Forty Years Of Footing It With Christchurch Tourists

One of Christchurch’s most popular and perfectly-rated tourist attractions is celebrating its 40th anniversary – but this volunteer-led organisation is not probably one you’ve heard of.

Walk Christchurch is ranked 4th out of Trip Advisor’s 153 tours and activities in the city and has a 5.0 rating from 216 reviews. It offers a 2.5-hour highlights tour of the central city on foot for just $20 per person.

Chairman Graeme McNally says he is incredibly proud the independent incorporated society, which is entirely volunteer-operated, is notching up this milestone.

“We owe our success to the wonderful visitors who have entrusted us to share our city with them over the last four decades and, of course, to our outstandingly knowledgeable and committed guides – past and present – who provide visitors with a fantastic experience.

“Much like almost everyone in this city, we have been through some tough times, but here we are, standing strong.”

Walk Christchurch currently has 12 volunteer guides offering tours 362 days a year to an average of 2,000 people a year. The team specialises in small groups of 10 or fewer people and private tours.

Originally named the Christchurch Personal Guiding Service, Walk Christchurch was founded in 1982 by John Jameson, the Summit Road Society founder and grandson of naturalist, city councillor, and MP Harry Ell.

Graeme says there have been about 220 guides who have been trained and given outstanding service over the years. Now the organisation needs new recruits.

“While we mark this big achievement, we also need to recruit additional volunteer guides to help us meet demand now that the borders are open. All you need is a love for meeting people from all around the world, sharing stories, and walking – full, and ongoing, training is provided.

“To give you an idea of how much you’ll enjoy it, our oldest active guide is aged 85, and our longest-serving guide has been with us for 20 years.”

The independent organisation is funded entirely from the fees it charges for its walks – it receives no financial support from other organisations or funds. It does, however, donate a percentage of its revenue and occasional lump-sums to local organisations and, in recent years, has adopted The Arts Centre te Matatiki Toi Ora as its benefactor.

Philip Aldridge, director of The Arts Centre says: “We have a strong working relationship with the team at Walk Christchurch. We’ve been providing them with reservations support since October 2020 and are the recipient of a share of funding from all their walking tours, as well as other financial contributions. They’ve been enthusiastically sharing our rich heritage with tourists for decades, and we are absolutely thrilled to celebrate in their success.”

To enquire about becoming a guide, email walkchristchurch@gmail.com. To book a tour, or learn more about Walk Christchurch, visit www.walkchristchurch.nz, or visit the Rolleston Ave kiosk from 10.00am to 10.30am each day from 1 October to 31 March.

About Walk Christchurch

The Christchurch Personal Guiding Service was established in 1982 by John Jameson, the Summit Road Society founder and grandson of Harry Ell. The volunteer organisation’s aim was to introduce visitors to our unique city.

John started the service after taking a South Island bus tour on which Christchurch was limited to an hour’s sightseeing in pursuit of a “comfort stop”. In summer 1982 he hung a yellow wooden sign over the railings at Christ Church Cathedral and began inner-city walks. A group of guides was progressively established.

Since then, it has remained as an independent incorporated society that receives no financial support from other organisations or funds. The organisation donates a percentage of its revenue and occasional lump-sums to local organisations and, in recent years, has adopted The Arts Centre te Matatiki Toi Ora as its benefactor.

Walk Christchurch adopted its current moniker in 2018.

Recent reviews

“A must-do experience for visitors to Christchurch. I wish I had taken this tour on the first day of my stay. Meira told us of early city history intermingled with current stories of a city coming to terms with life after the earthquake. Meira shared many of her personal experiences with humour and pragmatism. At the conclusion of the tour, I was much more able to spot the signs of where building restoration had taken place. A must do attraction.”

– Barbara M

“Best spent $20! Our lovely guide Graeme, was knowledgable and informative and brought this lovely city to life. He was so patient with our myriad of questions! We came away with a strong feeling that, out of tragedy, so much good has arisen. It’s great that some of the ticket cost for this tour helps rebuild the wonderful Arts precinct. Thank you Graeme for a fabulous tour!”

– LizB, Denmark

“An outstanding walk through a beautiful city. We have been fortunate to experience guided walking tours of many cities in the world we have visited, this tour was one of the absolute best we have undertaken, incredibly interesting, and gave us a wonderful insight into a truly beautiful and historic city, bouncing back from the effects of earthquake a decade or more ago. The tour took us through museums, gardens, historic buildings and modern city precincts, all in a couple of hours that ‘just flew by’. We were extremely lucky to have Max as our guide, incredibly knowledgeable, a very fine sense of humour and showed us a range of ‘secret spots’ that were real highlights of our walk.”

– Peter M, Australia

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