Lyttelton

Lyttelton, a busy port town, was the arrival point for many of the early Canterbury settlers. The Canterbury Pilgrims' landing place is marked by a rock near the road entrance to the port. Those who came off the ships in the early 1850s walked over the Port Hills by the Bridle Path to Ferrymead while their belongings were brought around Godley Heads and across the Sumner Bar by boat, a perilous journey. A mix of renovated wooden villas and contemporary homes now rises halfway up what was once a volcanic crater. Today, because of its relative isolation from Christchurch, Lyttelton has developed its own distinctive feel, attracting creative types who like the small-town atmosphere.