Lyttelton Harbour (Māori: Te Whaka-raupo) is one of two major inlets in Banks Peninsula, on the coast of Canterbury, New Zealand. The other is Akaroa Harbour.
Approximately 15 km in length from its mouth to Teddington, the harbour was formed from a series of ancient volcanic eruptions that created a caldera, the steep sides of which form the Port Hills on its northern shore.[1]
The harbour's main population centre is Lyttelton, which serves the city of Christchurch, connected to Christchurch by the single-track Lyttelton rail tunnel (opened 1867), a two lane road tunnel (opened 1964) and two roads over the Port Hills. Diamond Harbour lies to the south and the Māori village of Rāpaki to the west. At the head of the harbour is the settlement of Governors Bay. The reserve of Quail Island lies near the harbour head and Ripapa (Ripa) Island is located just off its south shore at the entrance to Purau Bay.
The harbour provides access to a busy commercial port situated at Lyttelton. In 1877 the Lyttelton Harbour Board (now Lyttelton Port Company) initiated construction of an inner harbour, which today includes a petroleum storage facility and a modern container and cargo terminal.[2]
The island of Ripapa has extensive fortifications and was used during World War I for the internment of German nationals, the most famous being Count Felix von Luckner. Quail Island was used as a leper colony by early European settlers and has since become a nature reserve.
Hector's Dolphins, an endemic species to New Zealand can be found along with New Zealand Fur Seals.