It turns out our city is even more unique and interesting than we realised! We dug up weird and wonderful tidbits you may not have known about Christchurch, so read on for new fun facts to break out at dinner parties.

Christchurch is the oldest city in New Zealand

Yep, it was officially the first in the country to be declared a city by Royal Charter – all the way back in 1856, on July 31^st. It precedes Nelson by two years. Discover more: Experience the closest thing to Christchurch in the 1800s by taking a stroll down the Christchurch Street in Canterbury Museum. canterburymuseum.com

Before the Garden City, it was Cyclopolis

Christchurch, with its wide, flat streets, has always been a city fond of cycling; in fact, in the early 20^th Century it was nicknamed ‘Cyclopolis’ because so many people liked to get around by bike. Discover more: What better way to explore this cycling-friendly city than by bike? There are so many awesome trails around Christchurch, around the central city and river, out to the ocean, and into the hills. If you don’t have a bike of your own, there are bikes available to rent or guided cycling tours to join.

We have an exact geographical opposite

Christchurch is part of one of only eight pairs of cities in the world with a matching city on the near-exact opposite side of the Earth. Our antipodal city is A Coruña, Spain. So we won’t be digging through to China here! Discover more: You can check out the world’s other antipodes on the Antipodes Map. antipodesmap.com

Our very own Central Park

It fits the bill: Hagley Park is big, it’s central, and in fact it’s estimated to be the third-largest inner-city park in the world. Ahead of us on the ladder are London’s Hyde Park and New York’s Central Park. Discover more: Take a walk in the park and revel in having such an epic green asset in our central city.

Under the bridge downtown

Only fitting for New Zealand’s oldest city, Christchurch is also home to New Zealand’s oldest bridge. The Hamish Hay Bridge in Victoria Square was built in 1864 and is the oldest stone and cast iron bridge in the country, even more precious now that it survived the massive shake-up of 2011. Discover more: Cross the bridge, checking out the commemorative plaque on your way over, and take a selfie in front of the dandelion fountains (AKA Ferrier Fountain).

Lyttelton is burning down

Originally known as Port Cooper, Lyttelton nearly burned to the ground back in 1870, due to a fire at the back of Queen’s Hotel on London Street. Since this was in the days before fire extinguishers, locals tried to halt the fire by pulling down fences and even buildings, and prisoners were released from the Lyttelton Gaol to help fight the fire. Two-thirds of the town were destroyed, and at the time it was the worst urban fire New Zealand had ever seen. Discover more: Check out Henry Trading in London Street – it’s situated in an old Mahar’s Drapery building that was built in 1870, after the fire destroyed the previous building on the site. henrytrading.co.nz

The buzzing metropolis of Banks Peninsula

Both Lyttelton and Akaroa were larger settlements than Christchurch until 1860 – four years after Christchurch became an official city. Discover more: Head over the hill to Akaroa for a day trip or short getaway – it’s easy to see why people liked (and still like!) living here.

Older than we know

Of course, it’s only the European settlers that declared Christchurch an official city in 1856 – but humans had been in Ōtautahi for much longer than that. Archaeological evidence found in a Redcliffs cave in 1876 indicated that the area was first settled by moa-hunting tribes, all the way back in 1250 CE. Discover more: Take a walk into the Port Hills from Barnett Park and check out the cave overlooking the valley; you probably won’t find any moa bones, but you never know!

The Ballantynes fire

Our flagship department store Ballantynes is New Zealand’s oldest department store, and was also the site of New Zealand’s worst fire disaster. The 1947 Ballantynes fire killed 41 people, partially due to delays in evacuating the building and the fire brigade underestimating the seriousness of the fire. Ironically enough, staff were issued a new safety pamphlet in 1948 that began with a bolded rule about evacuating during an earthquake. Discover more: Ballantynes today is a (very much safer) shopping destination in the heart of the city, so treat yourself to a spot of retail therapy at the oldest department store in New Zealand. ballantynes.co.nz

Christchurch hosted the British Commonwealth Games in 1974

The games, held at QEII Park, were known as the Friendly Games and saw athletes from 38 countries competing in athletics, badminton, boxing, cycling, lawn bowls, shooting, swimming, diving, weightlifting and wrestling. New Zealand won 35 medals all up: nine gold, eight silver, and 18 bronze. Discover more: QEII Park was sadly damaged beyond repair in the earthquakes, but you can now visit the Tairoa QEII Recreation and Sport Centre, which opened on the same site in May 2018.

Our layout of squares

The way Christchurch is laid out, with a central city square, surrounding city squares and a central parklands area, is part of an exclusive group of only four cities in the world that were carefully planned out in this way. Christchurch was the last to follow this plan, after Philadelphia, Savannah, and Adelaide. Discover more: Take yourself on a tour of all Christchurch’s city squares: Cathedral Square, Latimer Square, Cranmer Square and Victoria Square.

Christchurch’s sisters

Did you know we have five sister cities? These are cities geographically and politically distinct from each other that have a long-term partnership meant to promote cultural and economic ties. Christchurch’s sister cities are Christchurch, England; Adelaide, Australia; Kurashiki, Japan; Seattle, USA; and Wuhan, China. Discover more: Each of our sister cities donated a street lamp to artist Mischa Kuball’s Solidarity Grid between 2013 and 2015 as part of SCAPE Public Art, showing support after the earthquakes. The street lamps, along with 16 others from around the world, are installed along Park Terrace, so take a stroll and see if you can find each one donated from a sister city. scapepublicart.org.nz

It’s a minefield out there

Rumour has it that there was a minefield laid out just off the entrance to Lyttelton Harbour in 1941 by a German WWII minelayer ship. The mines were never set off or found, even after a navy team searched for them in 2018 prior to the channel being dredged. Could they still be out there somewhere? Who knows. Discover more: We don’t recommend conducting your own mine hunt, but we do recommend gazing out at the waters of Lyttelton Harbour from a Port Hills walking track (or from the deck of Lyttelton Coffee Co.) and imagining what other pieces of history could be buried out there.

Gateway to Antarctica

Although we’re not closest to Antarctica geographically (that honour falls to Chile and Argentina), Christchurch is one of five gateway cities for Antarctic exploration, meaning you can travel direct to the icy continent from here. We also host Antarctic support bases for several other countries. Discover more: Visit the International Antarctic Centre, where you can experience a Hägglund ride, an Antarctic storm, and meet penguins! iceberg.co.nz

Stop and go

Christchurch’s very first traffic lights were installed on the intersection of Cashel and Colombo Streets in 1930. Discover more: Cashel Street is now Cashel Mall at the point where it meets Colombo Street; go for a wander in this primo shopping district and be secure in the knowledge that all traffic is now doing what it’s told.

To the skies

Christchurch Airport, or Harewood Airport as it was first known, was the first international airport in New Zealand. Discover more: Been anywhere new lately? International travel might not be as easy as it once was, but we can still board a plane and head off to explore our own wonderful backyard.

The oldest cinema in Christchurch

The proud owner of that title is the Hollywood Cinema in Sumner: it’s the only survivor of the city’s first generation of suburban cinemas that’s still running today. Discover more: Come on, you know what we’re going to say here! Head Sumner-wards for a good old-fashioned night at the movies, and don’t forget the popcorn. hollywoodcinema.co.nz

Christchurch’s resident wizard

Otherwise known as the Archwizard of Canterbury, The Wizard (that’s actually his official, legal name) became the official Wizard of New Zealand in 1990, making us the only country in the world to have an officially appointed wizard. Discover more: Go wizard-spotting around the central city – he can often be found in Cathedral Square or at the Margaret Mahy Family Playground. Bonus points if you manage to spot his unique double-ended Volkswagen!