Banks Peninsula has many sites
and buildings of historic significance. A small selection of the places open to
the public are presented here. Please note that entry is not necessarily free,
sometimes admission is by donation or koha and you may need to make special arrangements
to view. Please pay a visit and help keep our heritage places alive!
Remember
to visit the properties in the care of the Historic Places Trust - you can find
out more about those in the Canterbury region by clicking the map at right.
Akaroa Heads Lighthouse
Cemetery Point,
Beach Road, Akaroa
The lighthouse was moved to its present location in
1980 after one hundred years of service. It remains fully operational.
Open:
Saturday and Sunday. Tours by arrangement with the Lighthouse Preservation Society.
The Museum focuses particularly on the history of Akaroa
and Banks Peninsula. It incorporates the Langlois-Eteveneaux House, one of the
oldest in the South Island, Court House, and the Custom House (1852) at Daly Wharf.
This was the first consecrated burial ground in Canterbury.
The willows that shade the site are reputed to have grown from cuttings taken
from the trees around Napoleon's Saint Helena island grave.
A short path
leads to the cemetery from the top of Rue Brittan.
Lyttelton Gaol Site, rose garden and Upham Memorial Clock
Oxford Street, Lyttelton
The Canterbury colony's first gaol was built in the
1850s. It was replaced by a concrete cell block structure designed by B W Mountfort
and built in 1873.
This is the only dry dock in the South Island. It was
built in 1883 and is still in regular use with its original red-brick pump house
and pumps in working order. At the time it was built it was considered a great
feat of engineering.
The dock can be viewed from the road above on Brittan
Tce.
Tel: (03) 28 8198 or 28 7850 Lyttelton Port Company
The Museum is housed in the former George V Seafarer's
Institute (1911). It contains colonial and maritime displays, including a gallery
devoted to the relationship between Lyttelton and the Antarctic.
Open:
Tuesday - Thursday 2.00-4.00 pm; Saturday & Sunday 2.00-4.00 pm At other
times for group bookings by arrangement with Curator, Baden Norris.
Situated in fomer co-operative
cheese factory, Okains Bay
The museum is sited in the buildings of an 1894 co-operative
cheese factory. The museum contains Maori and early colonial artefacts. It also
includes some relocated colonial buildings.
This tiny Maori church was opened in 1878 and restored
in 1940 for the centenary of Akaroa. The carved panels on the porch date from
this time. Opposite the Church is a meeting house. The Treaty of Waitangi was
signed at Onuku and this is commemorated by a plaque.
This farm park is located in Charteris Bay. The park
contains historic farm buildings including an early mill house with a waterwheel
dating from the 1880s, a stone cottage which may date from the 1840s and a collection
of farm machinery.
Open: Guided tours available by arrangement with park
manager.
Built in 1853 by Robert Rhodes, it was the first stone
house in Canterbury. It has been owned by the Gardiner family since 1874.
The owners of the property allows visits by groups of a minimum of 30.
Open:
for group visits only. Afternoon tea is provided and a small charge is made to
help cover the costs of maintenance. The gardens and orchard are available
for corporate functions and weddings
Quail Island, in the centre of Lyttelton Harbour, was
first taken up for farming in 1851. A hut dating from this period still remains.
The island became a quarantine station in 1885. Animals for the Scott, Shackelton
and Byrd expeditions to the Antarctic were held here.
Between 1907 and
1925 the island was used as a leper colony. Buildings from both periods remain.
The island is a public reserve administered by the Department of Conservation.
An Interpretation Centre is located in the former manager's residence.
For
information on boat timetables (from Lyttelton) tel: (03) 328 8368, or contact
the Lyttelton Information Centre tel: (03) 328 9093.
Ripapa Island is the site of an early nineteenth century
pa. It was occupied by Ngai Tahu until around 1832 when the chief Te Whakarukeruke
left to help defend Kaiapoi against Te Rauparaha. Ripapa was overrun by Te Rauparaha
in the aftermath of the fall of Kaiapoi and was not occupied again.
In 1872/3
quarantine buildings were erected on the island and in 1880 these became a prison.
In 1885 construction of Fort Jervois began, the most complete "Russian scare"
fort in New Zealand.
A fine Arts and Crafts Church built in 1906. It was
largely the work of local settler John Menzies of Menzies Bay and is particularly
distinctive for its use of Maori designs and carvings of native flowers.
Like a Scottish castle dominating the scenic port of
Lyttelton, the Timeball Station is one of the few of its kind left in the world.
From
1876 to 1934 a ball dropped from its mast on its stone tower, signalling the time
to ships in Lyttelton Harbour. Use of the timeball was discontinued in 1934 when
it was replaced by radio signals, though flag signals continued until 1941.
The rare timeball mechanism is still in operation today and the time ball drops
daily at 1pm.
Learn
more about the historic sites in the care of the Historic Places Trust located
in and around the Canterbury
region of New Zealand
Historic
Akaroa
Akaroa is the site of the only French settlement in New Zealand.
It is ringed by the hills of Banks Peninsula, and set at the edge of a stunning
sheltered natural harbour, just an hour's drive from Christchurch. Read
more
Learn
more about the historic sites in the care of the Historic Places Trust located
in and around the