Information AboutChristchurch |
|
) towards Christchurch and surrounding areas.]] Christchurch () 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. Ōtautahi (from the Christchurch City Library website) 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 . Satellite towns (clockwise, starting north of the city centre) Brooklands ; Lyttelton ; Tai Tapu ; Lincoln ; Prebbleton ; Rolleston ; West Melton ; Rangiora ; Kaiapoi . CLIMATE Overview Christchurch has a website) 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. Mean Number Of Days Of Ground Frost (from the NIWA website) 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 website) Temperatures STRUCTURE 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. The 2006 Census also provides information about the Multilingual ity 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. 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. Christchurch has a number of technology companies' offices, including Netconcepts , and SLI Systems . The region now has a range of " New Economy " sectors. website) with signage around Cathedral Square in Japanese , and some local churches being popular for weddings of Japanese couples, followed by Honeymoon s in Queenstown . Government Christchurch's Local Government is a Democracy with various elements including:
In website, in German ) Education Secondary schools Christchurch is well-known for several very traditional schools of the , 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 . 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. See Also: Public transport in Christchurch 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 See Also: History of Canterbury, New Zealand 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 website) 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. 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 fine 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. In 1974 Christchurch was host to the Commonwealth Games . Gateway to the Antarctic Christchurch has played a significant role in the history of 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
VISITOR ATTRACTIONS
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''. Christchurch, the Garden City (from the Christchurch City Council website) 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, Regent Theatre 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, Canterbury Film Society (from the official Canterbury Film Society website) and several cinemas operate in Christchurch. Local Cinemas (from the official Canterbury Film Society website) Christchurch has one full-time professional Theatre , the 'Court Theatre'. Court Theatre (from the official Court Theatre website) 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 . Christchurch Symphony (from the official Christchurch Symphony Orchestra website) Christchurch also hosts a wide range of Rave Dance Parties . While most of the parties are either house or drum'n'bass, occasionally there are trance and hardhouse parties. Drum'n'bass is however particularly popular, with more d'n'b events than events than for any other types of dance music. 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 including Neil Diamond , Red Hot Chili Peppers , Rod Stewart , Bob Dylan , Velvet Revolver , Edgefest , and many more major international acts. 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 Christchurch Casino (official Christchurch Casino website), and there are also a wide range of live music venues - some short-lived, others with decades of history. SPORT Sports
Venues
SISTER CITIES Christchurch has seven website)
REFERENCES
EXTERNAL LINKS Official Organisations:
Culture & Information:
Tourism & Maps:
|
|
|