New Zealand - Christchurch - A Colombo Street Scene, Looking North. - Circa 1910 - Unknown Photographer #337842 Christchurch - Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand. - The Avon River flows through the centre of the city, with an urban park located along its banks. At the request of the Deans brothers whose farm was the earliest settlement in the area—the river was named after the River Avon in Scotland. - Archaeological evidence has indicated that the Christchurch area was first settled by humans in about 1250. - Christchurch became a city by Royal Charter on 31 July 1856, making it officially the oldest established city in New Zealand. - The name of "Christchurch" was agreed on at the first meeting of the Canterbury Association on 27 March 1848. It was suggested by founder John Robert Godley, whose alma mater was Christ Church, Oxford. - The Māori name Ōtautahi means "the place of Tautahi".