Christchurch (Lyttelton) - Restrictions

Description:

The Port of Lyttelton (Christchurch) is located on the north side of Banks Peninsula which is about halfway down the east coast of the South Island.

It is the main port for the city of Christchurch which is about 20 minutes drive on the other side of the Port Hills. There is a tunnel that goes through the hill and a regular bus service to the central city.

On 22 February 2011, Lyttelton, Christchurch city and the surrounding suburbs were devastated by a magnitude 6.3 earthquake. Many buildings,  including the historic Christchurch Cathedral were destroyed or significantly damaged.  The rebuilding process is well underway but you may notice a few empty spaces in and around Lyttleton and Christchurch.

Lyttleton was home to one of the world’s five working timeball stations.  It started signalling Greenwich Mean Time to ships in the harbour in 1876, the year it was built and continued to do so until it was destroyed by the 2011 earthquake. The tower, but not the rest of the building, has been faithfully reconstructed and is once again in working order. The castle-like building is located high on a ridge above the port with extensive views over the harbour.

There are many sheltered and picturesque bays around Lyttleton Harbour including Diamond Bay and Purau Bay.  There are also many different bays to explore on the way to Akaroa Harbour which is about 40NM from Lyttleton. Highlights are Port Levy with a beautiful Marae and interesting Māori history, Pigeon Bay with a welcoming yacht club on weekends, and Flea Bay - a marine reserve where you can visit penguins that nest on the farm for a tour.

Cruiser Highlights:

The Port of Lyttelton is the gateway to Christchurch City and Banks Peninsula.  There is great cruising around the Peninsula.  Favourite cruising spots of local sailors include Port Levy, Pigeon Bay, Flea Bay (marine and penguin reserve) and Akaroa which is a lovely town and well worth a visit.

Lyttelton Harbour has a small supermarket, ATMs, a pharmacy, some lovely restaurants and bars.  Public transport buses or Uber services will take you into Christchurch city with art galleries, walking tracks through the Port Hills, cafes and restaurants with vegan and vegetarian options.

Contact the Little Ship Club of Canterbury based at Naval Point Club. They have monthly gatherings and friendly locals who would love to welcome you to the area.  Naval Point has twilight racing through the summer with a cruising division. Visiting sailors are welcome to join in or come along to the club afterwards.  Pigeon Bay Boating Club and Akaroa Yacht Club are also very welcoming to visiting sailors.

Useful Guides/Websites:

Island Cruising NZ – yacht rallies & support for New Zealand & the South Pacific

Little Ship Club of Canterbury - Recommended source for local information:

Entrance Notes and Cautions:

Lyttelton Harbour is a major shipping port. Give way to all shipping traffic which will be navigating in the marked channel down the middle of the harbour. Yachts can navigate outside this channel and there are no unmarked hazards. Make a note of the reef to the west of the entrance to the harbour. It is well marked, but can be confusing with the leading lights. The harbour gets quite shallow beyond this point but is okay for shallow draft vessels.

If approaching Christchurch from the north and strong north westerlies are predicted, shorten sail as you approach Pegasus Bay as winds can very quickly go from benign to very strong and easily be double what is forecast.  To minimise the short, sharp chop produced by these winds, follow the 15m contour around Pegasus Bay. Watch for the southerly change that usually follows the NW.

Monitor VHF Channel 14 for an idea of ship movements. It isn’t so much of an issue in the main harbour, but if you are heading into the inner harbour then it is a good idea to know what is going on as there isn’t a lot of room to manoeuvre.

The harbour has a tidal range of about two meters and gets shallow beyond Corsair Bay. There is a reef  just beyond the Port entrance which is awash at high tide but it is well marked with an Eastern Cardinal Mark and a lighthouse at the Western end.

Position: 

Littleton harbour entrance - 43° 36.62'S, 172° 42.99'E 

Last updated:  September 2022