New Zealand Information
About Christchurch New Zealand
Victoria Park, Christchurch
New Zealand
Photographer: Kiwi Web Works
www.kiwiwebworks.com
With a population of approximately 370,000, Christchurch City is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand. Christchurch City is known as the "Garden City" because of its many beautiful parks, gardens and tree-lined streets.
Founded in 1863, Hagley Park and the 75-acre Christchurch Botanic Gardens are located in the central city. Hagley Park is often used for sports such as cricket, netball, and rugby.
Christchurch City was named after Christ Church, a college at the University of Oxford and was originally known as Christ Church. The name was abbreviated through common usage by the 1880s.
Lyttelton
Scenic Lyttelton Harbour is located right beside the city of Christchurch. It offers spectacular scenery with fascinating Maori and European history.
Driving a short distance through the Lyttelton Road Tunnel or over the Port Hills to get to Lyttelton from Christchurch.
Lyttelton, still a main port, was once the port of entry for English settlers coming to the new settlement of Canterbury.
Akaroa and Banks Peninsula
Banks Peninsula is a one-and-a-half-hour drive south-east of Christchurch.
The peninsula is the result of violent eruptions from three ancient volcanoes. The spectacular coastline of Akaroa Harbour and the surroundings bays are the legacy of Earth's fury.
Captain Cook sighted Akaroa Harbour in the 1770s. Akaroa is the site of the only attempted settlement by the French in New Zealand.
Places to Visit in Christchurch
There are many parks, gardens, historic houses, museums and other places of interest in and around Christchurch, New Zealand.
Halswell Quarry Park
Christchurch, New Zealand
Photographer: Kiwi Web Works
www.kiwiwebworks.com
Parks and Gardens
- Botanic Gardens » information
- Hagley Park » information
- Victoria Park » information
- Halswell Quarry Park » information
Wildlife Parks
- Orana Wildlife Park » information
- Willowbank Wildlife Reserve » information
- International Antarctic Centre » information
Places of Interest
- Christchurch Cathedral » information
- Christchurch Art Gallery » information
Museums
- Air Force Museum of New Zealand » information
- Canterbury Museum » information