Experience the magic of a Ballantynes Christmas with Santa's and Pet Grotto Photo Sessions. Add a little joy to the festive season with a visit to Santa’s enchanting grotto! Santa and his cheerful helpers have been working hard all year to sprinkle magic and Christmas cheer just for you.

Important Details:

1.Grotto visits are by reservation only. We will not be able to accommodate walk-in visits.

2.Spaces are limited, so book early to avoid missing out!

3.Maximum of 8 people per session.

4.To amend or reschedule your booking please cancel the original booking and then rebook a new suitable time. You can cancel your booking up to 2 days prior to your event for a refund. No refunds will be issued after this time period.

5.Any new bookings will be strictly dependent on availability. Bookings cannot be made through our Customer Services team or any other portal.

6.Please ensure you arrive 15 minutes before your session at the Grotto located across from the lingerie department on the first floor of our Christchurch store.

7.Each session can take up to 4 minutes to complete. On arrival you will be greeted by one of our team who will check you in. During your visit you will be taken into the grotto where you will have your photo taken first and then you will have a couple of minutes to tell Santa what you want for Christmas this year. When you leave the grotto you will be given a QR code card which you will take to the kiosk to print your photo. Note there may be some slight delays as you wait for your photo to reach our kiosk. 

8.After your session, we urge you to take a photo of your QR code when you arrive at the kiosk to ensure you can access your digital photos. We advise that all photos are individually downloaded to ensure your photos are of the utmost quality.

9.We urge you take a photo of your QR code when you arrive at the kiosk to ensure you can access your digital photos. We advise that all photos are individually downloaded to ensure your photos are of the utmost quality. Each family will also receive one physical copy of the photo after the session.

10.Please see our FAQ page if you have any other questions or concerns: https://www.ballantynes.co.nz/grotto-faq.html

Spend $200 across the store and present your receipt to a staff member at the gifting tree for a chance to win an exclusive gift. This excludes spend across Cue, Veronika Maine, Saba, Sportscraft, Rodd & Gunn, Fossil, French Country, Swarovksi, Waterford Wedgwood, Royal Doulton, Iittala, Icebreaker, Cambridge, Brooks Brothers, Gibson and Joe Black. The Ultimate Christmas Shopping Day will take place in the Christchurch and Timaru Ballantynes stores on Saturday 8th of November 2025 and is a one-day event. The Christchurch store will open at 9.00am and the Timaru store will open at 10.00am.

• The Ultimate Christmas Shopping Day has a mixture of ticketed and free events on the 8th of November. For more information on visit Events at Ballantynes 
• The first 350 customers who spend over $200 on the day must present their receipt to a staff member at the gifting tree for their chance to win at our Christchurch store. Spend
• The first 100 customers to spend $200 or must present their receipt to a staff member at the gifting tree for their chance to win at our Timaru store.  
• The customer is responsible for claiming their gift at the gifting tree 
• Gifts are selected at random and cannot be returned for monetary value. 
• The gift as part of the Shop and Win promotion has no cash alternative and cannot be exchanged, refunded, or transferred. 
• The Ultimate Christmas Shopping Day is an in-store event only, and online purchases will not be qualifiers for the free exclusive gift. 
• All free events/ activations are dependent on staff availability and will be on a first come first served basis. 
• By participating, entrants agree to participate in reasonable promotional activities (such as photographs, social media). 
• Employees of the organiser, their immediate families, agents, affiliates, or anyone professionally connected with the promotion are not eligible. 
• Ballantynes reserves the right to substitute any item in the gifting tree with another equal or greater value if necessary. 
• The exclusive gifts selected as part of the Shop and Win promotion are subject to change without notice and may vary from promotional materials or other goodie bags. 
• Customers must enter the Beauty Department(s) in person. No proxies or representatives may claim on behalf of another person. 
• Goodie bags are limited to one per person and will be on a first-come, first-served basis and will be recorded by staff located at the entrance door. 
• Gifts are subject to availability.  

Ballantynes is the exclusive stockist of the following brand in New Zealand:

• B Essentials
• B Merino
• Pottery Barn
• Pottery Barn Kids
• Seasalt Cornwall
• West Elm
• Barbour International
• Barbour X Farm Rio
• Rachel Gilbert
• AllSaints

Click & Collect is a free service.

All product on the website qualifies for Click & Collect unless marked 'check availability instore' or orders requiring delivery more than one week in advance.

Orders are usually available within 24 hours after completing the transaction.

All Click & Collect orders are collected from Customer Services, Lower Ground floor, Ballantynes Christchurch during store opening hours.

If an item is found to be out of stock you will be contacted within 24 hours with alternative products or refunded. Normal website availability clauses apply (see below.)

The Click & Collect service is selected on the delivery details page of the checkout, or requested when speaking to Customer Services on the phone.

Click & Collect orders qualify for gift-wrapping and this should be selected in the checkout or when speaking to Customer Services on the phone.

Click & Collect orders can be placed up to one week in advance.

Your Click & Collect order will be held for a maximum of one week. After this the purchaser will be contacted to arrange courier delivery or cancellation. If not reachable, the goods will be returned to stock, your order canceled and your payment refunded.

You will be asked for a copy of the 'ready to collect' email (either printed or on a mobile device) to collect your order.

Your order can be collected on your behalf. The recipient would need to provide a copy of the 'ready to collect' email (either printed or on a mobile device) to collect your order.

If you need to change Click & Collect order to courier delivery, please contact Customer Services to do this. Note that courier delivery is charged for.

If you wish to change an order scheduled for courier-delivery to Click & Collect, please contact Customer Services to do this. If the order has already been dispatched then this option will not be available.

All prices on the website are in New Zealand Dollars (NZD) and inclusive of GST (Goods and Services Tax) of 15%.

We try to ensure the accuracy of all information on ballantynes.co.nz, however we reserve the right at any time to correct any errors, inaccuracies or omissions and to change or update information without prior notice. Such errors, inaccuracies or omissions may relate to pricing and availability and we reserve the right to cancel or refuse to accept any order placed based on incorrect pricing (including promotional deals, discount coupons) or availability information.

Products with the button marked 'Check Availability Instore' are not available for online purchase. Please contact Ballantynes for further information.

All orders are subject to availability. Whilst we endeavor to keep our stock levels accurate, if an item is purchased that is not available at time of dispatch we will contact the customer to discuss alternative options.

Items in your shopping basket are not on hold and may be purchased by other customers.

Gift Cards expire 60 months from date of purchase. They can be used as a payment method on the website and in conjunction with a credit card to complete an order online or over the phone. They cannot be used to pay off an account. Gift cards purchased online or over the phone from us are delivered by courier, are trackable and must be signed for.

Visit here to purchase gift cards or to check a balance of a gift card

Free nationwide shipping for purchases of $150 or more.

Valid only for standard delivery. This excludes large freight items, hampers and sub 60 delivery.

Not valid on the purchase of gift cards.

Not valid in conjunction with other promotions, discounts or vouchers.

*Please note: Due to the high volume of orders during the holiday season, there may be a delay in your delivery. Thank you for your patience and understanding.