When driving down Ferry Road, heading east through what is regarded as Woolston Village, I always find myself seeking out a building that I simply know as “…the Catherine Street…” abode and the fact that embedded in its walls, is the road sign for Catherine Street makes it even more intriguing. Now the home of …
Sir Julius von Haast was born Johann Franz Haast. “…a boy in heart until the day he died…” was once said about this German geologist. Before his journey to New Zealand in 1858, Julius traveled around Europe and married Antonia Schmitt. His studies of geology and mineralogy at Bonn University unbelievably were not his reasons …
http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/christchurch-garden-city-of-new-zealand-1952
There was one thing that people knew about Clement Goodwin Jones for sure – he did not like motorbikes. On the 23rd December 1908, he showed up at Lancaster Park to climb aboard that very thing. Known as ‘Scorcher Jones’, Clement was a very well known Christchurch based cyclist. His whole life revolved around the …
The view of Waitaha (Canterbury Plains) from the top of the Te Poho o Tamatea (Port Hills) in the late 1830’s wouldn’t be hard to imagine – swamp, grass, cabbage trees, flax and Toi Toi. Was it a place where a future could begin for someone not afraid of hard work? William Barnard Rhodes (pictured) …
“Rode with Mr [John Robert] Godley over the hills to the Plains. Went first to Christchurch, where there are about 4 huts, 3 tents and a hovel or 2 – with about 25 persons in all…the [Canterbury] Association store, a surveyor’s hut are the principal buildings upon what may be some time a great city …
“…the work done in the old Provincial days, and the men who did it, deserve to be held in grateful recollection. When we consider what our Canterbury Provincial Government left behind, when we look at the roads, bridges, harbour works and even railways, by which the province was opened up…we are justified in believing that …
In 1884, the Lyttelton Harbour Board was approached about building bathing sheds close to Cave Rock. Even though this board said no to the idea, the Sumner Town Board continued to look into the possibility. After deciding that the eastern end of The Esplanade was best, 11 acres of shoreline was put aside. A year …
‘Honest John’ Cordy was manager of Homebush for the Deans from 1854 to 1859. An Englishman, he arrived in Christchurch in 1851 and ran a small run near the Bridle Path where newly arrived hoof-stock could graze before moving on when their owners were ready. On the 1st May 1854, John took over Homebush and …
When Charles Prince arrived in Lyttelton in 1858, I’m sure he had no idea that two future suburb names would be influenced by him with very little effort made by him at all. An ex-school master, Charles seemed to have no plans to follow his previous working path. By 1860, his crockery and china shop …
