the region, not for tourists.
That said, I think it's more of a place for people who live in the region, not for tourists.
Written 8 July 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
From where you park your car, how far is the walk?
If going by bus, how far from entry area do they let you off?
If going by taxi, can they drop us at entry gate?
Written 18 May 2021
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*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
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