John Robert Godley was an Anglo-Irish statesman and bureaucrat. Godley is considered the founder of Canterbury, New Zealand, although he lived there for only two years. A bronze statue bearing his likeness was erected in Cathedral Square by the people of Christchurch in 1867. Artist Thomas Woolner designed the statue, which fell off its pedestal during a February 2011 earthquake.
Surrounded by water and with cliffs dropping to the water, Karaka Point was the perfect location for a fortified pa (fort). The location provided the Māori an ideal location to monitor what is today known as Queen Charlotte Sound — first known as Totaranui — for potential invaders. The area was initially named Te Rae o Te Karaka after the Ngati Chief Te Karaka; he settled there during the early 1700s. Today, it offers a stunning vista of Queen Charlotte Sound, formed an estimated 280 million years ago. The park includes historic earthworks, and whare (house) pits that likely date to the early 1700s.
MOTAT – Museum of Transport and Technology – opened in 1964, and is the largest museum of transport, technology and social history in New Zealand. It houses a number of outstanding collections.
The National Maritime Museum celebrates New Zealand’s seafaring history from the voyaging traditions of the Pacific peoples to early European arrivals and modern ocean racing. In Māori, the museum name is Te Huiteananui-a-Tangaroa, the legendary house belonging to Tangaroa, Māori god of the sea. Galleries tell the story of peoples whose lives were forever linked to the sea. Along the way, try your hand at yacht design, relax in a Kiwi style bach, hear the cannon fire and test your sea legs in the rocking cabin. Don’t miss the opportunity to get out on the water aboard one of the museum’s fully restored heritage fleet.
Based on content courtesy of Tourism New Zealand.
New Zealand Parliament is comprised of a series of buildings, including the recognizable Beehive. The complex also includes the Edwardian neoclassical-style Parliament House, which dates to 1922. For anyone interested in learning more about the New Zealand Parliament, visitors can take a tour of the complex. Tour guides offer a history of the legislative body and bring visitors to committee rooms and the floor of parliament.
Old St Paul’s was built in 1865-66 and constructed from New Zealand native timbers. Rev. Frederick Thatcher designed the Gothic Revival structure, which served as the Diocese of Wellington of the Anglican Church between 1866 and 1964. The building was nearly demolished in the 1960s. However, a civic organization formed to save the structure from demolition.