Little River is a town on Banks Peninsula in the Canterbury region of New Zealand.

From the summit at Hilltop, all of the bays on the peninsula are accessible on equally steep roads.

Between 1927 and 1934, Little River railway passengers were served by the experimental and popular Edison battery-electric railcar, the only one of its type to be built.

[3] The population early last century numbered in the thousands, and people were mainly employed in timber milling and farming.

Sir Miles Warren designed the lounge which was added to the eastern end of the church in 1990.

[10] Little River is described by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement, and covers 2.74 km2 (1.06 sq mi).

[11] Banks Peninsula South statistical area, which also includes Birdlings Flat, covers 371.61 km2 (143.48 sq mi).

[13] Every year in January the Little River Agricultural and Pastoral Show is held in the Awa-Iti Domain situated in the middle of the town.

This attracts many visitors as well as exhibitors and competitors in the equestrian arena and the numerous displays of sheep, cattle, dog trialling, produce, floral and cooking.

The lake, rivers and streams abound in trout, perch (redfin) and eel.

The world record for the largest brown trout caught was held by one of these rivers in the 1960s.

[15] Long term residents believe that the flooding was the worst since the "Wahine storm" on 10 April 1968.