As the Bridle Path was being sliced into the side of the Port Hills, above Lyttelton – which was well under construction, at the foot of the path, another structure was rising; under the watchful eye of its owner, Major Alfred Hornbrook. It was Canterbury’s first commercial enterprise, hotel and humble grog stop – to …
What actually inspired me to do the story of Godley Head was the old Maori term for the place, ‘Otokitoki’ which means ‘a place of axes’. My imagination was instantly stirred, but it proved to be one of the biggest anticlimaxes since I began to peel back Canterbury’s history almost 3 years ago. Standing like …
There is very little about the earliest days of Scarborough or who named it as such. What follows is the puzzle I have put together with the few clues left me. George Rhodes arrived at Lyttelton Harbour in 1843 to become an overseer and partner of his elder brother – William Barnard Rhodes – who …
As the Bridle Path was being sliced into the side of the Port Hills in 1849 – above Lyttelton which was well under construction – at the path’s foot, another structure was rising, under the watchful eye of its owner – Major Alfred Hornbrook. It was to be Canterbury’s first commercial enterprise, hotel and humble …
