It is a city founded in 1850 located on the east coast of the South Island in the Canterbury region, it is the largest city in the Canterbury region and the second largest in the country after Auckland. The city was the result of a programmed colonization policy organized by the Canterbury Association formed in 1849, this association had the utopian objective of creating a new Jerusalem in New Zealand. It is a new city due to the earthquake of 2011. It is located in an area that is quite prone to earthquakes. For this reason, in the city there are many museums where you can learn about these phenomena, the most famous of which is Quake City. One of the most spectacular train routes in the world departs from this city, the TranzAlpine, which goes from coast to coast of the South Island, arriving at Greymouth, crossing the Southern Alps and the beautiful plains of the Canterbury region along the way. .