Diamond Harbour, New Zealand

Settlement in Christchurch, New Zealand

Town in Canterbury, New Zealand

Diamond Harbour

Town

Main Diamond Harbour wharf

Small urban area within Christchurch City Council boundaries

Diamond Harbour

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Diamond Harbour

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Coordinates: 43°37′43.6″S 172°43′53.6″E﻿ / ﻿43.628778°S 172.731556°E﻿ / -43.628778; 172.731556
Country| New Zealand
Region| Canterbury
District| Christchurch City
Ward| Banks Peninsula
Community| Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū Banks Peninsula
Electorates|

* Banks Peninsula
* Te Tai Tonga (Māori)

Government

• Territorial Authority| Christchurch City Council
• Regional council| Environment Canterbury
• Mayor of Christchurch| Phil Mauger
• Banks Peninsula MP| Vanessa Weenink
• Te Tai Tonga MP| Tākuta Ferris
Area

[1]

• Total

| 3.02 km2 (1.17 sq mi)
Population

(June 2024)[2]

• Total

| 1,720
• Density| 570/km2 (1,500/sq mi)
Local iwi| Ngāi Tahu

Diamond Harbour is a small town on Banks Peninsula, in Canterbury, New Zealand. It is on the peninsula's northern coast, on the southern shores of Lyttelton Harbour, and is administratively part of the city of Christchurch.

## Naming

[edit]

The area was named by Mark Stoddart for the glint of sunlight on water.[3] He bought 500 acres (200 ha) of land in the area in 1856 to farm.[4][5] The name also applies to the bay within Lyttelton Harbour / Whakaraupō adjacent to the settlement. In 1949, the bay's name changed from Te Waipapa Harbour to Diamond Harbour (Te Waipapa). In 2003, the name changed further to Te Waipapa / Diamond Harbour.[6]

## Godley House

[edit]

Godley House was built in 1880 by Harvey Hawkins (a ship chandler, ironmonger and financial speculator) on land purchased from Mark Stoddart. This large family home was renowned for parties with party goers arriving on Harry Hawkin's steam launch, the Waiwera. Hawkins went bankrupt and the house and contents were auctioned off in 1896.

It did not sell and the Stoddart family, as secured creditors, acquired the property and moved in until the death of Anna Stoddart in 1911. Her daughter Margaret Stoddart lived there also and painted several pictures of Godley House.[7][8]

Godley House, having suffered extensive earthquake damage

The property was then sold to the Lyttelton Borough Council. At that time it was named Godley House after John Robert Godley.[7]

Godley House and the land surrounding it was made a recreational reserve in 2006.[9]

It was used as a hotel, restaurant and conference centre prior to the September 2010 Canterbury earthquake.[10]

Godley House was badly damaged in the September 2010 earthquake but it was thought that it could be repaired. However, damage caused by the February 2011 earthquake resulted in the Category II Historic Place being demolished.[10][11]

## Stoddart Cottage

[edit]

Stoddart Cottage, built for Stoddart's wedding in 1862, is the oldest building still standing in Diamond Harbour. It was registered by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust as a Category I historic building in 1990.[4] The artist Margaret Stoddart grew up in the cottage.[4] It is open on weekends and public holidays. It hosts art exhibitions on occasions.[12]

## Demographics

[edit]

Diamond Harbour statistical area, which includes Charteris Bay and Purau, covers 3.02 km2 (1.17 sq mi).[1] It had an estimated population of 1,720 as of June 2024,[2] with a population density of 570 people per km2.

Historical populationYear| Pop.| ±% p.a.

|
|

2006| 1,209| —
2013| 1,305| +1.10%
2018| 1,497| +2.78%
Source: [13]

Before the 2023 census, the statistical area had a larger boundary, covering 4.06 km2 (1.57 sq mi)[1] but not including Purau. Using that boundary, Diamond Harbour had a population of 1,497 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 192 people (14.7%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 288 people (23.8%) since the 2006 census. There were 666 households, comprising 732 males and 765 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.96 males per female. The median age was 48.9 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 261 people (17.4%) aged under 15 years, 132 (8.8%) aged 15 to 29, 768 (51.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 336 (22.4%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 95.6% European/Pākehā, 6.4% Māori, 1.6% Pasifika, 1.6% Asian, and 1.2% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 30.9, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 61.9% had no religion, 28.5% were Christian, 0.6% were Buddhist and 3.0% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 471 (38.1%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 99 (8.0%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $37,900, compared with $31,800 nationally. 300 people (24.3%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 582 (47.1%) people were employed full-time, 234 (18.9%) were part-time, and 15 (1.2%) were unemployed.[13]

## Amenities

[edit]

The centre of the village has a restaurant, a library, community hall, a rugby club, a bowls club, a croquet club [14] and a medical centre, all overlooking the village cricket pitch and rugby field. Orton Bradley Park is located very close to the township of Diamond Harbour. As of 2021 it has a Four Square supermarket [15] in a new mini-mall which includes a fish and chip shop, a café bar, and a self-service fuel station.

## Education

[edit]

Diamond Harbour School is a full primary school catering for years 1 to 8.[16] It had a roll of 112 as of March 2025.[17] The school opened in 1945.[18]

## Transport

[edit]

A ferry connects Diamond Harbour to Lyttelton, on the harbour's northern shore.[19] In combination with buses from Lyttelton to Christchurch, this allows residents of Diamond Harbour to commute to the city. Diamond Harbour is 25 kilometres via the Governors Bay road to Lyttelton.

Diamond Harbour from Port Hills

## Climate

[edit]

Climate data for Diamond Harbour (1991–2020)

Month  | Jan  | Feb  | Mar  | Apr  | May  | Jun  | Jul  | Aug  | Sep  | Oct  | Nov  | Dec  | Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)  | 21.5
(70.7)  | 21.3
(70.3)  | 18.9
(66.0)  | 16.5
(61.7)  | 14.2
(57.6)  | 11.2
(52.2)  | 10.6
(51.1)  | 11.5
(52.7)  | 13.6
(56.5)  | 15.4
(59.7)  | 17.0
(62.6)  | 19.5
(67.1)  | 15.9
(60.7)
Daily mean °C (°F)  | 16.8
(62.2)  | 17.0
(62.6)  | 14.9
(58.8)  | 12.8
(55.0)  | 10.7
(51.3)  | 8.1
(46.6)  | 7.4
(45.3)  | 8.2
(46.8)  | 9.8
(49.6)  | 11.4
(52.5)  | 12.9
(55.2)  | 15.3
(59.5)  | 12.1
(53.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)  | 12.1
(53.8)  | 12.7
(54.9)  | 10.9
(51.6)  | 9.1
(48.4)  | 7.2
(45.0)  | 5.0
(41.0)  | 4.2
(39.6)  | 4.9
(40.8)  | 6.0
(42.8)  | 7.4
(45.3)  | 8.8
(47.8)  | 11.1
(52.0)  | 8.3
(46.9)
Source: NIWA[20]

## In popular culture

[edit]

The British comedy podcast Three Bean Salad features an occasional recurring segment about Diamond Harbour.[21]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c "ArcGIS Web Application". statsnz.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
2. ^ a b "Aotearoa Data Explorer". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
3. ^ Taonga, New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu. "Lyttelton Harbour". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
4. ^ a b c "Diamond Harbour, New Zealand". New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero. Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
5. ^ "DIAMOND HARBOUR – Mark Pringle Stoddard (1819–1885)". Discover The Delights Of Peeling Back History. 5 July 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
6. ^ "Place name detail: Te Waipapa / Diamond Harbour". New Zealand Gazetteer. Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
7. ^ a b "Godley House to be demolished". Stuff. 25 May 2011. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
8. ^ "Godley House, Diamond Harbour". christchurchartgallery.org.nz. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
9. ^ Mythen, Samantha (25 March 2021). "Time for another licensed venue? Future of Godley House site to be discussed". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
10. ^ a b "Heritage buildings". ccc.govt.nz. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
11. ^ "Historic Canterbury homestead can't be saved". NBR. 25 May 2011. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
12. ^ "DIAMOND HARBOUR: COASTAL AND VILLAGE LOOP WALKS" (PDF). www.roddonaldtrust.co.nz. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
13. ^ a b "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Diamond Harbour (332900). 2018 Census place summary: Diamond Harbour
14. ^ "Diamond HArbour Croquet Club". Retrieved 13 September 2023.
15. ^ "Four Square Diamond Harbour". Retrieved 13 September 2023.
16. ^ Education Counts: Diamond Harbour School
17. ^ "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
18. ^ "Diamond Harbour School 75th: Labour Weekend 2021". Diamond Harbour School. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
19. ^ "Diamond Harbour Ferry | Black Cat Cruises". Blackcat.co.nz. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
20. ^ "CliFlo -The National Climate Database (Agent number: 40985)". NIWA. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
21. ^ Paker, Henry; Partridge, Benjamin; Wozniak, Mike (5 October 2022). "Going To Disney World And Not Wanting To Be Dressed Up As A Ruffian". Three Bean Salad. First mentioned at 47:46. Transcript.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Diamond Harbour, New Zealand.

* The Official Diamond Harbour Community Association website
* The Original Diamond Harbour website Archived 14 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine

* v
* t
* e

Settlements of Banks Peninsula and the Port Hills, Canterbury, New Zealand

Settlements|

* Allandale
* Akaroa
* Ataahua
* Barrys Bay
* Birdlings Flat
* Cass Bay
* Charteris Bay
* Chorlton
* Church Bay
* Cooptown
* Corsair Bay
* Diamond Harbour
* Duvauchelle
* French Farm
* Gebbies Pass
* Gebbies Valley
* Governors Bay
* Gold Valley
* Hilltop
* Kaituna Valley
* Kukupa
* Lansdowne
* Le Bons Bay
* Little Akaloa
* Little River
* Lyttelton
* Motukarara
* McQueens Valley
* Ohinetahi
* Okains Bay
* Okuti Valley
* Ōnuku
* Orton Bradley Park
* Otanerito Bay
* Peraki
* Pigeon Bay
* Port Levy
* Prices Valley
* Puaha
* Purau
* Robinsons Bay
* Tai Tapu
* Takamatua
* Teddington
* Te Rāpaki-o-Te Rakiwhakaputa
* Wainui

Port Hills suburbs|

* Cashmere
* Clifton
* Cracroft
* Ferrymead
* Halswell
* Heathcote Valley
* Hillsborough
* Hoon Hay
* Huntsbury
* Kennedys Bush
* Moncks Bay
* Mt Pleasant
* Murray Aynsley Hill
* Redcliffs
* Richmond Hill
* Scarborough
* St Andrews Hill
* Sumner
* Te Onepoto / Taylors Mistake
* Westmorland

Māori pā and kāinga|

* Ōnawe Peninsula
* Ōnuku
* Puāri
* Takapūneke

*[Pop.]: Population
*[±% p.a.]: Per annum growth rate
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