Driving Camp Bay Road from Purau | Canterbury | New Zealand | 4K

Categories: Canterbury Region

Tags: canterbury, driving, new zealand, purau

Added: 2 years ago

Driving part of Camp Bay Road heading towards Camp Bay from Purau on the Banks Peninsula, in the Canterbury region on the East Coast of New Zealand's South Island.

Purau is a township at the head of Purau Bay, 2 km south-east of Diamond Harbour. In 1853-55 Robert Rhodes, from a notable early Canterbury family, built a substantial stone homestead which is still standing. The bay itself is a popular picnic and camping area.The Purau area has a long history of Maori settlement, with a number of old burial sites found in the nearby area. The town itself is located among the volcanoes of the Banks Peninsula, a short drive away from Christchurch. Part of the Lyttelton Harbour waterfront, the bay waters can be relatively gentle for swimming or boating.

Banks Peninsula is a mass of volcanic hills, covering an area of 1,165 sq km, that sticks out from the Canterbury coast between Pegasus Bay and the Canterbury Bight. The highest point, Mt Herbert (Te Ahu Patiki) is 920 m, and overlooks Lyttelton Harbour. It is less than half the height of the volcanoes before they became extinct.

The hilly terrain, wetter climate and history of podocarp forest clearance make it more typical of parts of the North Island than of Canterbury. The hills are farmed, but tourism now has more economic importance. Cheese was one of the first products exported from Banks Peninsula (to Australia) and a small cheese factory remains at Barrys Bay. Akaroa is the principal town. Other small settlements are connected by steep, narrow roads.