Lyttelton Harbour is one of two major inlets in
Banks PeninsulaBanks Peninsula is in the Canterbury region on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand, partly surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, and adjacent to the largest city in the South Island, Christchurch. The peninsula has a land area of approximately 1,000 km²...
, on the coast of
CanterburyThe New Zealand region of Canterbury is mainly composed of the Canterbury Plains and the surrounding mountains. Its main city, Christchurch, hosts the main office of the Christchurch City Council, the Canterbury Regional Council and the University of Canterbury.- Geography :Canterbury is New...
,
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
. (The other is
AkaroaAkaroa is a village on Banks Peninsula in the Canterbury region of the South Island of New Zealand, situated within a harbour of the same name—the name Akaroa is Kāi Tahu Māori for 'Long Harbour'....
Harbour.)
It is approximately 15 km in length, from its mouth to Teddington. Its main centre is the
Port of LytteltonLyttelton is a port town on the north shore of Lyttelton Harbour next to Banks Peninsula, 12 km by road from Christchurch on the eastern coast of the South Island of New Zealand...
, which serves the city of
ChristchurchChristchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area. It is one third the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of Christchurch.The city was named by...
. Lyttelton is connected to Christchurch by a single-track
Lyttelton rail tunnelLyttelton railway tunnel links the city of Christchurch with the port of Lyttelton in the Canterbury region of New Zealand’s South Island. It is the country’s oldest operational rail tunnel, and is on one of the first railway lines in the district...
(opened 1867), a two lane road tunnel (opened 1964) and two roads over the
Port HillsThe Port Hills form the northern rim of the ancient Lyttelton volcano, separating the port of Lyttelton from the city of Christchurch in Canterbury, New Zealand...
. Opposite Port Lyttelton is the settlement of
Diamond HarbourDiamond Harbour is a small settlement on Banks Peninsula, in Canterbury, New Zealand. It is on the peninsula's northern coast, on the southern shores of Lyttelton Harbour, and is administratively part of the city of Christchurch....
.
Lyttelton Harbour is one of two major inlets in
Banks PeninsulaBanks Peninsula is in the Canterbury region on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand, partly surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, and adjacent to the largest city in the South Island, Christchurch. The peninsula has a land area of approximately 1,000 km²...
, on the coast of
CanterburyThe New Zealand region of Canterbury is mainly composed of the Canterbury Plains and the surrounding mountains. Its main city, Christchurch, hosts the main office of the Christchurch City Council, the Canterbury Regional Council and the University of Canterbury.- Geography :Canterbury is New...
,
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
. (The other is
AkaroaAkaroa is a village on Banks Peninsula in the Canterbury region of the South Island of New Zealand, situated within a harbour of the same name—the name Akaroa is Kāi Tahu Māori for 'Long Harbour'....
Harbour.)
It is approximately 15 km in length, from its mouth to Teddington. Its main centre is the
Port of LytteltonLyttelton is a port town on the north shore of Lyttelton Harbour next to Banks Peninsula, 12 km by road from Christchurch on the eastern coast of the South Island of New Zealand...
, which serves the city of
ChristchurchChristchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area. It is one third the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of Christchurch.The city was named by...
. Lyttelton is connected to Christchurch by a single-track
Lyttelton rail tunnelLyttelton railway tunnel links the city of Christchurch with the port of Lyttelton in the Canterbury region of New Zealand’s South Island. It is the country’s oldest operational rail tunnel, and is on one of the first railway lines in the district...
(opened 1867), a two lane road tunnel (opened 1964) and two roads over the
Port HillsThe Port Hills form the northern rim of the ancient Lyttelton volcano, separating the port of Lyttelton from the city of Christchurch in Canterbury, New Zealand...
. Opposite Port Lyttelton is the settlement of
Diamond HarbourDiamond Harbour is a small settlement on Banks Peninsula, in Canterbury, New Zealand. It is on the peninsula's northern coast, on the southern shores of Lyttelton Harbour, and is administratively part of the city of Christchurch....
. To the west of Port Lyttelton is the
MaoriThe Māori are the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand . The group probably arrived in southwestern Polynesia in several waves at some time before 1300...
settlement of Rāpaki. At the end of the harbour is the settlement of Governors Bay. The harbour is formed from a collapsed
volcanic craterA volcanic crater is a circular depression in the ground caused by volcanic activity. It is typically a basin, circular in form within which occurs a vent from which magma erupts as gases, lava, and ejecta. A crater can be of large dimensions, and sometimes of great depth...
, plugged by two islands,
Quail IslandQuail Island is a small uninhabited island within Lyttelton Harbour in the South Island of New Zealand, close to Christchurch. The island was given its European name by Captain Mein Smith who saw native quail here in 1842; though they were already extinct by 1875...
and
Ripapa (Ripa) IslandRipapa Island, just off the shore of Lyttelton Harbour has played many roles in the history of New Zealand or Aotearoa. The island initially played a key role in an internal struggle for the south island Ngāi Tahu tribe in the early 19th Century...
. Ripapa has extensive fortifications and was used during
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
for the internment of German nationals, the most famous being Count
Felix von LucknerFelix Graf von Luckner was a German nobleman, navy officer, author and noted sailor who earned the epithet Der Seeteufel -- and his crew that of Die Piraten des Kaisers -- for his exploits in command of the sailing commerce raider SMS Seeadler in...
.
Quail IslandQuail Island is a small uninhabited island within Lyttelton Harbour in the South Island of New Zealand, close to Christchurch. The island was given its European name by Captain Mein Smith who saw native quail here in 1842; though they were already extinct by 1875...
was used as a
leper colonyA leper colony, leprosarium, or lazar house is a place to quarantine leprous people.-History:Leper colonies or houses became widespread in the Middle Ages, particularly in Europe and India, and often run by monastic orders...
.
Hector's DolphinHector's Dolphin or White-headed Dolphin is the best-known of the four dolphins in the genus Cephalorhynchus. At about 1.4 m in length, it is one of the smallest cetaceans....
s, an endemic species to New Zealand can be found along with
New Zealand Fur SealThe Australasian Fur Seal , or New Zealand Fur Seal or Southern Fur Seal, is a species of fur seal found around the south coast of Australia, the coast of the South Island of New Zealand, and some of the small islands to the south and east of there. Male-only colonies are also located on the Cook...
s.