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1864
- February 8
- George Parr’s "All England" cricket team defeats a Canterbury side.
- February 10
- First Council artesian well drilled at the corner of Tuam and High Streets. It gushed to a height of 3 or 4 metres above ground level.
- March 17
- Arthur’s Pass crossed by Arthur (later Sir Arthur) Dudley Dobson. He became the Christchurch City Surveyor in 1901.
- March 21
- New Zealand’s first hansom cab arrives in City.
- April 18
- First Ferrymead (swing) bridge opens.
- April 25
- Canterbury Horticultural and Acclimatisation Society formed. This group introduced many animals, birds and fish to Canterbury, and helped to establish the Government Gardens, which eventually became the Botanic Gardens.
- June 4
- Serious fire in Colombo Street destroys buildings between Hereford and Cashel Streets.
- August
- City Council’s "Committee on Swans" decides to import black swans to try and control the watercress in the Avon. The swans, duly introduced, departed almost at once for distant lagoons and marshes.
- September 16
- Opening of second Town Hall, built of stone next to the first hall in High Street.
- September 28
- Re-built Victoria Bridge opens. It is probably the country’s first iron and stone bridge.
- October 7
- Opening of a 12 night season of Lyster’s Royal Italian and English Opera Company. The opera was "Lucia di Lammermoor".
- December 16
- Foundation stone laid for Christchurch Cathedral. The weather was atrocious.
- December 24
- First gas street lights.
- December 25
- Durham Street Methodist Church opens - the City’s first stone church.
- December
- Census population of Christchurch City (excluding Lyttelton) 6,438.
