Top Christchurch Climbing

We had a really fun time in the cave. Even though it rained the night before, our guide Lachie made sure everything was safe for us. He was very knowledgeable and shared lots of interesting information about the surrounding nature and local culture. It made the whole experience even more enjoyable :D

A very informative introduction to climbing and belaying, despite the short timeframe, we were able to climb two routes ourselves. A very nice guide, beautiful scenery, a lovely afternoon..

It was a great experience. This is the first time we've climbed. Our very nice guide has chosen just the right thing and challenged us too. Although there were only two of us, the tour still took place, we were even picked up in front of our house. Highly recommended!

Exploring the cave was an extraordinary experience, over an hour of wading through water-filled passages, some of which were narrow and challenging to navigate. It was a dream come true for anyone who enjoys real adventure. Having someone experienced with us made all the difference, ensuring we felt safe and confident throughout.What truly elevated the whole experience, though, were Alan, our guide, and the thoughtful extras. There was no sense of being rushed; we had time to enjoy every moment. After the tour, we were offered warm towels to dry off and change, and we received a full set of photos and videos at no extra cost. These small but meaningful gestures made it clear that this wasn’t just a job—it was a passion project. The entire outing felt personal, well-organized, and genuinely generous. I’d absolutely recommend this to anyone seeking a rich, immersive adventure.

We booked this as a cruise ship excursion on our own. We were picked up at 0835h at the Lyttelton bus stop where cruise passengers are dropped off. There was one other person with us on the tour and there is a maximum of 8 people. Our guide, Gemma, provided commentary about the local area along the way. We first stopped at the Sheffield pie shop where we picked out our lunch and a snack, provided by the company. We drove to Lake Lyndon to eat our snacks and Gemma provided hot drinks, juice, and fruit. Then we went to Cave Stream and changed into our caving gear. Everything was provided, even a towel hoodie like thing that we could wear and change our clothes under. All we needed were swimming clothes for under the wet suit. The cave had medium-high water levels and a strong current. Footing was unstable at times due to loose and/or slippery rocks. It took about 60 minutes to go through. We were lucky and had the cave all to ourselves! The water was chest deep at the entrance, but mostly knee deep the rest of the way. Watch out for (harmless) spiders living inside! After the cave we went to Kura Tawhiti for 45 minutes to explore the boulders and take photos, and then a quick stop in Springfield to see the doughnut statue from the Simpsons movie. We were back at the cruise port at 1645h, right on time. This was the most organized tour we have ever been on. Gemma provided absolutely everything one could ever need for the day, including water, sunscreen, hand sanitizer, caving gear (helmet, headlamp, wet suit, jacket, thermal top and bottom, gloves, socks, sneakers, beanie). The scenery was magnificent along the way.

Our guides, Rebecca and Jared, were fantastic! They had excellent local knowledge and Jared knew areas to boulder at Castle Hill which made my teenage son's day! We loved the cave! It was beautiful! Wonderfully relaxing outdoors day!

Brilliant day - loved how they adjusted the days climbing for the more experienced climbers. Fabulous day for the kids.

Amazing climbing adventure!! We got a full day of climbing and got to learn new techniques. The views were amazing and our guide gave us so many good insights about the place!

Jared was an excellent your guide! We had a great time going through the cave. He made sure we were safe the entire time and shared interesting knowledge about the area. We would highly recommended this tour.

Great way to experience your first cave. Weather was great especially given the amount of water to trek though. Guide was knowledgeable and flexible. The rock garden was also great for the looking for a place to explore and even boulder.

Nathaniel was a great guide for my boys and I. We all had a good and challenging time climbing. The weather was great for us, we couldn’t have asked for a better day.

THe ride to the cave was scenic, including a stop for a snack while lunch was being picked up. the cave was quite an adventure! We'd never done anything like this and absolutely loved it! Our guides were helpful with both advice and a helping hand when necessary. We would do this again in a heartbeat! Lunch after the 1 hour plus cave trek tasted delicious and the views spectalcular

We had a fantastic day out with Alan, climbing various crags with great views over Christchurch/New Brighton. It was a great luxury to be collected and dropped off again from our accommodation and the routes and type of climbing we did was adjusted to suit our ability and aims. As we have only limited experience of sport climbing it was great to learn the basics and more from a pro.

The Cave Stream and Castle Hill tour is a well-run and unique experience that offers visitors a chance to explore a hidden part of New Zealand. The tour is well-planned and takes visitors to locations that would otherwise go unseen by many tourists. In addition to the amazing natural scenery, the tour includes a delicious stop at a bakery on the way to the Cave Stream. Overall, this tour offers a fantastic opportunity for travelers to experience the beauty of New Zealand and is highly recommended.

I had the best day climbing with Arna in the Port Hills. It was my first time climbing outdoors and I had so much fun. Arna helped me feel comfortable on the rock and gave me some good pointers for improving my technique. There are lots of different grades of climbing at the crag so there is definitely a climb for everyone of all abilities. I even got to have a go at abseiling! Thanks so much for such a great day!

Amazing trip to Castle Hill/Kura Tawhiti and Cave Stream. My guide, Robbie, was very knowledgeable and friendly and tailored the tour to suit my interests. I had a great day walking around the boulder fields, trying some bouldering, and making my way through Cave Stream's underground river and waterfalls. Highly recommend. Thanks so much for an awesome day!