The region of Canterbury consists of four distinct districts;
North Canterbury, Mid Canterbury, the city of Christchurch, and South Canterbury.
Each region has dramatically contrasting scenery, with the jagged peaks of the
magnificent Southern Alps rising sharply from the vast flat expanse of the Canterbury
plains.
Banks Peninsula was the scene of earliest European interest in
Canterbury. It drew flax traders in the 1820’s, whalers in the 1830’s
and a party of French settlers in 1840. The Peninsula itself has many sites and
buildings of historic interest.
The site of Christchurch, now the largest
city in the South Island, was swampy in pre-European times, when small Maori settlements
dotted the area. The city was founded in 1850 when a body of European settlers
arrived in the first four of many immigrant ships. Earliest Christchurch was wooden,
but it is renowned today for its nineteenth century stone Gothic buildings. The
city is described by many as "the most English city outside England"
Canterbury is dotted throughout with grand homesteads, fine churches and
the evidence of early industry, and traces of Maori presence can also be seen.
Frenchman’s Gully Maori Rock Art Site
South
Canterbury
Off State
Highway 1 south of Pareora onto the Pareora River Road, then left onto Craigmore
Valley Road, then left again onto Frenchman’s Gully Road
The smooth walls of limestone outcrops in South Canterbury
and North Otago provided an ideal canvas for early Maori. Although over two hundred
years old, many of the rock drawings in the gully have survived the elements and
can be clearly seen. Visible at this site are birdmen and fish drawings.
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. Visual time signals were important features of
many of the world's ports, being necessary to correct ships' chronometers and
ensure accurate navigation. The timeball apparatus came from the well-known German
firm Siemens Bros, and the astronomical clock from Edward Dent & Co. of London,
who had made the Big Ben clock. Use of the timeball was discontinued in 1934 when
it was replaced by radio signals, though flag signals continued until 1941. The
flags, which predated the Timeball Station, were used on the flagstaff nearby
to signal to ships and to communicate shipping advice to the town.
A fine
example of Victorian technology, the Timeball Station is today one of only five
in the world known to be still in working order.
Open: Daily 10.00am - 5.30pm
Closed Christmas Day and Good Friday
In 1864 Bentley Coton and his wife bought 50 acres of
land at Hororata on the Canterbury Plains. Coton built a small cob cottage that
originally consisted of five rooms including an attic bedroom.
The property
was susequently purchased by the Oliver family in 1927 and it remained in the
family until the 1970's. The cottage was uninhabited throughout this time, and
gradually fell into disrepair.
In 1971, the owners offered the cottage and a
quarter acre of surrounding land to the government as a reserve. Coton's Cottage
became a historic reserve three years later, and the day-to-day management of
the reserve was transferred to the Hororata Historical Society. The Society largely
rebuilt the cottage in 1977, re-using many of the original materials. Subsequently,
the Society moved a second building onto the property as the local museum.
The
Cottage, furnished from the Hororata Historical Society's collection, is an example
of a typical 19th century dwelling on a small Canterbury holding.
Open: Sunday
afternoons except June-August. At other times by arrangement with the Secretary,
tel (03) 318 6876
Using
historic buildings for drama emphasises their worth
as heritage buildings and provides an unconscious exercise
in heritage education at the same time. Three Canterbury
churches have been used to great effect in this less
orthodox manner.
For
casts and audiences, the atmosphere generated by the
architecture has added a vital dimension in their experience.
Kaiapoi
Pa was the firstgerat site established after Ngai Tahu migrated
from the North Island. Built in about 1700 by Moki for his
brother Turakautahi, who led that migration, it became the
tribe’s largest and most important stronghold, being
headquarters of the tribe’s leading chiefs and having
a population of more than 1000 by the time of recorded history.
Step inside three Christchurch homes of different
styles ranging from old to contemporary. With a guide from the NZ Historic Places
Trust, meet local homeowners and discover more about Christchurch's colourful
history. Read more
Arts Centre of Christchurch
Once the site of the University
of Canterbury, these distinctive Gothic Revival Buildings are a dynamic venue
for arts, crafts and entertainment. Read
more
Dame Ngaio Marsh's house (Christchurch)
The house where Dame Ngaio Marsh lived for 77 years is open to visitors.
Gain an understanding of her life and work as well as a captivating insight
into the private world of this world-renowned crime fiction writer and
eminent Shakespearian producer. Read more
Registered as a Category I Historic Place - see
listing.
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
Burkes Pass Heritage Trust
The Burkes Pass Heritage Trust was established to save and preserve
St Patrick's Church, one of New Zealand's oldest union churches. This
Trust has also begun work on a heritage trail through Burkes Pass which
provides an insight into the village's rich history. Read more
