43°45′00″S 172°49′59″E / 43.750°S 172.833°E / -43.750; 172.833
94-554: Akaroa Harbour is part of Banks Peninsula in the Canterbury region of New Zealand. The harbour enters from the southern coast of the peninsula, heading in a predominantly northerly direction. It is one of two major inlets in Banks Peninsula , on the coast of Canterbury , New Zealand; the other is Lyttelton Harbour on the northern coast. The name Akaroa is an alternative spelling of Whakaroa, Whangaroa or Wangaloa from
188-617: A large entertainment venue with gardens, baths, hotel, sports grounds, swings and roundabouts and a band rotunda. The jetty was used by a number of ferries including the Nugget , Lady of the Lake (in 1864 and 1865), Golden Age (over the summer) Minerva (briefly in 1864) and the Iron Age to being customers to the venue until following the end of the gold rush the venture became uneconomic and eventually closed. Roads boards were responsible for
282-473: A notable feature on the peninsula. The road included portions of the early tracks that were built to move cattle around (e.g. the 15 mile track from Akaroa to Pigeon Bay completed in 1844). Much of the construction was completed in the 1880s with more work carried out in the 1930s, the road is in two sections (both of which have views of the area, as well as parks, walkways, and other recreational features): Estimates suggest that native forest once covered 98% of
376-596: A number of Chinese dominated market gardens at Andersons Bay and a smaller number at Portobello (from 1881 onwards) growing a wide range of produce. The first telephone was installed in Andersons Bay in 1885. Land clearance continued at pace and by 1915 only 938 acres (379 ha) of bush remained. In 1888 a universally unpopular toll on the low road to Portobello was introduced by the Portobello Road Board to offset its maintenance and development costs.
470-630: A number of holiday homes in Pigeon bay as well as a yacht club and a camping ground. Pigeon Bay most likely gained its name from early whalers seeing the large number of pigeons ( kererū ) in the forests of Pigeon Bay. The first reference to Pigeon Bay was in 1836. Captain Langlois celebrated his "purchase" of Banks Peninsula on 9 August 1840 by raising the French flag and conducting a 101 gun salute at Pigeon Bay. HMS Britomart visited Pigeon Bay towards
564-515: A peninsula. His first officer, William Stewart, charted this area of the coast. Pegasus Bay is named after their vessel. In 1830, the Māori settlement at Takapūneke was sacked, and the local Ngāi Tahu chief, Tama-i-hara-nui captured, by Ngāti Toa chief, Te Rauparaha , with the assistance of the captain of the British brig Elizabeth, John Stewart. It was partly as a result of this massacre that
658-753: A population density of 4.4 people per km. Akaroa Harbour had a population of 729 at the 2018 New Zealand census , a decrease of 27 people (−3.6%) since the 2013 census , and an increase of 18 people (2.5%) since the 2006 census . There were 330 households, comprising 363 males and 366 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.99 males per female. The median age was 57.9 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 78 people (10.7%) aged under 15 years, 63 (8.6%) aged 15 to 29, 333 (45.7%) aged 30 to 64, and 255 (35.0%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 93.8% European/ Pākehā , 6.6% Māori , 1.2% Pasifika , 2.5% Asian , and 2.5% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas
752-412: A total of 6,000 acres (2,428 ha) fenced off and growing either crops or livestock. By 1880 about a third of the land area of the peninsula was being farmed (moistly in the form of dairying), with the rest still in bush, swamp or sand. From the times of the earliest European settlements with the harbour surrounded by bush covered hills and no roads existing other than simple bridal tracks using the waters of
846-504: Is a diversity of flora and fauna on the Otago Peninsula. Birds observed include the endangered yellow-eyed penguin , Megadyptes antipodes , little penguin , shags , and the northern royal albatross . The albatross' breeding colony on Taiaroa Head is the only one in the world close to large-scale human cultivation and habitation. Various species of wading birds also inhabit the peninsula, notably royal spoonbills , which are
940-458: Is a long, hilly indented finger of land that forms the easternmost part of Dunedin , New Zealand . Volcanic in origin, it forms one wall of the eroded valley that now forms Otago Harbour . The peninsula lies south-east of Otago Harbour and runs parallel to the mainland for 20 km, with a maximum width of 9 km. It is joined to the mainland at the south-west end by a narrow isthmus about 1.5 km wide. The suburbs of Dunedin encroach onto
1034-542: Is a settlement of mostly holiday houses on the Akaroa harbour. Wainui can mean 'big water' or 'big river' or 'big bay'. Wainui was once home to a large Ngāti Māmoe settlement. Wainui has important associations for Ngāi Tahu as the bay was then claimed by Te Ruahikihiki for Ngāi Tahu. He made his claim when he landed at Wainui and dug for fern roots there. (This was one of the many traditional ways to claim land). In Ngāi Tahu legend, Tuhiraki (Mt Bossu) which lies behind Wainui,
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#17327810558131128-557: Is a small town which sits at the head of the Akaroa harbour. Diamond Harbour is on Banks Peninsula. The inland valleys of the Port Hills known as McCormacks Bay and Moncks Bay are bays of the Avon Heathcote Estuary , rather that coastal bays of Banks Peninsula. Working around the coast from north to south one encounters: Sumner Bay marks the coastal transition from the long sandy beach of Pegasus Bay and
1222-480: Is immediately north of the peninsula. Banks Peninsula forms the most prominent volcanic feature of the South Island, similar to — but more than twice as large as — the older Dunedin volcano ( Otago Peninsula and Harbour ) 350 kilometres (220 mi) to the southwest. Geologically, the peninsula comprises the eroded remnants of two large composite shield volcanoes (Lyttelton formed first, then Akaroa), and
1316-418: Is of middle size while Harwood Township has one of the largest. These and numerous other smaller sites are clearly visible, though often not recognised by visitors for what they are. Their occupants were Polynesians ancestral to modern Maori, who lived by hunting large birds, notably the now extinct flightless moa, but also seals and by fishing. Whale ivory chevron pendants found at Little Papanui were made by
1410-402: Is that they represent historical people who have become encrusted with legend. Te Rapuwai were next and seemed to be succeeded by two Waitaha tribes, but it has been suggested this was really one with 'Waitaha' also being used as a catchall name for all earlier peoples by some later arrivals. Te Rapuwai may perhaps also have been used like this. Nevertheless, some middens, such as those on
1504-598: Is the resting place of the kō (digging stick) of Rakaihautū. He used this digging stick to dig out many of the South Island lakes. In 1856, the Wainui Māori Reserve was established and set aside 432 acres for the Ngāi Tarewa Hapū of Ngāi Tahu. In the 1857 census, there was 40 people living there but by 1861, this had declined to 20 people. A post office was established in 1874, telephone office in 1875, school in 1885 and Presbyterian Church in 1911. Duvauchelle
1598-599: The 2013 census , and an increase of 33 people (4.0%) since the 2006 census . There were 378 households, comprising 441 males and 411 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.07 males per female. The median age was 52.9 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 126 people (14.8%) aged under 15 years, 87 (10.2%) aged 15 to 29, 444 (52.1%) aged 30 to 64, and 198 (23.2%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 91.5% European/ Pākehā , 16.9% Māori , 0.7% Pasifika , 1.4% Asian , and 1.8% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas
1692-450: The Kāi Tahu dialect of Māori . Whakaroa means "Long Harbour". The harbour was used commercially in the mid-19th century for ship-based and shore-based whaling. Cruise ships occasionally enter the harbour, with the passengers visiting Akaroa. Ōnawe Peninsula is at the head of the harbour, the former site of a Māori pā . Akaroa Harbour's waterfront has been continually inhabited since
1786-527: The Ngāi Tahu hapū Ngāi Tūhaitara, who arrived in the 1730s. The first European sighting of the peninsula was on 17 February 1770 by Captain James Cook and crew during Cook's first circumnavigation of New Zealand. Cook described the land as "of a circular figure ... of a very broken uneven surface and [having] more the appearance of barrenness than fertility." Deceived by the outline of higher land behind
1880-471: The Port Hills . According to tradition the first Māori settlers of the area now known as Banks Peninsula were the Waitaha led by their founding ancestor Rākaihautū . The Māori name for the peninsula is Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū (The Storehouse of Rākaihautū) in recognition of his deeds and the abundance of mahinga kai (foods of the forests, sea, rivers and skies). They were followed by Kāti Māmoe , and then
1974-684: The Sydney Cove while her men were sealing at Cape Saunders. This led to James Kelly 's 1817 attack on 'the City of Otago' (probably the Te Rauone settlement(s)), after William Tucker and others were killed at Whareakeake (Murdering Beach) further north. Peace was re-established by 1823. 1826 saw the visit of the Rosanna and the Lambton , ships of the first New Zealand Company. They also brought
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#17327810558132068-631: The Waitaki River , and extends 20 nautical miles out to sea, covering an area of about 14,310 km . The relatively small Pōhatu Marine Reserve centres on Pōhatu / Flea Bay on the south-east side of the peninsula and the larger Akaroa Marine Reserve lies at the entrance to the Akaroa Harbour . The Rod Donald Banks Peninsula Trust aims to improve public walking and biking access and enhance biodiversity on Banks Peninsula. They (in 2020) are raising money to purchase 500ha of land including
2162-1011: The 1840s, the peninsula and the Canterbury Plains beyond were considered for colonisation, but it took until 1848 for the Canterbury Association chief surveyor, Captain Joseph Thomas to survey the surrounding plains and prepare for the arrival of the Canterbury pilgrims in December 1850. From the 1850s, Lyttelton and then Christchurch outgrew Akaroa, which is now a holiday resort and cruise ship destination and has retained many French influences as well as many of its nineteenth-century buildings. Historic harbour defence works dating from 1874 onwards survive at Ripapa Island in Lyttelton Harbour / Whakaraupō , and at Awaroa / Godley Head . In 2011,
2256-518: The 1840s. Akaroa , Duvauchelle , Takapūneke , Takamatua , Barrys Bay, French Farm and Wainui lie on the shoreline of the harbour. They are connected to the rest of Canterbury via State Highway 75 . French Bay, the site of the French settlement of Akaroa, was originally known as Paka Ariki. The Akaroa Harbour statistical area covers the settlements around the harbour with the exception of Akaroa. It covers 162.14 km (62.60 sq mi). It had an estimated population of 720 as of June 2024, with
2350-454: The 1880s, following fears of a Russian invasion, Taiaroa Head was extensively fortified. An Armstrong Disappearing gun was installed in 1886. Ferries linked the peninsula's harbour coast with the city and Port Chalmers. Despite the erosion-prone clay soils and steep slopes by 1900 90% of the approximately 200 farmers on the peninsula were engaged in dairying. This led to New Zealand's first dairy co-operative, being established at Springfield on
2444-527: The Archaic (moa-hunting) period, the Otago Peninsula was a relatively densely occupied area at the centre of the country's most populous region. A map of recorded Māori archaeological sites for the Otago Conservancy shows many more on the Otago Peninsula than elsewhere in the region. Another showing only those of the Archaic period shows sites clustered on the peninsula and along the coast across
2538-526: The British authorities sent James Busby , as official British Resident, to New Zealand in 1832. During the 1830s, several European whaling bases were established on Banks Peninsula. In 1838 Captain Jean François Langlois , a French whaler, decided that Akaroa would make a good settlement to service whaling ships and made a provisional purchase of land in "the greater Banks Peninsula" from 12 Kāi Tahu chiefs. A deposit of commodities in
2632-601: The Christchurch earthquakes of Feb and June had their epicentres in the Port Hills, significantly affecting communities. Several sites off the coast of the peninsula serve for mariculture cultivation of mussels . Farming has been a traditional industry on Banks Peninsula. Following the major earthquakes of 2010 and 2011, which affected Christchurch and Lyttelton (the harbour serving Christchurch), cruise ships were diverted to Akaroa Harbour. The Summit Road forms
2726-451: The French plan for colonisation, Hobson quickly dispatched HMS Britomart from the Bay of Islands to Akaroa with police magistrates on board. While Langlois and his colonists sheltered from unfavourable winds at Pigeon Bay on the other side of the peninsula, the British raised their flag at Greens Point between Akaroa and Takapūneke and courts of law convened to assert British sovereignty over
2820-621: The Highcliff Road in 1871. Once the Taieri and Peninsula Milk Supply Company was established in 1884 most dairy farmers became members through for a brief period in the late 1880s milk was shipped across the harbour from Portobello for processing at Sawyers Bay at by Roseville Dairy Company. Between 1891 and 1896 farmers also had the option of supplying the New Zealand Dairy Supply Company which also operated in
2914-485: The Kai Tahu position. The deed of sale was signed on 31 July 1844 with Kai Tahu retaining 6,665 acres (2,697 ha) of the northern part of the peninsula. Charles Kettle , the association's surveyor, laid out suburban and country blocks in 1846 and 1847. The arrival of the first migrant ships in early 1848 saw the focus of settlement move to Dunedin while Port Chalmers on the other side of the harbour succeeded Otago as
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3008-550: The Pacific coast of the peninsula, Hoopers Inlet and Papanui Inlet . Between them is the headland of Cape Saunders . Nearby natural features include the 250m-high cliffs of Lovers' Leap and The Chasm. At the entrance to the Otago Harbour the peninsula rises to Taiaroa Head , home to a breeding colony of northern royal albatross , the only colony of albatross to be found on an inhabited mainland. The viewing centre for
3102-465: The Peninsula's dairying and mixed farms gave way to extensive grazing. The rural population, especially on the Pacific coast, dwindled, leaving abandoned steadings and roads decaying slowly behind macrocarpa and hawthorn plantings. The re-made, Europeanised landscape now took on an air of mellow decay, and started to look 'natural', unusual in a recently colonised country like New Zealand. This attracted
3196-608: The Secretary of the Admiralty. His chart showed a bay at Hooper's Inlet, which may have been explored and named by Charles Hooper (chief officer on Daniel Cooper's English sealer, Unity ) in the summer of 1808–1809. Sealers began to use the harbour around then, probably anchoring off Wellers' Rock, modern Otakou, where there was extensive Māori settlement. Otago Harbour is where the Sealers' War began, sparked by an incident on
3290-608: The South Island. The French colonists arrived in Akaroa Harbour on 18 August and established a settlement centred on the present-day site of Akaroa. Given that the French colonists had set out for New Zealand on the assumption that they owned the land, the New Zealand authorities made a grant of 30,000 acres to the Nanto-Bordelaise Company, which ceded all rights to the peninsula for £4,500. During
3384-683: The Summit Walkway. They have also been involved in providing tramping huts (Rod Donald Hut and Ōtamahua Hut on Ōtamahua / Quail Island ) for the public to access. Banks Peninsula Conservation Trust was formed in 2001. It works to conserve and enhance the biodiversity and encourage sustainable land management on Banks Peninsula. Work being undertaken in 2020 included work to protect ruru (morepork) and tūī . They also work with landowners to legally protect important biodiversity and landscape values in perpetuity through covenants. Banks Peninsula Ward of Christchurch City Council, which encompasses
3478-634: The Wellers' operation. There was conflict with Māori, who suffered epidemics of measles and influenza in 1835 and 1836. Whaling collapsed in 1839 and in March 1840 Dumont D'Urville , a visiting French navigator, described the Peninsula's European and Māori communities as both trafficking in alcohol and sex. The Treaty of Waitangi was signed on the Peninsula in June, although the South Island had already been annexed by 'right of discovery'. The first Christian service
3572-420: The albatross colony is one of the peninsula's main ecotourism attractions, along with other wildlife such as seals and yellow-eyed penguins . Most of the Otago Peninsula is freehold farming land, with increasing numbers of small holdings or lifestyle blocks. Some biodiversity sites such as Taiaroa Head are managed as sanctuaries for wildlife. Many species of seabirds and waders in particular may be found around
3666-410: The ancient Egyptian monuments. Sandfly Bay, named not for the insect but for the sand blown up by the wind, is reached via a path through some of New Zealand's tallest sand dunes , which rise for some 100 metres above the beach. Other tourist attractions on the peninsula include Larnach Castle , a restored Armstrong 'disappearing' gun coastal defence post, and a war memorial cairn . There are views of
3760-419: The area south of the Port Hills , covers 973.13 km (375.73 sq mi). Banks Peninsula Ward had a population of 8,850 at the 2018 New Zealand census , an increase of 615 people (7.5%) since the 2013 census , and an increase of 684 people (8.4%) since the 2006 census . There were 3,747 households. There were 4,374 males and 4,476 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.98 males per female. The median age
3854-481: The area. The Taieri and Peninsula Milk Supply Company opened a creamery at Sandymount in 1893 and by 1897 there were additional ones at Granton, Papanui Inlet and Otakou. Another opened at Highcliff in 1903. The resulting product was shipped to Dunedin, where it was made into butter. By this time the peninsula was also supplying the majority of Dunedin's potatoes with approximately 70 farmers around Highcliff and Sandymount engaged in their production. In addition there were
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3948-598: The attention of visitors and artists. Colin McCahon , New Zealand's most celebrated painter, first worked out his 'vision' of the New Zealand landscape with studies of the peninsula, the most developed being that of 1946–49 now owned by the city and on display in the central Dunedin Public Library . The City of Dunedin absorbed Peninsula County in 1967, promising to extend water and sewerage reticulation. In recent decades there has been growing suburban occupation of
4042-433: The bay road had reached Portobello which allowed a mail coach and later horse-drawn buses to operate along it while many residents made their way independently by their own private horses and carts. The resulting drop in patronage lead to many ferry services being withdrawn. The improved land connection encouraged the development of settlements at East Harbour (subsequently renamed Macandrew Bay), Company Bay and Broad Bay. In
4136-603: The bay. Originally, it was known as Vincent's Bay as a result of a Captain John Vincent wrecking his schooner in the bay. It became known as Taylors Mistake in 1853 after another ship wreck in the bay. This time, a Captain Samuel Taylor wrecked his cutter named Hawk at night time. Taylors Mistake is known as Te One-poto in Māori. Lyttelton Harbour / Whakaraupō is a harbour within Banks Peninsula. Within
4230-541: The city and surrounding country from Highcliff Road, which runs along the spine of the peninsula. The total population of the peninsula is under 10,000, with about half of these in the suburbs of Dunedin that encroach onto its western end, such as Vauxhall and Shiel Hill . Mostly, only the side adjacent to the Otago Harbour is populated, with several small communities dotting the length of the peninsula. Largest of these are Macandrew Bay (the peninsula's largest settlement, population 1,100), Portobello , and Otakou . Otakou
4324-452: The construction of new roads and their maintenance. A road to Andersons Bay and Tomahawk was completed by the winter of 1860, and from there to Highcliff and Portobello was by bridle track which was not suitable for wheeled transport, which lead to most settlements being restricted to Andersons Bay, Tomahawk, Portobello and smaller settlements along the coast where they could be serviced by ferries. Ferry services first began in 1859. A railway
4418-505: The end of August 1840 conducting the first hydrographic survey and reinforcing British sovereignty of Banks Peninsula. Little Akaloa is named "little" to distinguish it from Akaroa. It was spelt Hakaroa until 1864. Feral goats have been a problem in Little Akaloa but a successful cull of them in early 2019 is helping eradication efforts on Banks Peninsula. Otago Peninsula The Otago Peninsula ( Māori : Muaūpoko )
4512-526: The entire peninsula for themselves. But the company's surveyor Frederick Tuckett was reluctant to allow the Kai Tahu to retain military strategic land so close to the proposed site of the new settlement, nor allow them to control land on which there were already European settlers, in case they developed a settlement that would compete with that of the Otago Association's. The Kai Tahu negotiators convinced Turkett that while they would give up some of
4606-606: The first recorded European women to NZ, and produced Thomas Shepherd's pictures of the Peninsula. Shepherd's paintings are the oldest known, and are held in the Sydney's Mitchell Library . In November 1831 the Weller brothers , Joseph, George and Edward, established their whaling station at Wellers' Rock. Throughout the '30s, their Otago establishment grew to be the largest in the country and the harbour became an international whaling port. In 1841 Octavius Harwood and C.W. Schultze took over
4700-422: The harbour lies Ōtamahua / Quail Island and Ripapa Island . Port Levy is the most north facing of the bays on Banks Peninsula. It has been visited by Europeans since the 1820s and known as Koukourarata in Māori. Pigeon Bay has a walking track which follows the eastern side of Pigeon bay out to the head of the bay. It takes about 4 or 5 hours to walk there and back. It has spectacular coastal views. There are
4794-408: The harbour offered the most efficient means of transporting passengers and goods between settlements. As settlements developed jetties were constructed at Andersons Bay , Vauxhall, Waverly, Burns Point, Johnstons, Glenfallach, Macandrew Bay , Company Bay, Broad Bay , Ross Point, Portobello , Otakou and Harington Point . In 1862 a jetty was constructed at Andersons Bay to service Vauxhall Gardens,
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#17327810558134888-509: The harbour to the west and north. This was one of three clusters on the South Island's south east coast: one from about Oamaru south to Pleasant River; another from Waikouaiti south, including the Otago Peninsula and tailing off near the Kaikorai estuary; another extending south from the Matau river mouth. The clusters contain a few larger sites. On the Otago Peninsula that at Little Papanui
4982-459: The harbour, as part of the large, long-extinct, Dunedin Volcano . Several of the peninsula's peaks, notably the aptly named Harbour Cone, demonstrate these volcanic origins. These rocks were built up between 13 and 10 million years ago. Much of the peninsula is steep hill country, with the highest points being Mount Charles (408m), Highcliff (381m), and Sandymount (320m). Two tidal inlets lie on
5076-409: The harbourside and on the Highcliff Road on the spine of the land mass, but in the early phase of European settlement, also on the more exposed Pacific slopes. The discovery of gold in 1861 resulted int a massive inrush of people and capital into Otago. Over the next decade millions of pounds worth of gold flowed from the diggings, the majority passing through Dunedin. The rapid growth of Dunedin into
5170-567: The intention of forming a French colony on a French South Island of New Zealand. By the time Langlois and his colonists arrived at Banks Peninsula in August 1840, many Māori had already signed the Treaty of Waitangi (the signatories including two chiefs at Akaroa in May) and New Zealand's first British Governor, William Hobson , had declared British sovereignty over the whole of New Zealand. On hearing of
5264-491: The international port. In December William Cargill , secular leader of the Otago settlement, successfully petitioned the government to re-instate 'Otago' as its original name. The old whaling village and adjacent Māori settlements had now become 'Otakou'. As Dunedin developed the Peninsula's southern end became a city recreation ground and then a suburb. As increasing numbers of immigrants began arriving settlements were formed on
5358-488: The lowlands of the Canterbury Plains to the rocky cliffs of Banks Peninsula. While Sumner is politically and socially considered a suburb of Christchurch, the high Clifton cliffs and the post of volcanic rock on the beach, known locally as Rapanui , or Shag Rock, mark the place where the coastal plains meet the peninsula. Taylors Mistake is a Christchurch swimming beach with a number of holiday houses lining
5452-558: The meeting of the Indo-Australian and Pacific tectonic plates ) and from the alluvial fans created by large braided rivers . These plains reach their widest point where they meet the hilly sub-region of Banks Peninsula. A layer of loess , a rather unstable fine silt deposited by the foehn winds which bluster across the plains, covers the northern and western flanks of the peninsula. The portion of crater rim lying between Lyttelton Harbour / Whakaraupō and Christchurch city forms
5546-429: The most prosperous city in New Zealand stimulated development on the peninsula as farmers received higher prices for many of the goods that they supplied the city. By 1864 the population of the peninsula had grown to 1,269 and to 2,425 by 1881. The Maori population living on the peninsula however had decreased from a minimum of 500 to 600 in the early 1830s and to 22 in 1891. As a result of increased settlement native bush
5640-418: The native bush. Other protected areas on the peninsula include Ellangowan Scenic Reserve (3.14 km ), designated in 1973, Mount Herbert Scenic Reserve (2.42 km ), designated in 1980, Wairewa Stewardship Area (6.51 km ), designated in 1987, and Palm Gully Scenic Reserve (1.11 km ), designated in 1989. A large Marine Mammal Sanctuary, mainly restricting set-net fishing , surrounds much of
5734-489: The peninsula they would not sell the northern portion, as this was where their villages and urupā were. Some chiefs with strong Mamoe connections wanted to retain all of the Peninsula from Puketai onwards (as Anderson's Bay was then called). When William Wakefield of the New Zealand Company arrived on site on 16 July he was reluctant to accept this. Eventually, to purchase any of the land Wakefield had to accept
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#17327810558135828-464: The peninsula, Cook mistook it for an island and named it "Banks Island" in honour of Endeavour ' s botanist, Joseph Banks . Distracted by a phantom sighting of land to the southeast, Cook then ordered Endeavour away to the south without exploring more closely. In 1809, Captain Samuel Chase, in the sealer Pegasus , corrected Cook's charts by determining that "Banks Island" was in fact
5922-413: The peninsula, have been identified traditionally with Te Rapuwai. Anderson's later, or tribal Waitaha, arrived in the south in the 15th century. Moa and moa hunters went into decline but a new Classic Māori culture evolved, characterised by the construction of pā , and new peoples arrived on the Otago Peninsula. People here at this time practised what has been called a foraging economy. Increasing reliance
6016-466: The peninsula. This has the principal aim of the conservation of Hector's dolphin , the smallest of all dolphin species. Eco-tourism based around the playful dolphins has now become a significant industry in Akaroa. The Banks Peninsula Marine Mammal Sanctuary was expanded in 2020, with restrictions introduced on seismic surveying and seabed mining. The sanctuary stretches from the Jed River south to
6110-506: The peninsula. However, Māori and European settlers successively denuded the forest cover and less than 2% remains today, although some reforestation has started. European settlers have planted many English trees, notably walnut . Hinewai Reserve , a private nature reserve , has been established on the peninsula to allow for native forest to regenerate on land that was once farmed. It was established in 1987 and now spans 1250 hectares of native bush. it has 40 km of walking tracks through
6204-400: The same time. Pukekura's terraces are still visible, with some of them co-opted into later European defence works. Many traditions survive from this period concerning figures such as Waitai and Moki II who at different times both lived at Pukekura pa. One of the best known concerns Tarewai, who is difficult to place chronologically, but was of Kai Tahu descent. He gained possession of Pukekura,
6298-518: The site's early occupants and are now in the Otago Museum , Dunedin. The site's lowest levels are estimated to have been occupied some time between 1150 and 1300 AD. Another peninsula site, at Papanui Inlet, is thought to have been occupied in the same period, as was the extensive one at Harwood Township. Little Papanui and Harwood are considered to have been permanent settlements, not temporary camps. A single radiocarbon date for Harwood suggests it
6392-527: The smaller Mt Herbert Volcanic Group. These formed due to intraplate volcanism between approximately eleven and eight million years ago ( Miocene ) on a continental crust. The peninsula formed as offshore islands, with the volcanoes reaching to about 1,500 m above sea level. Two dominant craters formed Lyttelton and Akaroa Harbours. The Canterbury Plains formed from the erosion of the Southern Alps (an extensive and high mountain range caused by
6486-438: The southern part of the peninsula east of Ocean Grove , and also Harwood , Otakou and Harington Point , but does not include the northern coast of the peninsula, which is covered at Macandrew Bay and Broad Bay . It had an estimated population of 930 as of June 2024, with a population density of 11 people per km . Otago Peninsula had a population of 852 at the 2018 New Zealand census , an increase of 72 people (9.2%) since
6580-498: The summits of Mt Herbert/Te Ahu Pātiki and Mt Bradley with the intention to set up a conservation park protecting and restoring native biodiversity. The land is currently farmland but over time the trust intends to return it to native bush. In May 2021, the money was raised to purchase the land. The Rod Donald Banks Peninsula Trust plans to upgrade fencing and remove feral grazing animals. The Rod Donald Banks Peninsula Trust are also involved in developing Te Ara Pātaka, also known as
6674-515: The tidal inlets, including spoonbills , plovers , and herons . The Pacific coast of the peninsula includes several beaches that are far away enough from Dunedin to be sparsely populated even in mid-summer. These include Allans Beach , Boulder Beach , Victory Beach , and Sandfly Bay . Victory Beach, named after the 19th century shipwreck of the Victory close by, features a rock formation known locally as "The Pyramids" for its resemblance to
6768-535: The toll gate was located near Macandrew Bay. During the 1890s the Portobello Road became popular with cyclists who lobbied the Road Board to reduce the toll. Cyclists were being charged 5 shillings for the round trip, which had been reduced by 1896 to sixpence on Sundays and reduced further to 1903 to sixpence return and then to threepence in 1904. In 1908 the toll was removed. In 1907 the first automobile
6862-509: The townships, some 'lifestyle' developments on the harbour slopes and an increasing tourist traffic. The Otago Peninsula is one of the few places in New Zealand where there is everywhere visible evidence of the long human occupation of the land. In a magnificent but compact setting the challenge is to maintain its balance of human and natural in the face of growing residential and tourist development. The statistical area of Otago Peninsula covers 84.96 km (32.80 sq mi). It includes
6956-478: The value of £6 was paid and a further £234 worth of commodities was to be paid at a later period. He returned to France , advertised for settlers to go to New Zealand, and ceded his interest in the land to the Nanto-Bordelaise Company , of which he became a part-owner. On 9 March 1840 he set sail for New Zealand with a group of French and German families aboard the ship Comte de Paris , with
7050-408: The western end of the peninsula, and seven townships and communities lie along the harbourside shore. The majority of the land is sparsely populated and occupied by steep open pasture. The peninsula is home to many species of wildlife, notably seabirds , pinnipeds , and penguins; several ecotourism businesses operate in the area. The peninsula was formed at the same time as the hills facing it across
7144-465: The winding harbourside road, with its distinctive seawalls of the local stone. Across the cleared land settlers built dry stone walls, following the pattern of 'Galloway Dykes', another conspicuous and distinctive feature of the landscape whose only other examples in New Zealand are across the harbour on the opposite heights. Stone lime kilns were built near Sandymount in 1864. By the end of the 1860s most farms were less than 100 acres (40 ha) in size, with
7238-418: Was $ 28,100, compared with $ 31,800 nationally. 84 people (12.9%) earned over $ 70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 279 (42.9%) people were employed full-time, 132 (20.3%) were part-time, and 3 (0.5%) were unemployed. The harbour is one of two eroded volcanic centres from the extinct Banks Peninsula Volcano . The 475-hectare (1,170-acre) Akaroa Marine Reserve
7332-550: Was 18.7, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 64.4% had no religion, 23.6% were Christian , 1.1% were Buddhist and 2.1% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 192 (26.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 105 (14.5%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $ 25,800, compared with $ 31,800 nationally. 99 people (13.6%) earned over $ 70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15
7426-427: Was 21.0, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 49.4% had no religion, 39.9% were Christian , 1.2% had Māori religious beliefs , 0.8% were Buddhist and 1.2% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 159 (24.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 90 (13.8%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income
7520-478: Was 26.8%, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people objected to giving their religion, 58.9% had no religion, 29.0% were Christian, 0.3% were Hindu, 0.5% were Muslim, 0.7% were Buddhist and 3.4% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 2,400 (32.3%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 804 (10.8%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $ 36,000, compared with $ 31,800 nationally. The employment status of those at least 15
7614-434: Was 48.4 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 1,410 people (15.9%) aged under 15 years, 999 (11.3%) aged 15 to 29, 4,710 (53.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 1,728 (19.5%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 93.1% European/Pākehā, 8.3% Māori, 1.3% Pacific peoples, 3.1% Asian, and 2.0% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities). The proportion of people born overseas
7708-496: Was also occupied in 1450. Three magnificent pounamu adzes, said by H.D. Skinner to be the finest of their type, were found nearby and are dated to the same time. They represent a form already archaic when they were made. They are currently in the Otago Museum. Southern Māori oral tradition tells of five successively arriving peoples and while the earliest, Kahui Tipua , appear to be fairy folk, modern anthropological opinion
7802-462: Was becoming a popular place to live, especially with businessman and professionals, a number of them constructing large homes. In 1904 a marine fish hatchery was established at Aquarium Point, Portobello. Another sign of changing attitudes to wild life was the self-establishment of the royal albatross colony at Taiaroa Head in the 1920s which was now carefully nurtured for its scientific interest. Radio masts appeared at Highcliff and rural depopulation
7896-420: Was cleared over most of the terrain in a massive transformation of the landscape. The increased wealth also lead in the 1860s to pleasure gardens being established at Vauxhall; George Grey Russell built his house at Glenfalloch and William Larnach acquired the land for his big house at Pukehiki , ' Larnach Castle '. A lighthouse was built at Taiaroa Head in 1864 and work began using prison labour, to build
7990-555: Was compensated by the growth of the harbourside settlements. Improving roads saw the demise of the ferries. After World War 2 the Taiaroa Head garrison was withdrawn and the lighthouse automated. The University of Otago took over the hatchery as a research facility as its commercial purpose waned. The 20th century saw land use change as the draining and development of the Taieri Plain eventually led to that area eclipsing
8084-561: Was completed to Andersons Bay in 1878 but it never proceeded any further. A causeway was completed across Andersons Bay to Vauxhall Corner in 1872. It featured a bridge which could be opened to allow passage for boats. Following the abolishing of the provincial council in 1876, governance of the peninsula became the responsibility of the Peninsula County Council, whose administrative centre was in Portobello. By 1878
8178-655: Was given approval in 2013 after a 17-year campaign to get it established. As of 2011, of the seven sites that are sampled in the harbour for water quality, six are graded as "good" and one as "fair" in terms of recreational use. Rainfall affects the grading. Banks Peninsula Banks Peninsula is a peninsula of volcanic origin on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It has an area of approximately 1,200 square kilometres (450 sq mi) and encompasses two large harbours and many smaller bays and coves. The South Island's largest city, Christchurch ,
8272-461: Was in conflict with Kati Mamoe at Papanui Inlet and made a famous escape back into Pukekura by a cliff still known as Tarewai's Leap. There had been an argument about Kati Mamoe fishing rights on Papanui Inlet. A particularly fine talismanic whale bone fishook of the 18th century was found there and is now in the Otago Museum. James Cook sailed past in February 1770 and named Cape Saunders after
8366-405: Was placed on harvesting the root of the cabbage tree/tī kouka , and 'umu ti', cabbage tree ovens, proliferate over some parts of the Peninsula, showing intensive use of the land. Kati Mamoe ( Ngāti Mamoe ) arrived in the late 16th century. Kai Tahu came about a hundred years later. Pukekura , a fortress on Taiaroa Head , was built about 1650. Nearby villages on Te Rauone Beach perhaps date from
8460-538: Was preached on the Peninsula later that year at Otago by Bishop Pompallier. Various European visitors in the 1840s made records. In 1844 the Otago Association negotiated with local Kai Tahu to purchase the Otago Block for its Scottish Free Church settlement. However, at the initial meeting between iwi and agent (the New Zealand Company ) the Kai Tahu leaders on 18 June stated their wish to retain
8554-454: Was sighted on the road but a bylaw was introduced to ban them until a local referendum was held in 1913 overturned it. These actions improved accessibility and reduced the cost of accessing the peninsula, which impacted on the ferries. By 1900 of the peninsula's 24,016 acres (9,718 ha) only approximately 4,000 acres (of which 3,000 was still in bush) had not been occupied by farming activities or urban construction. By that same year Andersons Bay
8648-479: Was that 3,807 (51.2%) people were employed full-time, 1,383 (18.6%) were part-time, and 135 (1.8%) were unemployed. Akaroa is a small town on the edge of the Akaroa harbour. Little River is a small town which sits at the end of the Little River Rail Trail. There are several art galleries, a camp ground, rugby club and primary school there. The area is known to Māori as Wairewa. Wainui
8742-502: Was that 312 (43.0%) people were employed full-time, 138 (19.0%) were part-time, and 24 (3.3%) were unemployed. Various species of endemic, rare, and endangered wildlife have been confirmed in the vicinity of Otago Peninsula both on land and at sea. Jewelled geckos are known from the area. Giant moa were historically seen on the peninsula. Endangered ocean megafauna such as basking sharks , great white sharks , and leatherback turtles have been confirmed along Otago coasts. There
8836-487: Was the site of the first permanent European settlement on the harbour, and of an early whaling station, commemorated at nearby Weller's Rock. There were several other whaling stations inside the harbour and outer peninsula, including the Middle Fishery Station at Harington Point . New Zealand was first settled by humans around 1300 AD, and in the South Island, people concentrated on the east coast. In
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