Alpine Ice

About this business

Alpine Ice, trading as the Alpine Ice Sports and Entertainment Centre, is an indoor ice skating rink at 495 Brougham Street, Opawa, Christchurch. The centre states it has been Christchurch's ice skating rink since 1985 and that it is Otautahi Christchurch's only indoor ice rink. It operates year-round with public skating sessions, lessons, clubs and events, and has an on-site cafe and bar.

### What it offers

Public skating sessions run through the week, including weekday daytime sessions and evening sessions on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, plus weekend afternoons. Learn to Skate classes are offered for ages 3 to 12 and 13 and over, based on the national Kiwi Skate programme with badge levels. The rink is also home to figure skating, short track speed skating and ice hockey, and hosts competitive fixtures including New Zealand Ice Hockey League home games and national women's league finals. Helmets are required for all skaters, with loan helmets available free, and skaters over 14 may instead wear an Ice Halo or Forcefield headband.

### Group, team building and function options

Alpine Ice offers exclusive private hire of the venue, which is the relevant option for corporate and conference groups. Three packages are published:

• Parties and social groups - one hour of full venue hire, listed from $20 per person with a minimum of 26 skaters.
• Team building - a guided skating session for workplace groups, with the option to hire a coach to run activities on the ice. Group pricing is available, or venue hire from $20 per person with a minimum of 26 skaters.
• Fundraising events - 90 minutes of private rink use for groups of 100 to 600 attendees, listed from $11 per skater with a minimum of 100 skaters.

Private hire includes admission and skate hire, exclusive venue access, assistance from experienced staff, full DJ services with lighting effects if required, and catering options. All private hires must be booked in advance with a deposit, the balance is payable before the event, and minimum charges apply. Separate school group packages are also available, covering admission and skate hire, music, lighting effects on request, staff support on the ice for larger groups, and cafe access, with food packages an option.

### Relevance for event organisers

For conference and incentive organisers working in Christchurch, Alpine Ice is an off-site activity and social function option rather than a meeting venue: a team-building session, a delegate social night, a partner programme activity, or a charity fundraiser attached to a conference. The 100 to 600 range on the fundraising package indicates it can absorb a mid-sized conference in one hit, and the DJ, lighting and catering inclusions mean the session can function as an evening event rather than just a skate. Organisers book directly with the venue by phone or email, well in advance and with a deposit, and should confirm exclusive-use timing around the published public session schedule.