Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city on New Zealand’s South Island, on the Canterbury Plains. It is the principal urban centre of the Canterbury region.
Ngāi Tahu: Ngāi Tahu is the principal Māori iwi of Te Waipounamu, New Zealand’s South Island. Ngāi Tahu has deep ancestral connections to the land and waterways around Christchurch.
Canterbury Plains: The Canterbury Plains are a broad alluvial plain on New Zealand’s South Island, formed mainly by rivers descending from the Southern Alps. Christchurch occupies the plains’ eastern edge, where flat land enabled urban growth.
2010 Canterbury earthquake: The 2010 Canterbury earthquake was a magnitude 7.1 earthquake that struck near Darfield, west of Christchurch, on 4 September 2010. It damaged buildings across the city and preceded a more destructive sequence.
Canterbury, New Zealand: Canterbury is a region on New Zealand’s South Island, with Christchurch as its largest city and administrative centre. Christchurch is the region’s principal urban and economic hub.
Canterbury Association: The Canterbury Association was a nineteenth-century organization that promoted English settlement in New Zealand’s Canterbury region. It planned the colony that founded Christchurch as an Anglican settlement.
Avon River / Ōtākaro: The Avon River, known in Māori as Ōtākaro, is a river that flows through Christchurch to the Avon-Heathcote Estuary. Its course shapes the central city and links urban waterways to the estuary.
2011 Christchurch earthquake: The 2011 Christchurch earthquake was a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck near the city on 22 February 2011. It caused extensive central-city destruction and 185 deaths.
Banks Peninsula: Banks Peninsula is a volcanic landform on the east coast of New Zealand’s South Island, southeast of Christchurch. Its harbours and settlements form a distinctive part of Christchurch’s coastal hinterland.
John Robert Godley: John Robert Godley was an Irish-born founder of the Canterbury settlement in New Zealand. Godley helped establish the settlement that became Christchurch.
Lyttelton Harbour: Lyttelton Harbour is a volcanic harbour on Banks Peninsula, connected to the Pacific Ocean through a narrow entrance. The harbour provides Christchurch with its principal deep-water port.