As our Canterbury Association surveyors fanned out across the newly named Canterbury Plains during 1849/1850 in their assigned individual explorations, two of those surveyors – Captain Joseph Thomas and Edward Jollie – were pegging out the future site of Christchurch. “I am at present surveying the town of Christchurch, which I hope to finish in …
On 10th July 1990, Sir Richard Hadlee ended his controversial, award winning, record breaking, eighteen year cricket career by taking 5 wickets in his final bowling performance, and taking a wicket with the final ball. This historic match was played in England. He had played 86 tests in all. Affectionately known as ‘Paddles’, Hadlee was …
What started as one hundred White Camellias being donated to Christchurch’s Botanical Gardens became the Kate Sheppard Memorial Walk in 1990. The White Camellia was the symbol of Woman’s Suffrage movement. To celebrate the 100 year anniversary of her successful campaign to win women the right to vote in 1993, a new White Camellia was …
On 1 November 1989, Riccarton Borough joined Greater Christchurch and came under the care of the C.C.C. The Deans’ farm – named Riccarton after their parish back in Scotland – was clearly Christchurch’s first European settlement on the plains. William Deans had first spotted his future home from the shoulders of his two companions (Jimmy …
On 8th October 1988, the Wizard publically announced from his column in the ‘Weekend Star’ that he was personally taking on Telecom over their ‘…poofy blue…’ repainting of Christchurch’s traditional red telephone boxes. The corporate giant had just taken over from the New Zealand Post Office Service and planned to replace all the red phone …
One evening in 1994, while heading to see a movie at Hoyts 8 (the old Christchurch Railway Station on Moorhouse Ave), I spotted in the corner of my eye what turned out to be the ‘Canterbury Workers’ Memorial’, on a small piece of land – by the eastern end of the car park – gifted …
In 1986, Christchurch was split in opinion. The division started from within the ranks of the C.C.C. down to the general public. It was all over the controversial talk of the erection of a tower – 167 metres tall, forty three storeys in all. It would be the South Island’s tallest structure – with a …
John Anderson was born on 7th November 1820 in Inveresk, Scotland. There isn’t much about his childhood, except that his father was a ploughman. As a trade, Anderson chose Blacksmithing, but spent his evenings studying mathematics, chemistry and mechanical philosophy. He married his sweetheart, Jane Gibson, on 3rd June 1845 and the pair were sadly …
Christchurch was flung into a deep grief one morning when Elizabeth – a female Southern Elephant Seal – who had chosen the city as her home, was found dead on Scarborough Beach. She had died of a viral infection and for those charged with her removal, tears flowed and the opportunity to have a touch …
On 31 December 1984, Orana Park (as it was known back then) opened the South Island’s first kiwi house. Orana’s first kiwi was a Stewart Island Brown Kiwi named ‘Friday’. His right foot had been damaged in an opossum trap. In those days, Orana and other wildlife facilities could only care for ‘second chance’ kiwis …
