Christchurch - Christchurch, New Zealand
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Christchurch - Wikipedia
Māori settlement[edit]. European settlement[edit]. Modern history[edit]. 2010–2012 earthquakes[edit]. 2019 terrorist attack[edit]. Inner suburbs[edit]. Outer suburbs[edit]. Satellite towns[edit]. Culture and identity[edit]. Gateway to the Antarctic[edit]. Antarctic exploration[edit]. Local government[edit].
Christchurch (/ˈkraɪstʃɜːrtʃ/ KRYSSE-church; Māori: Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / Ōtākaro flows through the centre of the city, with an urban park along its banks. The city's territorial authority population is 389,300 people, and includes a number of smaller urban areas as well as rural areas.[4] The population of the urban area is 377,900 people.[4] Christchurch is the second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand, after Auckland. It is the major urban area of an emerging sub-region known informally as Greater Christchurch.[5] Notable smaller urban areas within this sub-region include Rangiora and Kaiapoi in Waimakariri District, north of the Waimakariri River, and Rolleston and Lincoln in Selwyn District to the south.
Between 1000 and 1250 AD, the first people arrived in the region. They hunted moa which caused birds to become extinct by 1450 and decimated much of the matai-tara forest. The Waitaha were the first to settle the area later to become Christchurch. They arrived in the 16th Century. The Kati Mamoe followed them and conquered Waitaha. The Ngai Tahu, who emigrated to the region in the 16th and 17th centuries and subjugated Kati Mamoe. Ngai Tahu would eventually build a large pa around Kaiapoi. This was an important centre for pounamu trade. [6]