Driving from Port Levy to Purau on the Banks Peninsula | Canterbury | New Zealand | 4K

Categories: Canterbury Region

Tags: canterbury, driving, new zealand, port levy, purau

Added: 2 years ago

Driving from Port Levy to Purau on the Banks Peninsula, in the Canterbury region on the East Coast of New Zealand's South Island.

Port Levy is on the west side of a long narrow inlet of the same name, on the north side of Banks Peninsula. This wharf is near the head of the inlet, which is popular for boating and fishing.

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 still stands. The bay is a popular picnic and camping spot.The Purau area has a long history of Maori settlement, with a number of old burial sites found in the nearby area. Purau 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.