Maori Origins
The area was first settled by the Waitaha, then the Ngati Mamoe, and later by the Ngai Tahu – now all collectively known as Ngai Tahu. The Waitaha arrived from their Eastern Polynesian homeland and first came to the North Island before moving to the South Island, possibly as early as 850 AD. The Waitaha gave the South Island one of the Maori names still used today “Te Wai Pounamu” (the waters of greenstone).
Lyttelton was known by local Maori as Whaka-raupo (place of bulrushes) and had two small settlements at Purau and Rapaki, which were much smaller than the main settlements in Akaroa and Kaiapoi.
Black Cat cruises pass by the sites of ancient fortified pa (forts) at Ripapa Island in Lyttelton Harbour and Onawe Peninsula in Akaroa Harbour.
In 1830 an English trader, Captain Stewart, swapped a cargo of flax for transport for a North Island chief Te Rauparaha and his warriors. This raiding party was able to hide out on the ship and take the locals by surprise. The local Maori, armed with traditional weapons (clubs and spears), were no match for the musket carrying Northerners. Te Rauparaha also won a fierce battle on Onawe Peninsula in 1832 but he was repulsed by a South Island alliance some time later.
South Island chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi on February 6th 1840 at the Kaik near Akaroa. This allowed the British to take control of New Zealand. Today, however, settlements by the Waitangi Tribunal are redressing some of the effects the treaty had on the Maori population.
French aim to Settle Akaroa
In 1838 Jean Francois Langlois, commander of the whaling ship Cachalot visited Akaroa and was so impressed he began moves to establish a French settlement that would engage in whaling from the harbour. He bought almost all of Banks Peninsula for 2 cloaks, 6 pairs of trousers, 12 hats, 2 pairs of shoes, some pistols, axes and shirts from local Maori.
In 1840, 53 French and German settlers arrived at Akaroa after many months at sea, but to their utter dismay they saw the Union Jack flag flying on Green Point. New Zealand had just been annexed under the Treaty of Waitangi by the British. The settlers, however, decided to stay on and live under British rule.
To this day, Akaroa remains unique as the site of the only attempted settlement by the French in New Zealand. Many streets have French names, and there are descendants of the original French families still living in Akaroa.
Antarctic Departures
Lyttelton Harbour served as the last port of call for many of the British Antarctic Expeditions at the turn of the century. The use of the harbour by the expeditions gave Lyttelton a sense of being near the centre of events that were of world-wide interest.
The famous explorer, Captain Robert Falcon Scott departed Lyttelton on the 21st December 1901 bound for Antarctica. As a shadowy insight into what was to come one of Scott's crew decided to climb the mast and is said to have been trying to execute a headstand as the ship departed. The sailor fell to his death.
On New Year's Day 1908 the ship Nimrod left for Antarctica directly from Lyttelton. The departure was a feature of the annual regatta and a crowd estimated as high as 50,000, (probably the largest in Lyttelton's history), gathered on the wharves to farewell Ernest Shackleton's expedition. In The Heart of the Antarctic, Shackleton wrote of this day "such a farewell and 'God speed' from New Zealand as left no man of us unmoved".
Lyttelton's relationship with the early Antarctic expeditions was a special one. Parades were held in the streets of Lyttelton with the crew dressed in their special clothing and the port area was used by the crews to practice putting up the prefabricated buildings used on the Ice.
Quail Island Quarantine
During the heroic era of Antarctic exploration, Quail Island - in the middle of Lyttelton Harbour - served as a stock quarantine station due to its natural water boundary. The animals which formed an important part of the expeditions of Scott, Shackleton and Byrd, were held on the island for quarantine and training purposes. The animals used were Samoyed and Husky dogs, Manchurian ponies and Indian Army mules.
European Arrivals
Captain Cook sailed past the entrance to Lyttelton Harbour in 1770 and mapped it, but didn't go into the harbour. He named the peninsula 'Banks Island' after the botanist Joseph Banks onboard the Endeavour.
Captain Chase, a whaler, was the first European to venture right into the harbour in 1809. He called Banks Peninsula Cook’s Mistake.
In March 1827, Captain William Wiseman, another flax trader, named the two largest inlets of Banks Peninsula after his Sydney employers, merchants Cooper and Levy. Lyttelton Harbour was known as Port Cooper to an influx of British and American whaling ships after 1835. From 1835 – 1845, the harbour was a source of provisions for whaling ships of all nations, with the whalers mainly in search of Southern Right Whales.
The situation of the port itself was chosen because it was sheltered and had fresh supplies of water and firewood for the ships. It was also close to the plains and eventually to Christchurch.
Organised by the Canterbury Association, the first four ships full of settlers, the Charlotte Jane, Randolph, Sir George Seymour and Cressy arrived in Lyttelton on the 16th December 1850.
There were 773 immigrants aboard representing a cross section of English society to transplant a cross-section of English society to the other side of the world.
These were the first of many ships. In fact 3,000 immigrants arrived over the next two years all looking for the promise of a new land and a new life. By 1854 the population of Christchurch had exceeded that of Lyttelton and the town became a simple suburb of Christchurch.
