Lyttelton’s timeless classic
The Timeball Station, on a hill above the town and port, was built in 1876. It incidentally helped everyone within sight to tell the correct time, though its prime purpose was to ensure that ships’ chronometers were accurately set, thus enabling navigators to calculate their positions while at sea.
Three minutes before the hour, a red ball was hoisted to the top of the tower’s pole and, on a signal telegraphed from Wellington, dropped at exactly 1pm every day.
Why go?
Because the tower has been part of Lyttelton’s skyline for nearly
150 years, and a great deal of dedicated effort has gone into restoring it.
The 2010 earthquake dealt it a savage blow, and 2011’s deadly follow-up was the final straw. The adjoining castle-like building that was once such a feature is now no more than a set of foundations, but the tower itself has been meticulously recreated with the original stone, now concealing a sturdy, earthquake-proof interior. It sits in a pretty garden with an apple tree and a flagstaff, and there is a cute bronze statue of Skippy, a local dog who used to come running when she heard the ball being raised, to bark when it dropped.
It’s an easy walk up there from the town centre, which really equates to London St, and you’re rewarded with a wonderful view of the town, the port with its piles of timber and big cranes, the harbour, its islands, and the Diamond Harbour settlement across the water, all of it enclosed by the rocky shattered rim of one of the two volcanoes that formed what is now Banks Peninsula.
Inside tip
If you enjoyed seeing the statue of Skippy, be sure to hunt down the one of the sturdy sled dog in London St, commemorating the town’s Antarctic connection.
On the way/nearby
While London St has most of the action, as far as cafes, bars and shops are concerned – and also cute little Grubb Cottage, built in 1851 – take a wander along the other streets with their pretty wooden villas. If doughnuts are a big thing for you, head down to Glamour Cake on Norwich Quay, where they are precisely that, and the cakes are something else, too. Look for Pilgrim’s Rock, commemorating the arrival of the first residents of Christchurch, who first had to walk there over the Bridle Path, which you could do, too. There’s a farmers’ market on Saturdays. Hunt down the Torpedo Boat Museum, or see if the old Steam Tug is sailing. Head out of town to the beach at Corsair Bay, or take a ferry to Quail Island, or to Diamond Harbour.
How much?
Getting up there will cost you just enough effort to make you feel justified in indulging in some sort of reward back down in the town.
Best time to go
On a sunny day for the view and in time to see the ball drop at 1pm. lytteltoninfocentre.nz