Lyttleton Harbor (Whakaraupō in native Māori) is an impressive deep water harbor that was formed by the erosion of the Banks Peninsula Volcano. From the entrance where the depth is 15 meters deep, it gradually reduces to be about 6 meters deep at the harbor and since it is mostly soft mud, it is an excellent spot for container and cruise ships. From the initial settlements in the 1850s, this was the only deep water port on the South Island. Taking traffic over the mountains though Evan's Pass was a challenge and so the rail runnel that linked Lyttelton and Christchurch in the 1860s. The road tunnel was constructed from September 1961 through August 1962 and it was officially opened in February 1964. Around 150,000 cubic meters of rock was removed to create the tunnel. It serves about 10,000 vehicles a day. The tunnels were closed temporarily following the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes, suffering only very minor damage. It was the Tunnel Control Building that was badly damaged and replaced. There is no pedestrian pathway through the tunnel and Christchurch buses have been equipped with bicycle carriers to bring cyclists between Heathcote (the Christchurch side) and Lyttelton. The tunnel has two lanes and is 6460 feet (1970 meters) long. At this time, there is no toll to transit the tunnel in either direction. [Review 394 of 2024 - 47 in New Zealand - 21427 overall] read more

Lyttleton Tunnel - Lyttleton Tunnel, Christchurch - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Christchurch, CAN

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