New Zealand · Canterbury · Christchurch
Riccarton, Christchurch — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Riccarton is a suburb of Christchurch lying due west of the city centre, with Hagley Park in between.
About Riccarton
Where to stay in Riccarton
Each area has its own feel; here's who each one suits.
Riccarton works as a residential base rather than a hotel quarter. The suburb rents houses, not rooms. Visitors wanting this side of Christchurch usually settle between Mandeville Street and the Hagley Park edge, from where the centre is a short, level trip east. Upper Riccarton, further west, is quieter again, with the Riccarton House grounds within walking reach.
About Riccarton
What are the main landmarks in Riccarton?
Riccarton House carries the suburb's name and its longest thread of history, standing in grounds that survived while the streets around it filled with villas. Daresbury is listed too. The Mona Vale Gatehouse marks another of the old estate approaches, and St Ninian's Church of Riccarton gives the parish its landmark, while heritage villas on Glandovey Road and Mandeville Street fill in the rest.
What is the history of Riccarton?
Old villas survive in numbers. Riccarton House stands as the suburb's longest-running landmark, and heritage listing reaches addresses on Mandeville Street and Glandovey Road where early houses were kept rather than replaced. Hagley Park kept the ground toward the centre open, while Upper Riccarton extends the built-up area further west.
St Ninian's Church of Riccarton and the Mona Vale Gatehouse carry the same period forward.
Where is Riccarton?
Hagley Park separates Riccarton from central Christchurch, and Upper Riccarton continues the suburb westward beyond it.
More areas in Christchurch
Updated September 2026