Editing Banks Peninsula (section)

== Towns ==
=== Lyttelton ===
[[Lyttelton, New Zealand|Lyttelton]] is an historic port town in Lyttelton Harbour. The colonial port has expanded destination for cruise ships as well as large goods-transport vessels

=== Akaroa ===
[[Akaroa]] is a main township of Akaroa harbour. Many people have a holiday house at Akaroa or visit for a holiday or day trip from Christchurch. The township began as a whaling port, and over ten years from 1835 to 1845, [[Southern Right whale]] were hunted to near extinction. Following the decline of the whaling industry, sawmilling and cutting cocksfoot grass emerged as a primary industry, and subsequently it became a rural hub, servicing sheep and beef farmers. Today, Akaroa's economy is closely tied to the environment, with tourism—particularly marine nature tourism—serving as its principal source of income.

=== Little River ===
[[Little River, New Zealand|Little River]] is a small town which sits at the end of the Little River Rail Trail. There are several art galleries, a camp ground, rugby club and primary school there. {{According to whom|date=January 2021|The area is known to Māori as}} Wairewa.{{clarify|date=January 2021 |reason=Which place is called Wairewa: The Marae or Lake Forsyth? Neither is the town. Please cite your source and first edit the Little River article with more detailed information about this name. See Talk page.}}

=== Wainui ===
Wainui is a settlement of mostly holiday houses on the Akaroa harbour.

Wainui can mean 'big water' or 'big river' or 'big bay'. Wainui was once home to a large Ngāti Māmoe settlement.<ref name=":5" /> Wainui has important associations for [[Ngāi Tahu]] as the bay was then claimed by Te Ruahikihiki for Ngāi Tahu. He made his claim when he landed at Wainui and dug for fern roots there. (This was one of the many traditional ways to claim land). In Ngāi Tahu legend, Tuhiraki (Mt Bossu) which lies behind Wainui, is the resting place of the kō (digging stick) of Rakaihautū. He used this digging stick to dig out many of the South Island lakes.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Wainui|url=https://my.christchurchcitylibraries.com/ti-kouka-whenua/wainui/|access-date=7 July 2021|website=my.christchurchcitylibraries.com|language=en-NZ}}</ref>

In 1856, the Wainui Māori Reserve was established and set aside 432 acres for the Ngāi Tarewa Hapū of Ngāi Tahu. In the 1857 census, there was 40 people living there but by 1861, this had declined to 20 people.<ref name=":5" />

A post office was established in 1874, telephone office in 1875, school in 1885 and Presbyterian Church in 1911.<ref name=":5" />

=== Duvauchelle ===
[[Duvauchelle]] is a small town which sits at the head of the Akaroa harbour.

===Diamond Harbour===
[[Diamond Harbour, New Zealand|Diamond Harbour]] is on Banks Peninsula.