Few New Zealanders have achieved such prominence or popularity, received such high honours, or been more sincerely admired and respected in their own lifetime than Heaton Rhodes. Blessed with intelligence, talent, good looks and wealth, he made the most of his advantages. He excelled at many things, and is remembered in Canterbury as the province’s …
William Barnard Rhodes (1807 – 1878) Died of old age Place of Death: Wellington Very successful New Zealand Business man/landowner. Was behind the naming of Port Cooper (first European name for Lyttelton) and Port Levy, had the first farm/brought the first hoof stock on/to Banks Peninsula. Buried at Bolten Street Cemetery, …
For the young William Birdling, experiencing the first robbery in Canterbury I’m sure was a life changing experience. He couldn’t quite believe that the man who now pointed a gun at him had just a few days earlier worked along beside him as they shared their stories of their past adventures as young men of …
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) …
Robert Heaton Rhodes (1815 – 1884) arrived in Lyttelton just before the first four ships in 1850. Two of his brothers had already settled in New Zealand and were doing very well – William was in Wellington and George was in Purau on Banks Peninsula. Robert settles down at Purau with George and the two …
During the late 1820’s, not many European ships sailed into Ōhinehou (Lyttelton Harbour) and those that did carried the rough characters that were the whalers, sealers and merchants. One of these merchant ships was from the Australian firm of Cooper and Levey and its Captain was William B. Rhodes. At the time, the most populated …
