A timeline of Christchurch events in chronological order from pre-European times to 1989.

Go to a year between 1700 & 1989

Begin at the beginning

This week in history

December 3, 1867

Canterbury Museum (New Zealand’s first) opened to public in an upstairs room in the Canterbury Provincial Government Buildings The collection had been assembled by Julius (later Sir Julius) Von Haast. See 1872

December 3, 1924

Children’s Library opens in Hereford Street.

December 3, 1972

First jumbo jet lands at airport.

December 5, 1881

Earthquake damages Cathedral spire.

December 5, 1987

Rev Margaret Wood elected the first female Archdeacon in the Christchurch Anglican Diocese.

December 6, 1983

16 year old Christchurch student David Tan completes B.Sc Honours degree at Canterbury University to become New Zealand’s youngest ever university graduate.

December 7, 1883

Second Industrial Exhibition opens.

December 8, 1843

Greenwood brothers (James and Joseph) settle at Purau, Lyttelton Harbour.

December 9, 1867

Lyttelton railway tunnel opens, the first in the world to be drilled through a volcano rim. It was New Zealand’s first tunnel, and at the time was described as one of the longest in the world, yet had been planned and financed by this tiny colonial settlement whose population was just over 9000, (6,647 in Christchurch and 2,510 in Lyttelton.)

Notes

• This resource includes images from our photographs collection - clicking on the image will take you to a larger version of that image.
• This resource links to various other local history resources on our website.