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Story: Building stone

Volcanic stone wall

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Volcanic stone wall

Lava flows from the Port Hills have been widely used as building stone around Christchurch. This stone wall, outside St Barnabas Church in Fendalton, is typical. The inset shows the gas bubbles (vesicles) and white crystals of feldspar which had started to form the magma before it was erupted.

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Private collection

by Glen Coates

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How to cite this page

Simon Nathan and Bruce Hayward, Building stone – Types of building stone, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/8070/volcanic-stone-wall (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Simon Nathan and Bruce Hayward, published 2 March 2009.