Christchurch Ōtautahi (Māori) |
  Christchurch |
| Country: | New Zealand |
 |
| Coordinates: | .[1] |
| Population: | 414,000 (Greater urban estimate 2006).[1]
359,900 (territorial, 2006 Census - provisional) |
| Greater Urban Area
|
| Extent: | City area, Kaiapoi, Prebbleton, Rolleston, Lincoln, Rangiora, Lyttelton & Diamond Harbour |
| Land Area: | 1,426 km² |
| Territorial Authority
|
|
| Coat of Arms of the Christchurch City Council |
| Name: | Christchurch City |
| Mayor: | Bob Parker |
| Extent: | North: to Waimakariri River, East: entire Banks Peninsula, West: to Templeton. |
| Land Area: | 452 km² |
| Website: | [2] |
| See also: | Waimakariri District (includes Kaiapoi) Selwyn District |
| Regional Council
|
| Name: | Environment Canterbury |
| Website: | [3] |


Space view of Christchurch and surrounding areas.


View from Sugar-Loaf (
Banks Peninsula) towards Christchurch and surrounding areas.
Christchurch (Māori:
Ōtautahi) is the
regional capital of
Canterbury, New Zealand. The largest
city in the
South Island, it is also the second largest city and third largest
urban area of New Zealand. A coastal city, it is situated just north of
Banks Peninsula, midway down the South Island's east coast.
The city is named after the
Christ Church cathedral, which is itself named after
Christ Church, a college at the
University of Oxford, and the
Cathedral of Oxford. The city was originally known as
Christ Church, the written form consolidating by the 1880s.
The usual Māori name
Ōtautahi is a shortened form of
Te Whenua o Te Potiki-Tautahi - named for the seasonal dwelling of Ngai Tahu chief Tautahi of
Port Levy on a bank of the
Avon River near to where the Barbadoes Street bridge now stands.
[2]
Geography
Christchurch lies in
Canterbury, near the centre of the east coast of the
South Island, between
Banks Peninsula and the
Canterbury Plains. It is located near the southern end of
Pegasus Bay, and is bounded to the east by the
Pacific Ocean coast and the estuary of the
Avon as well as the
Heathcote River. To the south and south-east the city is limited by the volcanic slopes of the
Port Hills, and to the north by the braided
Waimakariri River.
With much of the city being flat and only a few metres above
sea level, spectacular views can be obtained from almost any high building. At low elevations the city may appear almost forested with only a few buildings visible, unlike a major city.
Central City
At the centre of the city is
Cathedral Square, surrounding the Anglican cathedral,
Christ Church. The area around this square and within the four avenues of Christchurch (Bealey Avenue, Fitzgerald Avenue, Moorhouse Avenue and Rolleston Avenue) is considered the
CBD of the city.
Cathedral Square is a popular destination and hosts attractions such as the speakers' corner made famous by the
Wizard of New Zealand. The central city includes the pedestrianised Cashel Street as Christchurch's urban mall. At one end of the mall stands the Bridge Of Remembrance; at the other end the amphitheatre known as the
Hack Circle.
The central city also has a number of residential areas, including Inner City East, Inner City West, Avon Loop, Moa & Victoria.
Inner suburbs
(clockwise, starting north of the city centre)
Mairehau;
Shirley;
Richmond;
Avonside;
Linwood;
Woolston;
Opawa;
Waltham;
St Martins;
Beckenham;
Sydenham;
Somerfield;
Spreydon;
Addington;
Riccarton;
Ilam;
Burnside;
Fendalton;
Bryndwr; Strowan;
Merivale;
Papanui;
St Albans.
Outer suburbs
(clockwise, starting north of the city centre)
Marshland;
Burwood; Parklands; Waimairi Beach;
Avondale;
New Brighton;
Bexley; Aranui; South Brighton; Southshore; Bromley;
Mt Pleasant;
Redcliffs;
Sumner;
Ferrymead;
Heathcote Valley; Hillsborough; Murray Aynsley;
Huntsbury;
Cashmere;
Westmorland; Hoon Hay;
Halswell; Oaklands;
Wigram; Middleton; Sockburn;
Hornby; Islington;
Templeton; Yaldhurst; Russley; Avonhead; Harewood;
Bishopdale; Casebrook;
Redwood;
Belfast;
Brooklands.
Satellite towns
(clockwise, starting north of the city centre)
Lyttelton; Tai Tapu;
Lincoln; Prebbleton;
Rolleston;
West Melton;
Rangiora;
Kaiapoi.
Climate
Overview
Christchurch has a
temperate climate, with maximum temperatures in January ranging from 15°C to 25°C (often reaching 30°C or higher), and maximum temperatures in July ranging from 5°C to 15°C. The summer climate is often moderated by a
sea breeze from the northeast, but a record temperature of 41.6°C was reached in February 1973. A notable feature of the weather is the
nor'wester, a hot
föhn wind that occasionally reaches
storm force, causing widespread minor damage to property.
[3]
In winter it is common for the temperature to fall below 0°C at night. There are on average 70 days of ground frost per year.
[4] Snow falls occur on average once or twice a year in the hill suburbs and about once or twice every two years on the plain.
On cold winter nights, the surrounding hills, clear skies, and
frosty calm conditions often combine to form a stable
inversion layer above the city that traps vehicle exhausts and smoke from domestic fires to cause
smog. While not as bad as smog in
Los Angeles or
Mexico City, Christchurch smog has often exceeded
World Health Organisation recommendations for
air pollution.
[5] The city has funding available to upgrade domestic home heating systems, and in order to limit air pollution will likely ban some forms of fire-based heating systems within the next two years.
[6]
Temperatures
Climate Table
|
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Year
|
| Mean daily maximum temperature (°C) | 22.5 | 22.2 | 20.4 | 17.8 | 14.6 | 11.7 | 11.3 | 12.4 | 14.9 | 17.4 | 19.2 | 21.2 | 17.1 |
| Mean daily minimum temperature (°C) | 12.2 | 12.1 | 10.6 | 7.7 | 4.5 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 2.9 | 5.1 | 7.2 | 8.9 | 10.9 | 7.2 |
| Mean total rainfall (mm) | 42 | 39 | 54 | 54 | 56 | 66 | 79 | 69 | 47 | 53 | 44 | 49 | 648 |
| Source:Niwa Science climate data |
Structure


The River Walk in the city centre.
Demographics
On
6 March 2004, the area administered by the Christchurch City Council had a
population of 344,100, making it the second-largest in
New Zealand, and the largest city in the
South Island. The Christchurch urban area is the third-largest in the country by population, after
Auckland and
Wellington.
The following table shows the ethnic profile of Christchurch's population, as recorded in the 2001 and 2006
New Zealand Census. The percentages add up to more than 100%, as some people counted themselves as belonging to more than one ethnic group. Figures for 2006 refer to just Christchurch City, not the whole urban area. The substantial percentage drop in the numbers of 'Europeans' was mainly caused by the increasing numbers of people from this group choosing to define themselves as 'New Zealanders' - even though this was not one of the groups listed on the census form.
| Ethnic Group |
2001 (%) |
2001 (people)[7] |
2006 (%) |
2006 (people)[8]
|
| European | 89.8 | 291,594 | 75.4 | 255,366 |
| 'New Zealanders' | n/a | n/a | 12.9 | 43,671 |
| Asian | 5.5 | 17,703 | 7.9 | 26,631 |
| Māori | 7.2 | 23,421 | 7.6 | 25,725 |
| Pacific Island | 2.4 | 7,713 | 2.8 | 9,465 |
| Middle East/Latin America/Africa | n/a | n/a | 0.8 | 2,862 |
| Others | 0.6 | 2,073 | 0.0 | 114 |
| Total giving their ethnicity | | 324,666 (individuals) | | 338,748 (individuals) |
The 2006 Census also provides information about the
multilinguality of the region. Accordingly, 283,986 people in Christchurch City spoke one language only, while 37,947 spoke two, and 7,881 could converse in three or more languages.
[8]
Economy
The early local
economy was based on the agricultural produce of the Canterbury plains. Early manufacturers processed agricultural produce, especially sheep and dairy products, into finished products. The early presence of the
University of Canterbury and the heritage of the city's academic institutions working in association with local businesses have fostered a number of technology-based industries. The region has a range of "
new economy" sectors.
Tourism is also a significant factor of the local economy. The closeness of the
ski-fields and other attractions of the
Southern Alps, and hotels and an airport that meet international standards make Christchurch a stopover destination for many tourists. It is particularly hospitable to and popular amongst
Japanese tourists,
[9] with signage around Cathedral Square in
Japanese, and some local churches being popular for weddings of Japanese couples, followed by
honeymoons in
Queenstown.
Government
Christchurch's
local government is a
democracy with various elements including:
- City council, comprising the Mayor of Christchurch, and 13 councillors elected in seven wards.
- Community boards (6), each covering one ward, with five members each plus the two ward councillors. The Banks Peninsula Ward has 2 community boards with five members each, plus the ward councillor, who is also a member of each Board.
- District councils in surrounding areas: Selwyn, and Waimakariri. The Banks Peninsula district council was amalgamated into Christchurch City in March 2006 after a vote by the Banks Peninsula residents to disestablish in November 2005.
- Canterbury Regional Council, known as 'Environment Canterbury', including four Christchurch constituencies with two members from each constituency.[10]
- District Health Board (Canterbury), with five members for Christchurch.[11]
In
1993, Christchurch was selected as the "Best Run City in the World", also known as the 'Carl Bertelsmann Prize: Local Government', by the
Bertelsmann Foundation of Germany. Especially noted was the increased efficiency of communal services in competition with private enterprises. Christchurch shared the award honour with
Phoenix, Arizona,
USA.
[12]
Education
- Further information: List of schools in Canterbury, New Zealand#Christchurch City
Secondary schools
Christchurch is well-known for several very traditional schools of the
English public school type, such as
Christ's College,
St Andrew's, St. Margaret's College and
Rangi Ruru Girls' School, but also has several less conventional schools such as
Unlimited paenga tawhiti and Hagley Community College. Christchurch is also the location of
Burnside High School which is well known for it's Specialist Music Programme and is the second largest school in
New Zealand with 2650 students.
[13] Another large school is
Riccarton High School, founded in 1957.
Tertiary institutions
A number of tertiary education institutions have campuses in Christchurch, or in the surrounding areas.
Transport
Christchurch is served by
Christchurch International Airport and by buses (local and long-distance) and trains. The local bus service, known as
Metro, is provided by
Environment Canterbury. The car, however, remains the dominant form of transport. The central city has very flat terrain and the City Council are establishing a network of cycle lanes on roads.
There is a functioning
tram service in Christchurch, but as a tourist attraction, its loop is restricted to a circuit of the central city. The trams were originally introduced in 1905, ceased operating in 1954, but returned to the inner city in 1995. In addition to nomal bus services, Christchurch also has a pioneering
zero-fare hybrid bus service, the
Shuttle, in the inner city.
The
Main North Line railway travels northwards via
Kaikoura to
Picton and is served by the famous
TranzCoastal passenger train, while the
Main South Line heads to
Invercargill via
Dunedin and was used by
the Southerner until its cancellation in 2002. The most famous train to depart Christchurch is the
TranzAlpine, which travels along the Main South Line to
Rolleston and then turns onto the
Midland Line, passes through the
Southern Alps via the
Otira Tunnel, and terminates in
Greymouth in
Westland. This trip is often regarded to be one of the ten great train journeys in the world for the amazing scenery through which it passes. The TranzAlpine service is purely a tourist service and carries no significant commuter traffic.
History
Overview
Archeological evidence found in a cave at
Redcliffs in 1876 has indicated that the Christchurch area was first settled by
moa-hunting tribes about 1250. Māori oral history relates that humans occupied the area around the year 1000. These first inhabitants were thought to have been followed by the
Waitaha tribe, who are said to have migrated from the East coast of the North Island in the
16th century. Following tribal warfare, the Waitaha (made of three peoples) were dispossessed by the Ngati Mamoe tribe. They were in turn subjugated by the Ngai Tahu tribe, who remained in control until the arrival of European settlers.
Following the purchase of land at Putaringamotu (modern Riccarton) by the
Weller brothers whalers of
Otago and
Sydney a party of European settlers led by Herriott and McGillivray established themselves in what is now the Christchurch area, early in
1840. Their abandoned holdings were taken over by the Deans brothers in 1843 who stayed. The
First Four Ships were chartered by the
Canterbury Association and arrived on
16 December 1850, bringing the first 792 of the
Canterbury Pilgrims to
Lyttelton Harbour. These sailing vessels were the
Randolph,
Charlotte-Jane,
Sir George Seymour, and
Cressy. The Canterbury Pilgrims had aspirations of building a city around a cathedral and college, on the model of
Christ Church in
Oxford.
[14] The name "Christ Church" was decided prior to the ships' arrival, at the Association's first meeting, on
27 March 1848.
Captain Thomas, the Canterbury Association's Chief Surveyor, surveyed the surrounding area. By December
1849 he had commissioned the construction of a road from Port Cooper, later
Lyttelton, to Christchurch via
Sumner. However this proved more difficult than expected and road construction was stopped while a steep foot and
pack horse track was constructed over the hill between the port and the Heathcote valley, where access to the site of the proposed settlement could be gained. This track became known as the
Bridle Path, because the path was so steep that pack horses needed to be led by the bridle.
[15]
Goods that were too heavy or bulky to be transported by pack horse over the Bridle Path were shipped by small sailing vessels some eight miles by water around the coast and up the estuary to
Ferrymead. New Zealand's first public railway line, the
Ferrymead railway, opened from Ferrymead to Christchurch in 1863. Due to the difficulties in travelling over the
Port Hills and the dangers associated with shipping navigating the Sumner bar, a railway tunnel was bored through the Port Hills to Lyttelton, opening in 1867.
Christchurch became a city by
Royal Charter on
31 July 1856, the first in New Zealand. Many of the city's
Gothic buildings by architect
Benjamin Mountfort date from this period.
Christchurch was the seat of provincial administration for the
Province of Canterbury.
In 1947, New Zealand's worst fire disaster occurred at Ballantyne's Department Store in the inner city, with 41 people killed in a blaze which razed the rambling collection of buildings.
The
Lyttelton Road Tunnel between Lyttelton and Christchurch was opened in 1964.
Christchurch was also host to the
1974 British Commonwealth Games.
Gateway to the Antarctic


Statue of Robert Falcon Scott created by his widow, Kathleen Scott.
Christchurch has a history of involvement in
Antarctic exploration -- both
Robert Falcon Scott and
Ernest Shackleton used the port of Lyttelton as a departure point for expeditions, and there is a statue of Scott, sculpted by his widow, in the central city.
Christchurch International Airport serves as the major base for the Italian and United States Antarctic programs as well as the New Zealand Antarctic programme. The
International Antarctic Centre provides both base facilities and a museum and visitor centre.
Famous people
- Astle, Nathan - New Zealand cricket batsman (former)
- Britten, John - Designer of the successful Britten racing-motorcycle
- Cairns, Christopher - New Zealand Champion cricket all-rounder (former)
- Caddick, Andrew - England cricket bowler (former)
- Fleming, Stephen - New Zealand cricket captain (current, 2007)
- Jeffrey Grice - pianist
- Hadlee, Richard - New Zealand cricketer, famous bowler
- Hamilton, Bill - Developer of the jetboat
- Harrison, Emma - actress, star of Neighbours
- Keoghan, Phil - TV presenter, host of The Amazing Race
- Hulme, Keri - author
- Kerr, Roy - mathematician, renowned for work on rotating black holes
- Locke, Elsie - author, feminist, social activist
- Mahy, Margaret - children's author
- Marsh, Ngaio - author
- McMillan, Craig - New Zealand cricket batsman (current, 2007)
- Mertens, Andrew - New Zealand All Blacks rugby player (former)
- Merritt, Max - singer, songwriter and musician, best known for Slippin' Away (1976)
- Nelsen, Ryan - English Blackburn Rovers soccer central defender / captain (current, 2007)
- Runga, Bic - singer / songwriter
- Sheppard, Kate - activist and most prominent member of New Zealand's women's suffrage movement
- Tait, Sir Angus - founder of Tait Electronics, global radio communications company
- Thain, Gary - bassist for Uriah Heep
- Townsend, Yulia - crossover singer
- Upham, Charles - Double Victoria Cross recipient
- Warbeck, David - actor in several horror movies
- Warren, Sir Miles - prominent New Zealand architect
- Webb, Kate - war correspondent in East Asia
- Westenra, Hayley - soprano singer
- Wilding, Anthony Fredrick - Wimbledon lawn tennis champion
- Wizard of New Zealand, The - public speaker and local icon
Visitor attractions


Cathedral Square in Christchurch, with Christ Church in the background.


The Christchurch Art Gallery
Entertainment
Parks & Nature
The large number of public parks and well-developed residential gardens with many trees has given Christchurch the name of
The Garden City.
[16] Hagley Park and the 30-hectare (75-acre)
Christchurch Botanic Gardens, founded in 1863, are in the central city, with Hagley Park being a site for sports such as
golf,
cricket,
netball, and
rugby, and for open air concerts by local bands and orchestras.
Cinema & Theatre
While historically most cinemas were grouped around Cathedral Square,
[17] only the Regent complex remains there, which was rebuilt as 'Regent on Worcester' in 1996. Only one of the first generation of suburban cinemas, the Hollywood in Sumner, remains open. The largest multiplexes are the
Hoyts in the old Railway Station on Moorhouse Avenue and
Reading Cinemas (also eight screens) in the Palms shopping centre in Shirley. The recently (2006) opened Hoyts in Riccarton had the largest screen in New Zealand - although this has recently (2007) been surpassed by Auckland, which now has the largest movie theatre screen in the world, incorporated into the new
Sylvia Park shopping complex.
The
Christchurch Arts Centre includes two art house cinemas, Cloisters and The Academy, screening a wide selection of contemporary, classic and foreign language films. These cinemas participate in an annual
film festival, along with Rialto Cinemas on Moorhouse Avenue.
There is an active film society in the city,
[18] and several cinemas operate in Christchurch.
[19]
Christchurch has one full-time professional theatre, the
Court Theatre,
[20] which is based in the Christchurch Arts Centre. There is also an active recreational theatre scene.
Music
The city is known for its many live acts. and also has a professional
symphony orchestra.
[21]
There are usually buskers around the town square, and Christchurch also hosts the
World Buskers Festival in January each year.
Venues
The
Westpac Arena is New Zealand's second largest permanent multipurpose arena, seating between 5000 and 8000, depending on configuration. It is home of the
Canterbury Rams basketball team, and
Canterbury Flames netball side. It was the venue for the
1999 World
Netball championships and has been host to many concerts in recent years.
The
Christchurch Town Hall Auditorium (2000 seats, opened
1974) was the first major auditorium design by architects Warren and Mahoney and acousticians Marshall Day. It is still recognised as a model example of concert-hall design. It has an excellent modern
pipe organ.
Christchurch also has a
Casino,
[22] and there are also a wide range of live music venues - some short-lived, others with decades of history.
Sport
Sports
Venues
- AMI Stadium (formerly Jade Stadium & Lancaster Park) is Christchurch's premier outdoor sporting ground, which plays host to rugby union in the winter months and cricket in the summer months. It is home to the Crusaders Super 14 and Canterbury Air New Zealand Cup rugby teams. It is also used by the New Zealand cricket team and occasionally hosts a New Zealand Warriors rugby league match. AMI Stadium has a current capacity of 36,500 people.
- Queen Elizabeth II Park was built for the 1974 British Commonwealth Games, which Christchurch hosted. It is used primarily as an athletics park, but also contains a newly upgraded swimming pool complex. It has hosted major concerts from bands such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
- Porritt Park in Avonside and Nunweek Park in Bishopdale are the main hockey venues of the city.
- Westpac Arena in Addington, Christchurch. Once hosted the World Netball Championship and continues to host international basketball and netball games.
- Christchurch has more than a dozen golf courses, and has hosted the PGA-sanctioned Clearwater Classic/NZPGA Championship at Clearwater Resort since 2002.
Sister cities


Winter afternoon on the Christchurch coast.
Christchurch has seven
sister cities around the world. They are:
[23]
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Christchurch, Dorset, England
Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Kurashiki, Okayama, Japan
- Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Songpa-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Wuhan, Hubei, China
References
- Reed, A. W. (2002). The Reed Dictionary of New Zealand Place Names. Auckland: Reed Books. ISBN 0-7900-0761-4.
- Rice, Geoffrey (with assistance from Jean Sharfe)(1999) Christchurch changing: an illustrated history Christchurch: Canterbury University Press. ISBN 0-908812-53-1 (pbk.)
1.
^ Section 3.4 Greater Christchurch Area (
PDF) (Greater Christchurch Urban Development Strategy, Christchurch City Council, 2007)
2.
^ Ōtautahi (from the Christchurch City Library website)
3.
^ Canterbury's damaging nor'wester (from the
Metservice NZ website)
4.
^ Mean Number Of Days Of Ground Frost (from the
NIWA website)
5.
^ Air Pollution Today (from the
Environment Canterbury website)
6.
^ Air (from the
Environment Canterbury website)
7.
^ 2001 Regional Summary,
Statistics New Zealand
8.
^ 2006 Regional Summary Tables by Regional Council,
Statistics New Zealand
9.
^ The Sister City link with Christchurch (from christchurch.org, a
Christchurch City Council website)
10.
^ Environment Canterbury (official regional council website)
11.
^ Canterbury District Health Board (official district health board website)
12.
^ Carl Bertelsmann-Preis 1993: Kommunalverwaltung (from the
Bertelsmann Foundation website, in
German)
13.
^ Christchurch Schools with homepages (from the 'Heurisko School Server' website)
14.
^ Cathedral History (from the official
Christ Church cathedral website)
15.
^ Rescue, the Sumner community and its lifeboat service - Amodeo, Colin (editor), Christchurch: Sumner Lifeboat Institution Incorporated, 1998
16.
^ Christchurch, the Garden City (from the
Christchurch City Council website)
17.
^ Regent Theatre [1930-1976] (from the Canterbury Film Society website)
18.
^ Canterbury Film Society (from the official Canterbury Film Society website)
19.
^ Local Cinemas (from the official Canterbury Film Society website)
20.
^ Court Theatre (from the official Court Theatre website)
21.
^ Christchurch Symphony (from the official Christchurch Symphony Orchestra website)
22.
^ Christchurch Casino (official Christchurch Casino website)
23.
^ Sister Cities of Christchurch (from the
Christchurch City Council website)
External links
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Kaiapoi is a town in the Canterbury region of the South Island of New Zealand, located close to the mouth of the Waimakariri River, and approximately 17 kilometres north of Christchurch.
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Lyttelton () 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.
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Waimakariri River is the largest of the North Canterbury Rivers, in the South Island of New Zealand. It flows for 151 kilometres in a generally southeastward direction from the Southern Alps to the Pacific Ocean.
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Banks 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.
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Templeton is a town 15 km southwest of Christchurch on State Highway 1. It has been the centre of harness racing in Canterbury with many famous names such as Devine, Nyan, Butt, Jones and Carmichael among its people.
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The Waimakariri District is a political district of New Zealand, located in the South Island, on the eastern coast of north Canterbury, New Zealand. It is north of Christchurch and the Waimakariri River. The name is Maori for cold river.
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New ZealandThis article is part of the series:
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Banks 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.
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Banks 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.
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The Canterbury Plains cover an area bounded by the foothills of the Southern Alps and the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. They are centred to the south of the city of Christchurch in the Canterbury region.
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Pegasus Bay is on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand.
The bay has a sandy beach and runs from Banks Peninsula to the Waipara River mouth. The city of Christchurch is at the southern end of the bay.
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