'The Garden City'
Maori oral history suggests that people first inhabited the Canterbury area about a thousand years ago, moa-hunting tribes, and these were followed by the Waitaha who are thought to have migrated from the east coast of the North Island in the 16th century. This migration was joined by the Ngati Mamoe and Ngai Tahu and continued until about 1830.
The first European landed in Canterbury in 1815, and 25 years later, the first Europeans settled on the plains and whaling ships were operating out of Lyttelton by 1850, when the first organised groups of English settlers, the founders of Christchurch, arrived on the 'first four ships' into Lyttelton Harbour.
The largest city on South Island, Christchurch features the tree-lined River Avon as it meanders through the centre of the city, which with its public school, old university buildings, fantastic arts centre, and examples of Neo-Gothic architecture is reminiscent of an old English university town. The central square of the city is occupied by a cathedral which provides a useful landmark for tourists either on foot or using the charming historic trams.
Situated in the centre of the city, Hagley Park borders the Old Canterbury University/Arts Centre, the Canterbury Museum, the Robert McDougall Art Gallery, the Botanical Gardens and Christ's College. St Michael and All Angel's Church is an unusually beautiful wooden Neo-Gothic building combining French and English styles and contains a mixture of Maori and Catholic elements. The leafy inner-city avenues, Victoria Park and gardens at Mona Vale are all testiment to the planning and foresight of the city's founding fathers.
From Christchurch, a single rail line and road leads to the Southern Alps, up over Arthur's Pass and down the other side to the wild west coast.
