Lyttelton ( or ) is a port town on the north shore of Lyttelton Harbour / Whakaraupō, at the northwestern end of Banks Peninsula and close to Christchurch, on the eastern coast of the South Island of New Zealand. As a landing point for Christchurch-bound seafarers, Lyttelton has historically been regarded as the "Gateway to Canterbury" for colonial settlers. Until the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, the port has been a regular destination for cruise ships. It is the South Island's principal goods-transport terminal, handling 34% of exports and 61% of imports by value. In 2009 Lyttelton was awarded Category I Historic Area status by the Historic Places Trust (NZHPT) defined as "an area of special or outstanding historical or cultural heritage significance or value", not long before much of the historic fabric was destroyed in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake. Location Lyttelton is the largest settlement on Lyttelton Harbour / Whakaraupō, an inlet on the northwestern side of Banks Peninsula extending 18 km inland from the southern end of Pegasus Bay. The town is situated on the lower slopes of the Port Hills, which form the northern side of the harbour and effectively separate Lyttelton from the city of Christchurch. This steep-sided crater rim acts as a natural amphitheatre and a boundary to urban development. A tunnel through the Port Hills provides direct road access to Christchurch, 12 km to the northwest. The town of Sumner, some 6 km to the northeast, is accessed via Evans Pass, this link was closed after the 2011 Christchurch earthquake and reopened on 29 March 2019. Another settlement at Governors Bay lies 10 km to the west and a frequent ferry service connects the suburb of Diamond Harbour on the southern shore of the harbour. The uninhabited Ōtamahua / Quail Island sits in the upper harbour southwest of Lyttelton. Settlement James Cook recorded his sighting of Lyttelton Harbour / Whakaraupō in 1770 during the first voyage to New Zealand. The first ship recorded entering the harbour was the sealer "Pegasus" in 1809. Aiming to establish a Church of England colony in New Zealand, the Canterbury Association was founded in 1848 and was led by George William Lyttelton (George Lyttelton, 4th Baron Lyttelton). The town was named after the Lyttelton family in 1858. The large amount of flat land on the other side of the Port Hill, suitable for farming and development, made it ideal as a