BY NO MEANS LITTLE

As the name might suggest Lyttelton is a small town, but it has a disproportionately large amount on offer. From spectacular waterside walks to over a dozen eateries, from swimming bays to historical sites, if you can take the time to immerse yourself, there is so much here to discover.

Lyttelton Harbour was believed to be a home for Māori for about 700 years, evidenced by moa bones in Purau Bay on the other side of the water from Lyttelton. With the many sheltered bays around the harbour, the abundance of seafood, and forested hillsides plentiful with birdlife, it’s easy to see why this was an ideal place to settle.

It was first sighted by Europeans in 1770, during James Cook’s first voyage to New Zealand and was settled by Europeans around the 1850s after four ships arrived in Lyttelton Harbour carrying the first of the ‘Canterbury Pilgrims’. The name Lyttelton was formalised in 1858 in honour of George William Lyttelton of the Canterbury Association, who had led the colonisation of the area.

Since the early Pākehā settlement