That Gotta Hurt

What can one say?? Photo taken at Lancaster Park in 1887.  Cyclist was F. Wood and historians believe this photo was staged. Great photo though 😉 *image courtesy of http://thenewzealandjournal.blogspot.co.nz *

Elephants In The Avon

A sight that hadn’t been seen before or will be seen again!! Circus Elephants bathing and drinking in the Avon River by the Armagh Street Bridge in 1934!! They had just been a part of a parade promoting the Christchurch famous Hay’s Department Store.  They were part of the visiting Wirth’s Circus, set up somewhere …

The Canterbury Plains in Colour

Looking forward to the Summit Road reopening.  Would love to see the Pioneer Woman’s Memorial – Resting Hut –  that sits at the top of the Bridle Path. Just below that, on the Heathcote side sits the Jane Deans Memorial Seat…

The Canterbury Plains

The view of the Canterbury Plains (the Port Cooper Plains) from the Bridle Path. The Avon River can seen clearly running through the Plains. The collection of the trees to the left would be Riccarton Bush. *image courtesy of http://www.teara.govt.nz * Alexander Turnbull Library Reference: PUBL-0001-3 Etching with hand-coloured aquatint by William Fox

Lincoln’s Abandoned Corner

For years and years, the corner of James Street and Liffey Close, Lincoln was an unkempt wasteland. As time trickled on and the old timers either moved away or died, those left behind as well as the Selwyn District Council just assumed that the lot was Crown land. In the early 1960’s, Lincoln was in …

Charles Obins Torlesse (1825 – 1866)

Charles Obins Torlesse (1825 – 1866)     Died of illness      Place of Death: Stoke By Nayland, England Early Canterbury Surveyor, nephew of Edward Gibbon Wakefield Buried in the township of Stoke By Nayland, England The story of the Torlesse Family: http://www.peelingbackhistory.co.nz/charles-obins-torlesse-1825-1866/ Photo taken by Peter French

Charles Obins Torlesse (1825 – 1866)

Charles Torlesse’s mother was Catherine Wakefield, sister of Edward Gibbon Wakefield; the owner of the New Zealand Company and the man who is known as the founder of New Zealand. In the company of his Uncle Arthur Wakefield, the sixteen year old Charles – a surveying cadet – was having the adventure of a life …

The Turakipo Makutu Of Cave Rock

At the intersection of Judges Street and Vincent Place in Opawa once stood a small Pa – an outpost of the mighty Ngai Tahu’s northern Kaikai-a-waro (Kaiapoi) Pa. It was called Opawaho.The last chief of Opawaho was Turakipo, and he fell in love with Hineao whose father – Te Ake – was a chief over …

The Red Rocks Of Te Ngarara – Port Levy

During the late 1820’s, not many European ships sailed into Ōhinehou (Lyttelton Harbour) and those that did carried the rough characters that were the whalers, sealers and merchants. One of these merchant ships was from the Australian firm of Cooper and Levey and its Captain was William B. Rhodes. At the time, the most populated …

MERIVALE – John Studholme (1829 – 1903)

The history of Merivale or should I say Merevale, isn’t a clear one. There are 3 tales that compete to be fact, all quite different but I was glad to find out that 2 of these stories had a place where they met and this is how maybe the confusion happened. Charlotte Jackson arrived in …