• The Hornbrooks

    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 …

  • Edward Gibbon Wakefield – Pleasant Colonising Object

    “I hope you have not changed your mind about coming here; as I have a suggestion to make…relating to yourself and a pleasant colonising object…if you come do not let us be cut short on time…” And just like that, the idea of Canterbury is born in a simple conversation between two minds 😉 Edward …

  • Arthur Edgar Gravenor Rhodes (1859 -1922)

    Arthur Edgar Gravenor Rhodes (1859 -1922)     Died of natural causes   Place of Death: Christchurch * Was the first New Zealand born person to be elected into the House of Representatives. * Father of Rose Mairehau Hutton who is now remembered in the naming of the suburb ‘Mairehau’. * Chairman of the ‘New Zealand Shipping …

  • THE CASE OF THE SEVERED HAND – THE HOWARD MYSTERY

    As Arthur Rennage Howard sipped his beer at the Day’s Hotel in Sumner, he looked at the time on his silver pocket watch. It was 4pm on Saturday, the 10th October 1885. He looked out the window as Sumner beach began to empty of sunbathers and swimmers, the sun beginning to lower in the sky. …

Contact Form Powered By : XYZScripts.com