15 December 1848
Captain Joseph Thomas, William Fox, and surveyors Cass and Torlesse arrive at the site of Lyttelton in the “Fly”. Thomas names the harbour “Port Victoria”. He and his party had been sent by the Canterbury Association to choose a site for the new colony and make the necessary preparations for the arrival of settlers in 1850.
16 December 1850
“Charlotte Jane” and “Randolph” arrive at Lyttelton.
16 December 1851
Anniversary celebrations in Hagley Park. First organised sport, including horse races, athletics and a cricket match.
16 December 1864
150 years ago the foundation stone was laid for ChristChurch Cathedral. The weather was atrocious.
17 December 1850
"Sir George Seymour” arrives.
17 December 1935
City Council decides to buy 230 hectares of land at Harewood for a city airport. The purchase was strongly criticised in many quarters as excessively large, but subsequent history has more than vindicated the decision.
20 December 1955
First Antarctic flights by USN Operation Deep Freeze from Christchurch. Browse our page on Antarctica and its Christchurch connections.
More December events in the Christchurch chronology: a timeline of Christchurch events in chronological order from pre-European times to 1989.
Add a comment to: This week in Christchurch history (14 to 20 December)