Understand
Lyttelton was established as a seaport in the late 1840's. It provides a safe sheltered deepwater harbor as it lies in the caldera of an extinct volcano. The town's steep streets are a novelty for many Christchurch drivers, who rarely encounter a hill unless they deliberately drive to the hill suburbs on the edge of the city.
In the early years, Lyttelton provided a trans-shipment point for cargo bound for Christchurch. Passengers and light cargo would travel over the Bridle Path on foot or horseback. While heavier cargo was shipped in shallow draught coastal vessels back around the coast, across the treacherous Sumner Bar and into the Estuary to Ferrymead or, later, Steam Wharf, just down the Heathcote River from where the Tunnel Road meets Ferry Road.
