The location of Banks Peninsula in the South Island
Banks Peninsula and Christchurch, in a 2021 NASA satellite photoBanks Peninsula, with Lyttelton Harbour / Whakaraupō on the right and Lake Ellesmere / Te Waihora in the backgroundEuropean ships, possibly French, in Akaroa in the early 19th centuryAkaroa Harbour, Banks Peninsula with storm clouds overhead (December 2020)
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 1,150 square kilometres (440 sq mi) and encompasses two large harbours and many smaller bays and coves. The South Island's largest city, Christchurch, is immediately north of the peninsula.