Somewhat run down, particularly the street near the pier. Reminiscent of an english seaside town out of season. Whole area needs investment if it harbours tourist destination aspirations. Pier is nice to walk out on, but do be aware that there are lot of fishermen and fish mess on the walkway particularly in the 'no fishing' zone at the end. Probably not worth the drive out from central Christchurch - not New Zealand at its best.

Not far from Sumner where we had gone to visit and thought we would have a look given it wasn't a bad day. Pretty quiet on the day, although may have been due to it being a Monday. A good sized modern concrete pier stretches out and was quite busy with fishermen. A big (and also quite modern) library is right on Marine Parade at the start of the pier as well. Some nice family friendly facilities and park next door. Was worth the trip to see it.

We stopped by New Brighton while exploring the outskirts of Christchurch. Parked at the public parking area and went for a walk along the pier. We had a lovely stroll along the pier watching the locals fishing and enjoying the beach. Very popular with the locals as well. The public library is linked to the end of the pier as well, with fantastic views of the beach. Apart from the pier and the library there wasn’t much else to see in town.