Lyttelton, New Zealand
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Lyttelton,_New_Zealand.jpg
Lyttelton (Template:Coor d) is a port town located on the north shore of Lyttelton Harbour on Banks Peninsula, 12 km by road from Christchurch on the eastern coast of the South Island of New Zealand. According to the 2001 census, the usually-resident population of Lyttelton (including neighbouring bays such as Rapaki and Corsair Bay) was 3042.
The town is linked to Christchurch by railway and road tunnels through the Port Hills. At 1900 m long, the Lyttelton Road Tunnel (opened in 1964) is the country's longest road tunnel, and the railway tunnel is the country's oldest, dating from 1867.
The harbour is an inlet on the north-western side of Banks Peninsula, extending 18 km inland from the southern end of Pegasus Bay. It is surrounded by steep hills formed from the sides of an extinct volcanic crater, which rise to a height of 500 m. Several smaller settlements are dotted along the shore of the harbour, notably Governor's Bay and Diamond Harbour. A small island, Quail Island, sits in the upper harbour south-west of Lyttelton.
Lyttelton was formerly called Port Cooper and Port Victoria. It was the original settlement in the district (1850). The name Lyttelton was given to it in honour of George William Lyttelton of the Canterbury Association, which had led the colonisation of the area.
The Lyttelton Times was one of the principal newspapers of the Canterbury region for 80 years, published from 1851 until 1929, at which time it became the Christchurch Times, until publication ceased in 1935.
One of the features of Lyttelton is one of the world's few remaining working Timeball stations. Much of the building is now used as an art gallery, containing the works of traditional artists from the days of historic Lyttelton.