102-588: Ferrymead Heritage Park is an outdoor museum in Christchurch , New Zealand . First known as the Museum of Science and Technology and later Ferrymead Historic Park , it was founded in 1964 by a collection of local heritage enthusiast groups who had a common need for space to store and display their assets. It is in the Heathcote Valley , at the site of New Zealand's first public railway. The museum
204-462: A men's shed ." In mid-2024 controvery arose at a plan to demolish a brick oven in the replica bakery at the park. The oven was built in the 1970s and had been unused since the 2011 Christchurch earthquake . Park management claimed that the oven was irreperably damaged in the earthquake and was "riddled with asbestos ". Groups and individuals associated with the park objected to the proposed demolition, with one saying it would be "sacrilege" to destroy
306-423: A broadcast station and transmitter at Ferrymead. The society broadcasts music on 1413 kHz AM at 900 watts from a nearby aerial during weekends. The stations's historic call sign was 3XP. In addition to a working radio broadcast studio, the society maintains a museum of historic radio equipment for visitors. A number of other smaller historical societies have operated from the park, including: The heritage park
408-555: A city by royal charter on 31 July 1856, making it officially the oldest established city in New Zealand. Christchurch was heavily industrialised in the early 20th century, with the opening of the Main South Line railway and the development of state housing saw rapid growth in the city's economy and population. Christchurch has strong cultural connections with its European elements and architectural identity. Christchurch
510-399: A few hours a week, limiting the interest of the park to public visitors. The park continued to struggle financially through the 1980s and 1990s. In 1985 park management proposed a levy on Christchurch ratepayers to fund the park, though this would have required an act of parliament and never eventuated. In 1995, the financial issues came to a head, and the trust that oversaw the park turned to
612-612: A few months later in December 1856. In 1862 the Christchurch City Council was established. By 1874, Christchurch was New Zealand's fourth-largest city with a population of 14,270 residents. Between 1871 and 1876 nearly 20,000 immigrants arrived in Canterbury, and through the 1880s frozen meat joined wool as a primary export. The last decades of the nineteenth-century were a period of significant growth for
714-405: A few months later, which occurred directly under the city centre and also caused widespread damage, but this was less severe. Nearly two months later, on Tuesday 22 February 2011, an earthquake measuring magnitude 6.3 struck the city at 12:51 pm. Its hypocentre was located closer to the city, near Lyttelton, at a depth of 5 km (3 mi). Although lower on the moment magnitude scale than
816-554: A grid pattern, centred on Cathedral Square . Growth initially took place along the tramlines, leading to radial development. Major expansion occurred in the 1950s and 60s, with the development of large areas of state housing . Settlements that had originally been remote, such as Sumner , New Brighton , Upper Riccarton and Papanui eventually became amalgamated into the expanding city. The Christchurch functional urban area , as defined by Statistics New Zealand, covers 2,408.1 km (929.8 sq mi). Towns and settlements in
918-441: A month) the societies provide an interactive experience for visitors. Guest can take tram or train rides, see demonstrations of typesetting and printing, use heritage telecommunication equipment, see a working model railway, and more. Park volunteers often dress in period costume to create a greater sense of immersion for guests. The park houses a number of notable heritage vehicles. The oldest running steam locomotive in New Zealand,
1020-529: A number of buses and trolley buses from Auckland , New Plymouth , Wellington , Christchurch and Dunedin along with an AEC Regent III double-decker bus , from London Transport , which was brought to New Zealand in 1974 to support the British Commonwealth Games team, and was purchased following the end of the games with the help of a generous donation from Farmers Trading Company . The society also leases Brisbane tram No. 236 from
1122-595: A number of minor natural disasters during this period. Heavy rain caused the Waimakariri River to flood Christchurch in February 1868. Victoria Square (known as Market Place at the time) was left underwater with "the whole left side of the [Avon] river from Montreal-street bridge to Worcester street was all one lake, as deep as up to a horse's belly". Christchurch buildings were damaged by earthquakes in 1869 , 1881 and 1888 . The 1888 earthquake caused
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#17327831072761224-435: A period when there was also slow subsidence in the eastern coastal plains of Canterbury and Christchurch. The result has been the deposition of sequences of mostly fluvial gravel (occurring during periods of low sea level and glaciation), and fine deposits of silt, sand and clay, with some peat, shells and wood (occurring during interglacial periods when the sea level was similar to the present). The layers of gravel beneath
1326-488: A population density of 1,370 people per km . Tramway Historical Society The Tramway Historical Society Inc. is located at the Ferrymead Heritage Park in the Christchurch , New Zealand, suburb of Ferrymead and operates the standard gauge Ferrymead Tramway. Trams have operated at Ferrymead since 1968, with progressive extensions built between 1970 and 1984 allowing trams to operate within
1428-591: A presence on the Ferrymead site. This quick move was because the museum had received an unexpectedly large amount of interest from heritage equipment owners keen to provide exhibits, and so needed a larger site to accommodate them all. Additionally, the Tramway Historical Society had been formed with the intention of creating a replica tram track for their rolling stock, which required the additional space available at Ferrymead. The Ferrymead site
1530-428: A train station to serve the short stretch of track used for moving and demonstrating trains. The village has a main street, which is lined with electrified tram tracks that loop around the town. The various heritage societies that operate from the park exhibit their collections in the buildings around the park. Most of the exhibits are static displays of heritage equipment and vehicles. On major event days (typically once
1632-527: Is also home to a number of performing arts centres and academic institutions (including the University of Canterbury ). Christchurch has hosted numerous international sporting events, notably the 1974 British Commonwealth Games at the purpose-built Queen Elizabeth II Park . The city has been recognised as an Antarctic gateway since 1901, and is nowadays one of the five Antarctic gateway cities hosting Antarctic support bases for several nations. Christchurch
1734-645: Is bounded to the east by the Pacific Ocean and to the south by the ancient volcanic complex of the Banks Peninsula . The Avon River (Ōtākaro) winds through the centre of the city, with a large urban park along its banks. With the exception of the Port Hills, it is a relatively flat city, on an average around 20 m (66 ft) above sea level. Christchurch has a reputation for being an English city, with its architectural identity and nickname
1836-556: Is defined as the area centred on Cathedral Square and within the Four Avenues (Bealey Avenue, Fitzgerald Avenue, Moorhouse Avenue and Deans Avenue). It includes Hagley Park , and the Christchurch Botanic Gardens . The design of the central city with its grid pattern of streets, city squares and parkland was laid out by 1850. The central city was among the most heavily damaged areas of Christchurch in
1938-490: Is in the lower Heathcote Valley. To the north is a bend in the Ōpāwaho / Heathcote River just before it enters the estuary. To the south-west the Main South Line passes the park, and provides a connection between the park and the national rail system. A large amount of land in the area, including the heritage park itself, is owned by the Christchurch City Council. Being close to the sea and low-lying,
2040-488: Is open to the public and operated mostly by volunteers. Ferrymead is built around a replica Edwardian era village. The buildings of the village are a mixture of replicas and genuine historic buildings that have been moved to the site. The buildings include a church, a theatre, residential cottages, a prison, and a Masonic lodge . The interiors of many buildings are fully decorated as static demonstrations, including functional kitchens in some cottages. The town centre also has
2142-712: Is recorded. The lowest temperature recorded in Christchurch was −9.4 °C (15 °F) in the suburb of Wigram in July 1945. 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. To limit air pollution,
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#17327831072762244-684: Is registered as a not-for-profit charitable organisation under the 2005 Charities Act. The Society also has a commercial branch, the Heritage Tramways Trust, which was created in 1993 to restore five trams for the Christchurch Tramway. These trams are owned by the THS, but leased by the HTT to the Christchurch Tramway operator. The THS owns a number of trams formerly operated in Christchurch, Dunedin, and Invercargill. It also owns
2346-568: Is served by the Christchurch Airport in Harewood , the country's second-busiest airport. The city suffered a series of earthquakes from September 2010 , with the most destructive occurring on 22 February 2011 , in which 185 people were killed and thousands of buildings across the city suffered severe damage, with a few central city buildings collapsing, leading to ongoing recovery and rebuilding projects. Christchurch later became
2448-720: Is the largest city in the South Island and the second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand . Christchurch has an urban population of 415,100, and a metropolitan population of over half a million. It is located in the Canterbury Region , near the centre of the east coast of the South Island, east of the Canterbury Plains . It is located near the southern end of Pegasus Bay , and
2550-413: Is wholly owned by the trust. The trust also represents the 15 non-profit societies that operate at the park. Since 2015, the park has received annual grants from the city council averaging NZ$ 145,000. The remaining balance of the park's annual NZ$ 750,000 expenses are met through other means. In 2024 the park again came up against major financial difficulties, this time attributed to low public attendance in
2652-487: The Ballantynes department store on the corner of Cashel and Colombo Streets unexpectedly burned out of control, resulting in New Zealand's worst fire disaster . Despite being initially thought to be under control, the fire suddenly spread to the upper floors and consumed the entire building within minutes. The speed of the fire trapped 41 staff members on the upper floor, all of whom were killed. The department store
2754-659: The Bridle Path because the path was so steep that pack horses needed to be led by the bridle . Goods that were too heavy or bulky to be transported by pack horse over the Bridle Path were shipped by small sailing vessels some 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) by sea around the coast and up the Avon Heathcote Estuary to Ferrymead . Overturned boats at the Sumner bar were a frequent cause of new arrivals to
2856-575: The Bridle Path to the wharves at the Heathcote Estuary. However, the opening of the Lyttelton Rail Tunnel relegated the Ferrymead tracks to little more than a branch line, and the service was closed in around 1867. This made it both New Zealand's first railway to open, and the first to close. After the tracks and buildings were removed, the area remained undeveloped as it was a low-lying swampy area and prone to flooding. In
2958-589: The Charlotte Jane was the first to arrive on 16 December 1850. The Canterbury Pilgrims had aspirations of building a city around a cathedral and college, on the model of Christ Church in Oxford . Transport between the port and the new settlement at Christchurch was a major problem for the early settlers. By December 1849, Thomas had commissioned the construction of a road from Port Cooper, later Lyttelton , to Christchurch via Evans Pass and Sumner . By
3060-409: The Christchurch City Council for help. In February 1996, the park was placed under interim management, and later the same year a deal was struck. Under this deal, the council would purchase a large portion of the park land, and then vest 8 hectares (20 acres) back to the park trust for their use. This effectively served as a bailout of the park to pay off their debt in exchange for the council acquiring
3162-526: The Halswell River begins north-west of the Port Hills on the periphery of Christchurch and flows to Lake Ellesmere / Te Waihora . As a consequence of the flat terrain and spring-fed streams, large parts of the area now occupied by Christchurch City were originally a coastal wetland, with extensive swamp forests. Much of the forest was destroyed by fire, mostly likely by the earliest inhabitants, from around 1000 CE . When European settlers arrived in
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3264-506: The NZR F Class F13 Peveril , is preserved at the park. The world's only remaining operating Kitson and Company steam tram—No. 7 "Kitty"—is maintained at the park. The bright green Christchurch No. 1 tram, built in New York in 1905 and one of the first electric trams to run in Christchurch, is also still in operation at the park. During the early European settlement of Christchurch, Ferrymead
3366-715: The Wellington Tramway Museum , and has done so since 1975. The society has on occasion carried out work for other groups and museums. Examples of this include the restoration of Roslyn electric tram No. 1 for the Otago Early Settlers' Museum, and restoration of several ex Dunedin cable cars and trailers for the new Dunedin Cable Car Trust. Trams used on the Christchurch Tramway are also overhauled and restored here. The Tramway Historical Society has several long-term projects along with
3468-482: The 'Garden City' due to similarities with garden cities in England, but also has a historic Māori heritage. Christchurch has a temperate oceanic climate with regular moderate rainfall. The area of modern-day greater Christchurch was first inhabited by the historic Māori iwi Waitaha in the mid-thirteenth century. Waitaha, who occupied the swamplands with patchworks of marshland , were invaded by Kāti Māmoe in
3570-486: The 19th century, the area was a mixture of swamp and tussock grasslands, with only remnant patches of forest. An early European visitor was William Barnard Rhodes , captain of the barque Australian, who climbed the Port Hills from Lyttelton Harbour in September 1836 and observed a large grassy plain with two small areas of forest. He reported that "All the land that I saw was swamp and mostly covered with water". Most of
3672-485: The 2010 and 2011 earthquakes. Following the second earthquake, the Central City Red Zone was set up as an exclusion zone for public safety reasons, and many parts remained closed to the public until June 2013. A large number of heritage buildings were demolished following the earthquake, along with most of the city's high rise buildings . The Christchurch Central Recovery Plan was developed to lead
3774-867: The Blessed Sacrament was opened in February 1905. It was designed by Francis Petre with inspiration from the Saint-Vincent-de-Paul in Paris. In 1906, the New Zealand International Exhibition opened in Hagley Park, which had over a million visitors. In 1908, the city experienced its first major fire which started at the Strange's Department Store and destroyed buildings in central Christchurch on High St, Cashel St and Lichfield Streets. Christchurch
3876-596: The CTB Board supported this, and so the two trams were stored in the former tramway workshops until 1965. During this time further exhibits arrived such as the Association's first vehicle, double-decker tram trailer 91, which arrived in 1965 and restored three years later. During 1964, the Association decided to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the closure of the Number 1 tram route to Papanui, which had been one of
3978-532: The Canterbury Museum, but had been refused and so ended up in the care of W. A. Clapham. As the vehicles were stored outside and were beginning to deteriorate, the Association arranged with CTB general manager John Fardell, who had come from Reading in England to oversee the transition from trams to diesel buses, to provide the Association with covered space in the former Falsgrave Street workshops for five months to carry out restoration work. Fardell and
4080-486: The Chief Censor, making the footage illegal to possess and distribute within New Zealand. On 2 June 2020, the attacker pleaded guilty to multiple charges of murder, attempted murder, and terrorism. On 27 August, he was sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole, the first time such a sentence was handed down in New Zealand. Christchurch is halfway along the east coast of the South Island , facing
4182-658: The Christchurch urban area , 3,310 people in the Lyttelton urban area, 1,720 people in the Diamond Harbour urban area, and 6,770 people in rural settlements and areas. Christchurch City had a population of 391,383 in the 2023 New Zealand census , an increase of 22,377 people (6.1%) since the 2018 census , and an increase of 49,914 people (14.6%) since the 2013 census . There were 192,684 males, 196,557 females and 2,139 people of other genders in 150,909 dwellings. 4.5% of people identified as LGBTIQ+ . The median age
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4284-653: The North Island and invaded the Christchurch basin, ultimately gaining control of much of Canterbury. Kāi Tahu arrived a century later, and the two ultimately absorbed Waitaha through a mixture of conflict and marriage. For these early Māori, the area of Christchurch was an important foraging ground and a seasonal settlement. Several Māori settlements were within Christchurch during the early-nineteenth century, such as Pūtarikamotu in modern-day Riccarton , and Papanui . In both cases these were located in areas of surviving tall forest. In South New Brighton there
4386-458: The Port Hill almost reaching Governors Bay in the south-west. Eleven houses were destroyed by fire and over 2,076 hectares (5,130 acres) of land was burned. In 2024, a second fire on the Port Hills burned 700 hectares (1,700 acres). The fire was also started under similarly suspicious circumstances. Lessons from the 2017 fire contributed to a more effective emergency response, and the fire
4488-574: The Prebbleton location being preferred initially. This was due to the proximity of existing track and an existing station building, but ultimately the deal fell through when the government Railways Department decided that increasing industrial activity in the area required the track to remain open. The association finally settled on Hornby. The museum association began outfitting buildings in Hornby in September 1964. The museum initially planned to open to
4590-571: The South Pacific Ocean. With the exception of the Port Hills on Banks Peninsula to its south, the city sits on flat land, on average around 20 m (66 ft) above sea level. The present land mass of New Zealand split from the super continent of Gondwana around 85 million years ago. Prior to that time, mudstone and hardened sandstones commonly known as greywacke was deposited and deformed by tectonic movement. Following
4692-517: The Tautahi in question was the son of the Port Levy chief Huikai. Prior to that, Ngāi Tahu generally referred to the Christchurch area as Karaitiana , an anglicised version. "ChCh" is commonly used as an abbreviation of Christchurch . In New Zealand Sign Language , Christchurch is signed with two Cs. Prior to European occupation of the modern-day greater Christchurch area, the land
4794-834: The Tramway Historical Society early that year. In 1967, the Society moved to Ferrymead, where it concentrated its efforts on its current site at 269 Bridle Path Road. A traverser formerly used at the Falsgrave Street workshops was installed, a new tram barn built, and a short line was laid. The resultant tramway was opened on 6 January 1968 by Fardell, with the first tram being Kitson No. 7 with "Duckhouse" trailer 115 and double-decker tram trailer 91, restored to its original appearance as New Brighton Tramway Company No. 10. Further work in 1970 allowed electric trams to run under their own power at Ferrymead, with
4896-455: The area begins in approximately 1250 C.E., with evidence of prolonged occupation beginning no later than 1350 AD. These first occupants lived in coastal caves around modern-day Sumner , and preyed upon local species of moa . The early settlers and their descendants became known as the historic Waitaha iwi. Around c. 1500 the Kāti Māmoe iwi migrated south from the east coast of
4998-683: The area in 1849 and 1850. Working with his assistant, Edward Jollie , they named the various ports and settlements in the area, and chose a simple grid pattern for the streets of Christchurch. The First Four Ships were chartered by the Canterbury Association and brought the Canterbury Pilgrims to Lyttelton Harbour in 1850. These sailing vessels were the Randolph , Charlotte Jane , Sir George Seymour , and Cressy . The journey took three to four months, and
5100-804: The boundaries of the Heritage Park. The Society also operates and own a collection of historic trolley buses and diesel buses. In 1960, following the desire to preserve trams formerly used by the Christchurch Transport Board, it was decided to found the Christchurch branch of the Tramway Preservation Association. Led by John Shanks, the group campaigned to ensure the preservation of the CTB's last two remaining tramway assets, 1887-built horse tram 50 and 1881 Kitson steam-tram engine 7. These had been offered to
5202-818: The census question. At the 2018 census, Europeans formed the majority in all sixteen wards, ranging from 57.7% in the Riccarton ward to 93.1% in the Banks Peninsula ward. The highest concentrations of Māori and Pasifika people were in the Linwood ward (18.3% and 9.0% respectively), followed by the Burwood ward (15.5% and 6.6%), while the highest concentrations of Asian people were in the Riccarton ward (34.9%) and Waimairi ward (26.7%). Christchurch urban area covers 294.43 km (113.68 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 403,300 as of June 2024, with
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#17327831072765304-544: The central city remaining relatively unchanged between 1914 and 1960, Christchurch grew rapidly during the 20th century in part due to the construction of many state houses . The earliest state houses were built in Sydenham in the 1900s, to house workers that were employed in nearby factories, with more houses built in 1909 near the Addington Railway Workshops . In November 1947, a basement fire at
5406-613: The city, despite the national economic depression. Many of the city's stone Gothic Revival buildings by provincial architect Benjamin Mountfort date from around this period, including Canterbury University College , ChristChurch Cathedral , Canterbury Museum , and the Canterbury Provincial Council Buildings , among others. Mountfort oversaw construction of a prison on Lincon Road in 1874, which operated until 1999. Christchurch experienced
5508-533: The colony losing all their luggage. The Sumner Road was completed in 1857, though this did not alleviate the transport problems. In 1858 the provincial superintendent William Sefton Moorhouse announced that a tunnel would be dug between Lyttelton and Christchurch. While the tunnel was under construction, New Zealand's first public railway line, the Ferrymead Railway , opened from Ferrymead to Christchurch in 1863. Between 1853 and 1876 Christchurch
5610-459: The eastern Canterbury plains and Christchurch area form an artesian aquifer with the interbedded fine sediments as an impermeable layer, or aquiclude. Water pressure from the artesian aquifer has led to the formation of numerous spring-fed streams. In Christchurch, the Avon River / Ōtākaro and Ōpāwaho / Heathcote River rivers have spring-fed sources in the western suburbs of Christchurch, and
5712-464: The eastern, southern and northern parts of the city were wet areas when European settlement began. Over the period since European settlement commenced, land drainage works have enabled development of land across the city. There are now only small remnants of wetland remaining, such as Riccarton Bush , Travis Wetland , Ōtukaikino wetland, and the Cashmere Valley. Christchurch Central City
5814-499: The entire area is part of a flood management zone. Since the involvement of the Christchurch City Council, portions of the unused land surrounding the park have been sold or leased for development by other recreational businesses including a golf club and paintball field. In 2024 a large area of unused land was set aside for ecological restoration into a wetland as part of the Ferrymead Regional Park . An area near
5916-465: The exhibits. It was initially intended to become a tourist attraction and fund itself through ticket sales, but tourists to Christchurch did not show any interest in visiting the site. Additionally, many of the organisations that moved to the park were not interested in supporting it as a commercial tourist venture; rather, they saw it as a convenient place to have clubrooms and store equipment. This meant exhibits were open at uncoordinated times, or for only
6018-461: The final two lines to close in 1954. At the time, contractors had not yet sealed over the tracks between Blighs Road and the former terminus, and so horse-tram 50 was restored to its Christchurch Tramway Company appearance as tram 43, and transported to Papanui where it ran for a week in August 1964. This was hugely popular, and resulted in an increase of membership with the Association, which had become
6120-495: The first, of magnitude 5.8 according to the US Geological Survey, 26 km (16 mi) north-east of the city at a depth of 4.7 km (2.9 mi), at 13:58, followed by several aftershocks and another earthquake of magnitude 6.0 and similar location 80 minutes later. On 13 February 2017, two bush fires started on the Port Hills . These later merged and the single large wildfire extended down both sides of
6222-463: The functional urban area include: Christchurch has a temperate oceanic climate ( Köppen : Cfb ) with a mild summer, cool winter, and regular moderate rainfall. It has mean daily maximum air temperatures of 22.6 °C (73 °F) in January and 10.9 °C (52 °F) in July. Summer in the city is mostly warm, but is often moderated by a sea breeze from the north-east. A notable feature of
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#17327831072766324-461: The highest 7.8 metres of the Christchurch Cathedral spire to collapse, many chimneys were broken, and the Durham Street Methodist Church had its stonework damaged. In November 1901, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake , centred near Cheviot , caused the spire on top of ChristChurch Cathedral to collapse again, but this time only the top 1.5 metres fell. On this occasion, it was rebuilt with timber and metal instead of stone. The Catholic Cathedral of
6426-451: The highest for the Christchurch metropolitan area was 42.4 °C (108 °F) recorded in Rangiora on the same day. In winter, subfreezing temperatures are common, with nights falling below 0 °C (32 °F) an average of 50 times a year at Christchurch Airport and 23 times a year in the city centre. There are on average 80 days of ground frost per year. Snowfall occurs on average three times per year, although in some years none
6528-463: The inaugural electric tram operation taking place on 8 April 1970 using restored Christchurch 'Brill' tram 178. Beyond this, work continued to extend the tramway to the new Ferrymead Heritage Park development, with the current track layout being completed in 1984. A new substation was built in 1988 to power both the THS' trams, trolley-buses, and also the Canterbury Railway Society's preserved ex-NZR locomotives and electric multiple units. The THS (Inc.)
6630-483: The land. The council would also adopt responsibility for park management. The move was controversial among the societies that operated at the park, with some seeing it as a secret plan to eventually close the park and sell the land. The deal ultimately went through, and the park remained open. As of 2024 the governance structure of the park is complex. At the top level the park is operated by the Ferrymead Trust, with day-to-day operations handled by Ferrymead Park Ltd, which
6732-498: The largest collection of historic fire engines in the southern hemisphere on the site. The Ferrymead Post and Telegraph Historical Society maintains historic communication equipment from New Zealand postal, telegraphy and telephone services. They maintain historic telephone exchange switching equipment including a manual switchboard and an automated rotary system . The equipment is operable and can be used to make phone calls between rooms. The Radio Preservation Society operates
6834-431: The mid 1960s an association was formed to create a museum dedicated to "science and industry". This was in part brought about by the prospect of vintage NZR F class locomotives being relocated from the South Island to the North Island at the Auckland Museum of Transport and Technology , so the initial focus was very much on preserving trains. Initial proposals for a location were at Hornby , Prebbleton or Heathcote, with
6936-471: The mountains carried alluvial gravels over the area that is now the Canterbury Plains , covering the underlying rock to depths of between 200 and 600 metres. Continuing tectonic movement created faults that penetrate from the greywacke rock into the layers above. These faults remain beneath Canterbury and Christchurch. The glacial/interglacial cycles of the Quaternary Period led to multiple rises and falls in sea level. These sea level changes occurred over
7038-447: The one-way system running through central Christchurch was established. The first two streets to be made one-way were Lichfield and St Asaph streets. They were followed by Barbadoes, Madras, Salisbury and Kilmore streets. A police station opened in 1973 on Hereford street, it was imploded and demolished in 2015. Christchurch hosted the 1974 British Commonwealth Games at the purpose-built Queen Elizabeth II Park . The sports complex
7140-461: The oven. The demolition plans were put on hold after a "robust" meeting of the member societies. Over the decades since it was opened, a number of non-profit societies have become associated with the park. The Canterbury Railway Society were a founding member of the park. The society operates the 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) narrow gauge railway at Ferrymead. They own, restore and maintain heritage locomotives and rolling stock on
7242-446: The park was used by the Heathcote County Council as a landfill. The raised location known as "Woods Hill" was formed artificially by the large-scale compacting of refuse dumped there over a number of years. In 2020 the landfill was one of several identified as presenting a risk of releasing toxic material into the estuary. Christchurch Christchurch ( / ˈ k r aɪ s . tʃ ɜːr tʃ / ; Māori : Ōtautahi )
7344-422: The park. During open days, the historic trams make short pleasure journeys on the standard gauge Ferrymead Tramway, between the Ferrymead historical village and the tramway maintenance sheds to the north-east. The society also maintains and operates the trams that run in the central city on the Christchurch tramway system , with the support of the Ferrymead workshop. The Fire Services Historical Society maintains
7446-464: The planned new city, including its own cathedral, the smallest in England. Other possibilities are that it was named for Christchurch, Dorset , or for Canterbury Cathedral . Many of the early colonists did not like the name, preferring instead the name Lyttelton, but the Colonists' Council resolved to stick with the name of Christchurch in 1851, because it had been used by surveyors and distinguished
7548-420: The population of workers in the city, which soon spread industrialisation to Sydenham . As central Christchurch grew, many cottages were demolished to make way for light-industrial and retail premises near Moorhouse Avenue as they expanded south. Many churches were also built to compensate for its growing Christian population. The population of Christchurch exceeded 100,000 for the first time in 1919. Despite
7650-418: The previous earthquake, the intensity and violence of the ground shaking was measured to be IX ( Violent ) , among the strongest ever recorded globally in an urban area, which killed 185 people. On 13 June 2011 Christchurch was again rocked by two more large aftershocks . This resulted in more liquefaction and building damage, but no more lives were lost. There were further earthquakes on 23 December 2011;
7752-542: The public in a large warehouse on Garvins Road in Hornby in October 1965, but vandalism at the site delayed this to March 1966. The location in the Heathcote Valley had been on the table from as early as October 1964, but existing train tracks and buildings at Hornby had made that a more viable option in the short term. Within only a few months of the Hornby site being opened, the organisers turned to establishing
7854-575: The rebuild of the city centre, and featured 17 "anchor projects". There has been massive growth in the residential sector in the central city, particularly in the East Frame development. There are currently no legal definition of the boundaries of suburbs in Christchurch. The suburb boundaries are largely defined by third-party agencies, such as Statistics New Zealand and New Zealand Post , and may differ between agencies or sources. The earliest suburbs of Christchurch were laid out with streets in
7956-446: The regional council banned the use of open fires in the city in 2006. Christchurch City covers a land area of 1,415.15 km (546.39 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 415,100 as of June 2024, with a population density of 293 people per km . This is the second-most populous area administered by a single council in New Zealand, and the largest city in the South Island . The population comprises 403,300 people in
8058-406: The retail business of the central city moving out to urban shopping malls. These typically included large car parking areas to suit the growing shift towards personal car ownership, and away from public transport. Hornby became a significant industrial suburb in the 1960s, with industrial and residential premises expanding westwards. The Lyttelton road tunnel between Lyttelton and Christchurch
8160-585: The settlement from the port. The Māori name for modern-day Christchurch is Ōtautahi , meaning ' the place of Tautahi ' . It was adopted as the Māori name for the city in the 1930s. Ōtautahi precisely refers to a specific site by the Avon River / Ōtākaro in Central Christchurch. The site was a seasonal food-gathering place of Ngāi Tahu chief Te Pōtiki Tautahi. A different account claims
8262-511: The site of a terrorist attack targeting two mosques on 15 March 2019. The name Christchurch was adopted at the first meeting of the Canterbury Association on 27 March 1848. The reason it was chosen is not known with certainty, but the most likely reason is it was named after Christ Church, Oxford , the alma mater of many members of the association, including John Robert Godley . Christ Church college had similarities with
8364-493: The site. The society runs the trains for visitors to ride during select park open days. The Diesel Traction Group owns and preserves a number of English Electric diesel-electric locomotives on the site. The locomotives were formerly part of the fleet operated by the New Zealand Railways Department during the mid-twentieth century. The Tramway Historical Society restores and operates trams at
8466-470: The sixteenth century, and then were absorbed by Kāi Tahu a century later. Ōtautahi was inhabited seasonally, and a major trading centre was established at Kaiapoi Pā . British colonial settlement began in the mid-nineteenth century. The First Four Ships were chartered by the Canterbury Association and brought the Canterbury Pilgrims from Britain to Lyttelton Harbour in 1850. It became
8568-548: The split from Gondwana, during the period between 80 and 23 million years ago, the land became eroded and subsided below sea level. Marine and terrestrial sediments were deposited, leaving the greywacke as the oldest and deepest layers ( basement rock ). Around 11–6 million years ago, volcanic eruptions created the Banks Peninsula volcanic complex . Over the last two million years as the Southern Alps were rising, there were multiple periods of glaciation . Rivers flowing from
8670-516: The time that John Robert Godley arrived in April 1850 all of the funds for public works had been used up in constructing the road. Godley ordered that all work on the road should stop, leaving the steep foot and pack horse track that had been hastily constructed over the hill between the port and the Heathcote valley as the only land-access to the area of Christchurch. This track became known as
8772-490: The wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and a reduction in funding from local and central government agencies. The park was given a grant of NZ$ 400,000 by the Christchurch City Council to remain operating. After a change in management at the trust, several board members resigned, apparently in protest of planned changes to make the park more profitable. Executive director Jarrod Coburn said that the park had to become "more than just
8874-427: The weather is the nor'wester , a hot föhn wind that occasionally reaches storm force, causing widespread minor damage to property. Like many cities, Christchurch experiences an urban heat island effect; temperatures are slightly higher within the inner-city regions compared to the surrounding countryside. The highest temperature recorded in Christchurch was 41.6 °C (106.9 °F) on 7 February 1973, however
8976-647: Was $ 40,400, compared with $ 41,500 nationally. 35,010 people (10.7%) earned over $ 100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 163,554 (50.1%) people were employed full-time, 47,463 (14.5%) were part-time, and 8,913 (2.7%) were unemployed. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 75.9% European ( Pākehā ); 11.2% Māori ; 4.3% Pasifika ; 17.1% Asian ; 1.9% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.2% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English
9078-449: Was 37.5 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 64,722 people (16.5%) aged under 15 years, 84,633 (21.6%) aged 15 to 29, 178,113 (45.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 63,912 (16.3%) aged 65 or older. Of those at least 15 years old, 70,764 (21.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 160,440 (49.1%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 73,659 (22.5%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income
9180-721: Was a crucial factor in the decision of where to place the settlement of Christchurch, as it proved that the swampy ground could be farmed. The Deans brothers named their farm after their former parish in Ayrshire , Scotland; they also named the river near their farm after the Avon Water in South Lanarkshire , which rises in the hills near to where their grandfather's farm was located. The Canterbury Association 's Chief Surveyor, Captain Joseph Thomas , surveyed
9282-421: Was a major Māori settlement named Te Kai-a-Te-Karoro , this was an important food-gathering area to Ngāi Tūāhuriri that had kelp gull presence and mānuka scrub. Te Ihutai (The Avon Heathcote Estuary ) was an important food source for local iwi and hapū , the estuary providing food such as, flounder and shellfish. Kaiapoi Pā was the most important trading area, and the centre of a thriving economy. The pā
9384-482: Was actually a combination of seven or eight different buildings, joined to form a "perplexing maze" with no sprinklers or alarm system. A subsequent Royal commission of enquiry resulted in changes to the building code to improve fire safety. Thousands of mourners, including the Prime Minister, attended a mass funeral in the aftermath. During the 1960s Christchurch experienced urban sprawl , with much of
9486-419: Was heavily industrialised in the early 20th century, particularly the suburbs of Woolston and Addington , with Woolston housing a large amount of New Zealand's rubber industry. Many warehouses, factories and large premises of railway workshops were built along the Main South Line . There was notable development of breweries, flour mills , and light-commercial in Christchurch. This significantly increased
9588-615: Was located at the nexus of the major rivers of Christchurch, the Avon River / Ōtākaro, Ōpāwaho / Heathcote River and the Styx River . It was the likely richest eel fishery in the country at that time. Sugar was produced from plantations of cabbage trees . European settlement of the Canterbury Region was largely influenced by brothers William and John Deans in 1843. The Deans farm located in Riccarton Bush
9690-432: Was more-quickly contained. On 15 March 2019, fifty-one people died from two consecutive mass shootings at Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre by an Australian white supremacist . Forty others were injured. The attacks have been described by then Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern as "one of New Zealand's darkest days". Just days after the attacks the live-streamed footage became classified as objectionable by
9792-471: Was open in 1973, one year before the games. On Saturday, 4 September 2010, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Christchurch and the central Canterbury region at 4:35 am. With its hypocentre near Darfield , west of the city at a depth of 10 kilometres (6.2 mi), it caused widespread damage to the city and minor injuries, but no direct fatalities. This was followed by the Boxing Day earthquake
9894-493: Was opened in 1964. Television broadcasts began in Christchurch on 1 June 1961 with the launch of channel CHTV3, making Christchurch the second New Zealand city to receive regular television broadcasts. The channel initially broadcast from a 10-kilowatt transmitter atop the Gloucester Street studios until it switched to the newly built 100-kilowatt Sugarloaf transmitter in the Port Hills on 28 August 1965. In 1969,
9996-501: Was originally swampland with patchworks of marshland, grassland, scrub and some patches of tall forest of mostly kahikatea , mataī and tōtara . The inner coastal sand dunes were covered in hardier scrub bush, including akeake , taupata , tūmatakuru , ngaio , carmichaelia , and coprosma . Christchurch was rich in birdlife prior to European colonisation, as they burned down forests and introduced predators, it led to local extinction of native birds. Evidence of human activity in
10098-603: Was provided by the Heathcote County Council. By October 1966 work was well under way to convert the site into a heritage museum, and by April the following year tracks were already being laid. Over the following decades, a number of other historical preservation groups came to join the park, and it grew steadily. However, from the very beginning it struggled to remain financially stable. It relied almost entirely on fundraising and volunteers from member organisations contributing their time and expertise to maintain
10200-557: Was spoken by 95.8%, Māori language by 2.4%, Samoan by 1.3% and other languages by 16.8%. No language could be spoken by 2.1% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.6%. The percentage of people born overseas was 27.8, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 31.6% Christian , 2.1% Hindu , 1.3% Islam , 0.4% Māori religious beliefs , 1.0% Buddhist , 0.5% New Age , 0.1% Jewish , and 2.0% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 54.9%, and 6.3% of people did not answer
10302-472: Was the administrative seat of the Province of Canterbury . While slow at first, growth in the town began to accelerate towards the end of the 1850s, with a period of rapid growth between 1857 and 1864. Christchurch became the first city in New Zealand by royal charter on 31 July 1856, and Henry Harper was consecrated by the archbishop of Canterbury as the local Anglican bishop. He arrived in Christchurch
10404-492: Was the location of a ferry that took passengers across the Heathcote River on their way between Lyttelton and Christchurch. For approximately the first 17 years of the colony, beginning in 1850, Ferrymead was a hub of activity, and was the location of the first railway in New Zealand. The railway, opened to steam trains in 1863, was a service built on 5 ft 3 in ( 1,600 mm ) gauge rail that connected
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