-
Jan 1, 1000
First Inhabitants
In 1000 AD, the first Moa hunters arrived in Canterbury. By 1450, most Moa had been killed off. -
Jan 1, 1500
North Island Maori Arrive
Between the years 1500-1700, the first North Island Maori tribes (Ngati Mamoe and Ngai Tahu) arrived in Canterbury. The remaining Moa hunters were either killed or taken into tribes. -
Abel Tasman discovery
On this date in 1642, Dutchman Abel Tasman discovered the North Island for the very first time. -
Captain James Cook
On this day, Captain James Cook sighted the Canterbury Peninsula but did not set foot on it. He thought it was an island, therefore naming it Banks Island. Between 1969-1977 he mapped the entirety of Aotearoa in a series of 3 voyages. -
First Europeans
It is believed that around this date, the first eauropeans walked on Banks Island/Peninsuala. -
Maori Population Falls
Between the 1820s-1830s, the population of Maori in Canterbury fell. This is because of fighting between fighting between groups of Ngai Tahu, raids by the Ngati Toa chief, and European diseases. -
First European Settlers
Captain William Rhodes first visited in 1836. Three years later he landed a heard of 50 cattle near Akaroa -
Treaty of Waitangi
On this day in 1840, many Maori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi. This treaty allowed the british to take partial control in NZ. -
Arrivals in Akaroa
In August 1840, the british flag was raised in Akaroa just before the arrival of 63 french colonists. -
First European house
In 1843, William and John Deans built the first European house in the Cnaterbury Plains with a little help. -
Canterbury settlement
In this year, John Goodley and Edward Wakefield met to plan the Canterbury settlement