Banks Peninsula

Located in the Canterbury region, an hours drive from Christchurch, is Banks Peninsula. Maori people were the first settlers of the sealers and whalers who followed them and of the European colonists who founded Akaroa, Little River and Lyttelton and settled the Peninsula’s many bays. Marvel at the wildlife - view or swim with dolphins, watch seals, penguins and sea birds. The peninsula has a land area of approximately 1,000 km2 and it forms the most prominent volcanic feature of the South Island. Geologically, the peninsula comprises the eroded remnants of two large shield volcanoes (Lyttelton formed first, then Akaroa). The peninsula formed as offshore islands, with the volcanoes reaching to about 1,500 m above sea level. A popular attraction for bushwalkers is the Banks Peninsula Track.