Courtenay, New Zealand

Courtenay
settlement
Old West Coast Road passing through Courtenay
Courtenay
Coordinates: 43°27′55″S 172°14′2″E / 43.46528°S 172.23389°E / -43.46528; 172.23389Coordinates: 43°27′55″S 172°14′2″E / 43.46528°S 172.23389°E / -43.46528; 172.23389
Country	New Zealand
Region	Canterbury
Territorial authority	Selwyn District
Time zone	NZST (UTC+12)
• Summer (DST)	NZDT (UTC+13)
Postcode	7671
Area code(s)	03
Local iwi	Ngāi Tahu

Courtenay is a settlement in inland Canterbury, New Zealand. It was once important as a place where the Waimakariri River could be forded and was a coach stop on the way to the West Coast. Its decline began when the Midland Line was routed via the nearby Kirwee.

Early pioneers in Canterbury found it challenging to cross the Waimakariri River, and struggled with its pronunciation. In 1849, the chief surveyor of the Canterbury Association, Joseph Thomas, gave it the name Courtenay River after the Canterbury Association member, Lord Courtenay, but it lapsed into disuse and the river was soon called again by its Māori name. The best opportunity for fording the river was 35 kilometres (22 mi) from Christchurch and the settlement that developed on the south bank at the ford took the European name of the river. When building timber ran low in Christchurch, the logs from the Harewood Forest at Oxford were brought across the river at Courtenay.

Courtenay is a fertile agricultural district. It originally formed part of the Racecourse Hill and Desert runs, the former of which was originally taken up by John Charles Watts-Russell. The latter was bought by the Rev Octavius Mathias for his friend, the Rev John Owen, a member of the Canterbury Association who never came out to New Zealand. Courtenay was one of the earliest settled districts in Canterbury, and among the first residents was Colonel De Renzie Brett.

A hotel was built in 1861 and operated by Charles White, and a store was opened at the township in the days when Cobb & Co coaches ran through it on their way to the West Coast. A second hotel, the Halfway House, was opened by Charles Watson just east of Courtenay. It was so named because it was equidistant to Christchurch and Sheffield, and Cobb & Co made it its breakfast stop on the journey from Christchurch.