Dr. A.C. Barker sought opportunities, fortune and we should be so grateful that he did.Born in Hackney, London in 1819, A.C. was a well established young doctor and surgeon. He couldn’t pass on the great opportunity of becoming the on board doctor on the ‘Charlotte Jane’ in 1850. This not only gave him free passage …
Bishop Henry James Chitty Harper was the first Bishop of Canterbury. He started his religious career as the Chaplin of Eton and then was the Vicar of Stratfield Mortimer in Berkshire. It was there that he was approached by Bishop George Augustus Selwyn (who was the Bishop of New Zealand) who asked him to become …
Known to the Maori as Te Kete Wananga o Te Kopare O Iho, the swampy terrain made it perfect for food gathering. They would hunt the native rat, quail, grey and paradise ducks, shags and eels. Flax among many other plant life was also gathered from this area. Also flowing through the swamp was the …
At 11.30am on the 21.11.1967, a Bristol Freighter ZK-AYM of Straits Air Freight Express was flying over Christchurch, heading towards the airport. Aboard was the airline’s founder and General Manager Thomas O’Connell, Operations Manager, Captain Robert Hamilton, First Officer Helge Torgersen and James McLaggan. At 11.33am, these men lost their lives as their plane crashed …
A great view of Lyttelton in 1851, showing the first four ships docked in the harbour. The first jetty with the immigration barracks is to the right 🙂
George Rhodes (1817 – 1864)       Died of a chill   Place of Death: Purau Buried at Lyttelton’s Anglican Cemetery, Christchurch The story of George Rhodes: http://www.peelingbackhistory.co.nz/the-rhodes-brothers/ Photo taken by Annette Bulovic The discovery of George Rhodes’ crypt at the Lyttelton Anglican Cemetery was to hold more than Chris and I expected…and not in …
*image of Te Koraha courtesy of http://www.isnz.org.nz * *image of Purau courtesy of http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/ * *image of Elmwood and Oakford courtesy of http://christchurchcitylibraries.com/* *image of Otahuna courtesy of http://www.otahuna.co.nz *
William Barnard Rhodes (1807 – 1878) was the eldest of his 13 siblings and the first to arrive in New Zealand out of his 5 brothers! As Captain and co-owner of the ship ‘Harriet’, William saw a lot of the world. In 1836, while employed by the firm of Cooper and Levy, William sailed into …
Came across an interesting article from The Lyttelton Times dated 19th May 1860 that carried some big pioneer names: “List of persons qualified and liable to serve as jurors within twenty miles of the Resident Magistrates office, Christchurch: *Barker, Enoch, Town Belt South, Gardener (was the first gardener of the Christchurch Botanic Gardens, also planted …
“He grows more wonderful than ever, in dress and appearance. His hair is all brushed and shaved away from him face…he used to wear the most frightful long brown holland blouse, left very open, with a belt and turn-down collars…” And this was how Charlotte Godley (the wife of John Robert Godley – founder of …
