New Zealand · Canterbury · Christchurch
Bishopdale, Christchurch — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Bishopdale is a residential suburb in the north of Christchurch, New Zealand, named for three brothers who planted orchards here in the 1850s.
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Where to stay in Bishopdale
Where visitors usually base themselves, and why.
Most of Bishopdale went up from the 1960s onward, single-storey houses in brick or wood, and the suburb has kept plenty of parks and open ground between them. A small shopping mall serves it. Christchurch International Airport at Harewood is close enough to matter for anyone flying early, and Orana Wildlife Park is the other neighbour worth the short drive.
About Bishopdale
What are the main landmarks in Bishopdale?
Bishopdale's own landmarks are its parks and its small mall rather than any building of note. What stands nearby is more striking. Orana Wildlife Park, the Christchurch zoo, lies just beyond the suburb, and Christchurch International Airport sits at Harewood on the other side, which puts a working runway and a wildlife park within a few minutes of each other.
What is the history of Bishopdale?
Three brothers named Bishop bought land here at the end of the 1850s and planted pipfruit orchards on it: James, Robert, and William. The spelling shifted. Bishopdale was called Bishopsdale at first and lost its second s, and part of Greers Road between Harewood Road and Sawyers Arms Road was once Bishop's Road, renamed in 1948 to stop it being confused with Bishops Road in Papanui and Bishop Street in St Albans.
Where is Bishopdale?
Bishopdale lies on the flat northern side of Christchurch, made up of the Bishopdale North, West, and South areas, with Harewood and the airport beyond it. Greers Road runs through. Papanui sits to the east and the Canterbury Plains stretch away north, which is why the suburb is as level as it is.
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Updated September 2026