Christchurch - Culture

Christchurch is the arts capital of New Zealand's South Island. See http://bethere.co.nz and www.localeye.info for events listings, and buy tickets from Ticketek (tel: (03) 377 8899; www.ticketek.co.nz).

Music
Christchurch's premier performing arts centre is the Town Hall at 86 Kilmore Street (tel: (03) 366 8899). Situated beside the River Avon in the heart of Christchurch, the complex provides a magnificent setting for the performing arts, including chamber and symphony orchestra. Southern Opera also performs there (tel: (03) 377 8899; www.southernopera.co.nz). The Westpac Arena, one of New Zealand's largest permanent multipurpose indoor venues, is another venue for big concerts.

Theatre
The James Hay Theatre in the Town Hall for Performing Arts (see above), the Isaac Theatre Royal, 145 Gloucester Street (tel: (03) 366 6326; www.isaactheatreroyal.co.nz), and the Court Theatre in the Arts Centre, 20 Worcester Boulevard (tel: (03) 963 0870; www.courttheatre.org.nz), are the main theatres. The Court has its own in-house theatre troupe.

Film
Main multiplexes in Christchurch are the Hoyts 8 (tel: (03) 377 9945; www.hoyts.co.nz) in the old central railway station at 392 Moorhouse Avenue; Reading Cinemas (tel: (03) 375 7080; www.readingcinemas.co.nz), in the Palms shopping centre in the suburb of Shirley, corner of New Brighton and Marshlands Roads; and The Regent on Worcester, 94 Worcester Street (tel: (03) 366 0140; www.hoyts.co.nz).