PORT LYTTELTON, a municipal borough of New Zealand, formerly called Port Cooper and Port Victoria, lies on the north-west side of Banks Peninsula, on the east coast of South Island. The town, situated in 43° 36' S. lat. and 172° 44' E. long., stands on the north shore of a small bay 4 miles south-west from the heads. A fixed white light, visible 30 miles in clear weather, is placed on Godley Head on the north-west side of the entrance to the bay. Harbour works, costing over £300,000, have made Port Lyttelton a first-rate commercial port. Protecting breakwaters have created a fine, accessible wet dock of about 110 acres in extent and contiguous to the town; there is ample wharf accommodation for large vessels and every appliance for loading, discharging, and storing cargo. A graving-dock, closed by a caisson, is 450 feet long, 82 feet broad between the copings and 46 feet on the floor, and has a depth of 23 feet of water on the sill. The shipping, excluding coasters, entered inwards at Port Lyttelton during 1883 amounted to 124 vessels of 83,117 tons, and 140 of 120,328 tons cleared outwards. Imports have increased in value from £629,457 during 1872 to £1,400,106 during 1883, and exports from £829,260 to £1,944,035. Port Lyttelton is surrounded by steep hills, and is connected by rail with Christchurch, 7 miles inland. There is steam communication twice a week with the chief ports of New Zealand, and weekly with Melbourne. The population in the census of 1881 was 4127. The town, which is supplied with water and gas, and with electric light lamps on the wharves and the railway bridge, has post and telegraph offices, a time observatory, a jail for long-service prisoners, a state school, a sailors’ home, and an orphanage.