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Christchurch Photo Hunt

Christchurch Photo Hunt 2026

Photo Hunt 2026 is coming in October!

Each year Christchurch City Libraries runs the Photo Hunt to gather photographs from across the community, along with the unique stories of their creators.

Photo Hunt 2026's theme is Connections. Share the connections that link you, your community and Canterbury, past and present. Enter from Thursday 1st to Saturday 31st October for your chance to win Riverside Market vouchers.

Links

How the 2026 Christchurch Photo Hunt will work

Here is how you can contribute your digital images to the Photo Hunt:

  1. Upload your photos to discoverywall.nz;
  2. Submit your photos through our photo hunt entry form.

There is no longer a process for dropping your photos at libraries. If you have physical photos you want to scan, you can:

  1. Come along to the Digitise Your Photos event at Linwood Library on Wednesday 21 October 10am to 2pm.
  2. Scan your photos at the library. Learn more about how to access the photo scanners.

Each image is entered into a category of People, Places or Both (depending on what the main subject of the image is).

Entries will be made available on the Discovery Wall and discoverywall.nz and will also form a crucial part of the permanent heritage collections housed on the libraries’ digital heritage platform Canterbury Stories.

Events

Featured

Event

Digitise Your Photos: Scan, sip and share at Linwood Library

Oct 21st | 10:00am - 2:00pm
Linwood Library
Add to our digital collection and share memories in this interesting conversation starter. Bring along your photos to scan & enjoy a cuppa.
Event

Golden Connections: Ageing Positively Week

Oct 19th | 2:30pm - 4:30pm
Matatiki Hornby Centre
Learn how to use the photo scanner. Bring a photo that means a lot to you & share the stories and memories behind it with the group.
Event

Golden Connections: Ageing Positively Week

Oct 21st | 10:00am - 11:30am
Tūranga
Learn how to use the photo scanner. Bring a photo that means a lot to you & share the stories and memories behind it with the group.

Christchurch Heritage Festival: 16 to 26 October 2026

Explore the interesting and fun local history events, exhibitions, and activities on at the Christchurch Heritage Festival.
Blog Post

Christchurch Photo Hunt 2025 - The Winners

Explore the winners and highly commended photos and collections in the 2025 Christchurch Photo Hunt.

About Photo Hunt

Photo Hunt gives you the chance to share your photographs, both physical or digital, historical and contemporary, that show the changing and evolving places and communities we are a part of.

Here in Ōtautahi-Christchurch and Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū-Banks Peninsula we have many stories, from Ngāi Tahu and other iwi, European settlers, Pasifika and people of many ethnic and cultural backgrounds who have made this place home. If you have photos representing our physical and social development over time, contribute your photos and stories to be in to win Riverside vouchers!

2025 Photo Hunt postcards

Pick up a postcard at the library. Collect the set.

Lyttelton Tunnel construction, 1960s Christchurch City Libraries, CCL-PH20-DW-127251, Charles Hurley, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 PCard-2025-01
Lyttelton Tunnel construction, 1960s. Entry by John Hurley in the 2020 Christchurch City Libraries Photo Hunt. Christchurch City Libraries, CCL-PH20-DW-127251, Charles Hurley, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
PCard-2025-01

Construction in the Square, 1962. Entry by Ron Cone in the 2020 Christchurch City Libraries Photo Hunt. Christchurch City Libraries, CCL-PH20-088, Ron Cone, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. PCard-2025-03
Construction in the Square, 1962. Entry by Ron Cone in the 2020 Christchurch City Libraries Photo Hunt. Christchurch City Libraries, CCL-PH20-088, Ron Cone, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. PCard-2025-03

Crowds with planes from the Last Great Air Race: London to Christchurch, 1953. Entry by Barbara Newcombe in the 2020 Christchurch City Libraries Photo Hunt.Christchurch City Libraries, CCL-PH20-241, Peter Basire, In copyright. PCard-2025-04
Crowds with planes from the Last Great Air Race: London to Christchurch, 1953. Entry by Barbara Newcombe in the 2020 Christchurch City Libraries Photo Hunt.Christchurch City Libraries, CCL-PH20-241, Peter Basire, In copyright. PCard-2025-04

Christchurch City Libraries has run a Photo Hunt since 2008. People have shared their photographic memories to help us build our collection and make sure their story is told.