IEEE SENSORS 2009 Conference - 25-28 October 2009


	About Christchurch Local Attractions Conference Map		Christchurch is undoubtedly one of New Zealand's most liveable cities, combining an easy-going provincial charm with the emerging energy and verve of a metropolis. Modern bars and restaurants compliment Gothic architecture and locals know how lucky they are to blend all the attractions of a city with the relaxed ambience of a small town. Traditionally the most English of the New Zealand cities with a grand Anglican cathedral rising from a stately square, punts gliding down the sleepy Avon River, and trams rattling contently along Worcester Street. A more dynamic Christchurch can be found in the restored laneways and squares around Lichfield Street, High Street's hip café scene and the immense pride of the beautifully maintained Arts Center. Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area. It is midway down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of Christchurch. The city was named by the Canterbury Association, which settled the surrounding province of Canterbury. The name of Christchurch was agreed on at the first meeting of the association on 27 March 1848. John Robert Godley, who had attended Christ Church, Oxford, suggested it. Some early writers called the town Christ Church, but it was recorded as Christchurch in the minutes of the management committee of the association. The usual Māori name for Christchurch is Ōtautahi ("the place of Tautahi"). This was originally the name of a specific site by the Avon River near present-day Kilmore Street and the Christchurch Central Fire Station. The site was a seasonal dwelling of Ngāi Tahu chief Te Potiki Tautahi, whose main home was Port Levy on Banks Peninsula. The Ōtautahi name was adopted in the 1930s. Prior to that the Ngāi Tahu generally referred to the Christchurch area as Karaitiana, a transliteration of the English name.