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A timeline of some Christchurch events in chronological order from 1700s to 1989.
Go to a year between 1700 & 1989
Begin at the beginning 
This week in history
- September 5, 1985
- French agent Dominique Prieur convicted over the bombing of the Greenpeace ship "Rainbow Warrior", transferred from Mt Eden Jail to Christchurch Womens Prison.
- September 5, 1987
- Canterbury Rowing Club 125th anniversary - believed to be the oldest sports club in New Zealand. See 1861.
- September 5, 1988
- Stanley Reid, New Zealand's longest serving prisoner (43 years) dies in Christchurch.
- September 6, 1878
- Railway to Dunedin officially opens.
- September 6, 1980
- $9.5 million Icon exhibition opens at Robert McDougall Art Gallery.
- September 7, 1850
- First Canterbury Association settlers sail from Plymouth, England on the “Charlotte Jane”, “Randolph” and “Cressy”.
- September 7, 1863
- City’s first murder trial. G. Lumley convicted.
- September 8, 1850
- “Sir George Seymour” leaves Plymouth with settlers.
- September 8, 1890
- Striking watersiders attack and injure scab labour.
- September 9, 1988
- 8.5o frost coldest in September since records began at Airport 25 years ago.
- September 10, 1962
- Controversial master transportation plan made public by Regional Planning Authority.
- September 11, 1889
- Cave and Maori artifacts discovered at Moncks Spur.
- September 11, 1928
- Kingsford-Smith and his crew (Ulm, Litchfield and McWilliams) land at Wigram in "Southern Cross" after the first trans-Tasman flight. A crowd of 30,000, alerted by all-night radio broadcasts, had gathered at the airfield.
- September 11, 1954
- Last tram journey in Christchurch.
