| Lyttelton Harbour / Whakaraupō | |
|---|---|
 Lyttelton Harbour / Whakaraupō as viewed from near the Sign of the Bellbird | |
.png)  Lyttelton Harbour / Whakaraupō Location of Lyttelton Harbour / Whakaraupō in New Zealand | |
| Location | Banks Peninsula, South Island, New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 43°36′54″S 172°43′48″E / 43.615°S 172.730°E |
| River sources | Te Rapu, Waiake Stream, Te Wharau Stream, Purau Stream |
| Ocean/sea sources | Pacific Ocean |
| Basin countries | New Zealand |
| Max. length | 15 km (9.32 mi) |
| Max. width | 5.5 km (3.42 mi) |
| Islands | Otamahua / Quail Island, Aua / King Billy Island, Kamautaurua Island, Ripapa Island |
| Sections/sub-basins | Otokitoki / Gollans Bay, Motukauatirahi / Cass Bay, Governors Bay, Head of the Bay, Te Wharau / Charteris Bay, Kaioruru / Church Bay, Te Waipapa / Diamond Harbour, Purau Bay, Te Pohue / Camp Bay, Waitata / Little Port Cooper |
| Settlements | Lyttelton, Cass Bay, Te Rāpaki-o-Te Rakiwhakaputa, Governors Bay, Ōhinetahi, Charteris Bay, Diamond Harbour, Purau |
Lyttelton Harbour / Whakaraupō is a major inlet on the northwest side of Banks Peninsula, on the coast of Canterbury, New Zealand; the other major inlet is Akaroa Harbour, which enters from the southern side of the peninsula. Whakaraupō enters from the northern coast of the peninsula, heading in a predominantly westerly direction for approximately 15 km (9.3 mi) from its mouth to the aptly-named Head of the Bay near Teddington. The harbour sits in an eroded caldera of the ancient Banks Peninsula Volcano,[1] the steep sides of which form the Port Hills on its northern shore.[2]
The harbour's main population centre is Lyttelton, which serves the main port to the nearby city of Christchurch, linked with Christchurch by the single-track Lyttelton rail tunnel (opened 1867), a two lane road tunnel (opened 1964) and two roads over the Port Hills. Diamond Harbour lies to the south and the Māori village of Te Rāpaki-o-Te Rakiwhakaputa to the west. At the head of the harbour is the settlement of Governors Bay. The reserve of Otamahua / Quail Island is near the harbour head and Ripapa Island is just off its south shore at the entrance to Purau Bay.
The harbour provides access to a busy commercial port at Lyttelton which today includes a petroleum storage facility and a modern container and cargo terminal.[3]
Hector's dolphins, a species endemic to New Zealand, and New Zealand fur seals are found in the harbour.
- ^ Hampton, S.J.; J.W. Cole (March 2009). "Lyttelton Volcano, Banks Peninsula, New Zealand: Primary volcanic landforms and eruptive centre identification". Geomorphology. 104 (3–4): 284–298. Bibcode:2009Geomo.104..284H. doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2008.09.005.
- ^ "Geology of the Provinces of Canterbury and Westland, New Zealand" (web). New Zealand Texts Collection. NZETC. 1879. Archived from the original on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
- ^ "Page 12 – Lyttelton Harbour". Story: Canterbury places. Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. 13 July 2012. Archived from the original on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 23 July 2010.