Heathcote Valley History
The legacy of Heathcote Valley: tracing a colorful past
We have a number of separate articles and stories about the history of Heathcote Valley. Most of these have been published on the Heathcote Valley Community Magazine over the past few years. Please click here for a list of the articles.
Prior to European Settlement
The Heathcote Valley is not known to have been permanently settled by Māori. At the time of the arrival of the first Europeans the closest Māori settlement was a well established village over the hill at Rāpaki. There was also a waho (outpost) known as Ōpāwaho in the area now known as Opawa. This was a resting place for Ngāi Tahu travelling between Kaiapoi and Horomaka (Banks Peninsula).
The main route taken by Māori travelling north to the plains was via the Rapaki Track, so the Heathcote Valley was probably mostly bypassed. However the valley is easily traversed and would have offered an alternative route for travel through to Te Ihutai (the estuary of the Ōtākaro Avon and Ōpāwaho Heathcote Rivers). Some stone-lined holes, possibly once used for cooking, have been found near the head of Avoca Valley, as well as patches of sea shells on the flat at Hillsborough, suggesting that local Māori also traversed that route to gather kai.
Like other parts of the Port Hills, in earlier years the valley most likely had stands of bush that would have attracted birdlife. The bush was probabaly destroyed by fires, possibly many times over the years, either deliberately burned or by natural fires, then regenerating again. Even today hill fires are a hazard that threaten the area and care has been taken to select less flammable species for revegatation projects.
At the time the first Europeans arrived the Heathcote Valley area was mostly tussock and grass as depicted in early drawings and writings. The upper valley appears to have been devoid of any significant bush, so was unlikely to have been an important area for gathering kai (food). There were richer pickings elsewhere. Lower down, flax and raupo were growing and people traversing the Bridle Path talked about sampling nectar from the flax flowers.
Part of the great plain, Canterbury settlement as viewed from the top of the Bridle Path. Etched by T. Allom. From a drawing by Wm Fox Esq.r. London, John W. Parker, 1851. Shows the Heathcote River, Forty Miles Beach (Pegasus Bay) and settlers driving stock down the Bridle Path.
The Bridle Path
The Bridle Path was constructed in 1950 as a way for the first Canterbury Association settlers to cross from Lyttelton to the Canterbury Plains. Hastily built, it became the main route across the hills for many years.
The path was too steep to ride horses all the way, so riders had to dismount and lead their horses by the bridle over the steepest parts, hence the name.
At the time the Bridle Path was constructed Christchurch did not yet exist, and the main European settlement was Lyttelton. Many locals have visions of settlers embarking from the first four ships in 1850 and immediately carting their belongings across the Bridle Path to their new homes. In fact, after several weeks at sea, most people were in no condition to make the trip straight away, and besides this, it was not until 1851 that sections in the new city started to be allocated to the new landowners.
An interesting fact is that it was not unitl 1867 that the population of Christchurch surpassed that of Lyttelton.
You can find a more detailed article about the history of the Bridle Path here.
Early Pioneer Settlement
Heathcote Valley - photograph by Alfred Barker, 1863
Heathcote Valley was one of the first places in the greater Christchurch area to be settled after the arrival of the new immigrants. It is thought that the first Europeans to take up residence in the valley were John Macfarlane and William Stewart. Two months before the arrival of the 'first four ships' they had built two whares (huts) and a food store near to Ferrymead.
Initially the valley was known as Hammerton Green, the name given to a 40 hectare block in the middle of the valley that was purchased by Isaac Cookson. In 1863 Cookson decided to subdivide some of his land to establish the new township of Hammerton, which was to become what we now know as Heathcote.
The name Heathcote was originally given to the Heathcote River (Ōpāwaho) by Captain Joseph Thomas, who was the chief surveyor for the Canterbury Association. It was named after Sir William Heathcote, a British landowner and Conservative politician. He became a member and secretary of the Canterbury Association in 1848. Interestingly Sir William Heathcote never set foot on New Zealand soil, though he did have a prominent role in the early settlement plans for Christchurch. The name was soon attached to the valley at the lower reaches of the river, which today we know as Heathcote Valley.
To begin with the valley was farmed. Grass grew well so sheep were run on the land. Soon cattle were introduced and market gardens established.
In 1851 Captain William Morgan purchased a block on the east flank of the valley where he built a house. Before long, a school was established in one of the rooms, which was the forerunner of the Heathcote Valley School. Captain Morgan's estate became known as Morgan's Valley.
James Townsend bought a large block of land along the lower reaches of the Heathcote River and built a house near what was to become the Ferrymead wharf. Further upstream, 1n 1851, William and Lawrence Kennaway established a farm they called 'The Barton', from which Barton Street in Woolston takes its name. Likewise Kennaway Reserve and Kennaway Road take their names from the brothers. This was a large block of land immediately to the west of Tunnel Road, which has recently been converted to industrial use. The brothers did not stay in New Zealand, returning to England in 1865. However the property remained in Kennaway family ownership until 1944 and in later year was known as Kennaway's Farm.
Immediately to the south of the Townsend property, the Rev. Edward Puckle farmed 40 hectares as well as taking church services across the new settlement. He arrived at Lyttelton on the Randolph in 1850. Expecting comfortable accommodation, Puckle and his wife are said to have brought 70 tons of furniture with them, but having been unloaded from the ship, it was washed out on the tide. In 1855 The Puckles moved to Victoria, Australia.
Another Anglican clergyman, the Rev, Robert Bateman Paul, settled in a cottage he called Casterton, but stayed only a short time before moving to Nelson. In 1866 the property was purchased by George Holmes, the railway tunnel contractor, who built a substantial brick and stone home on the site. In 1874 Joseph Shirley Buxton bought the property and his brother, renowned landscape gardener Alfred Buxton, helped him lay out the garden.
Casterton was on the east side of the Bridle Path (144 Bridle Path Road today), and across the road was an expansive property owned by George Lee. The eastern part of this property is where the riding school is today, and it extended right across Heathcote Valley to the foot of Horotane Valley, which at that time was known as Lee's Valley. Hammerton Green was to the south of this, and included what is now the Heathcote Domain.
For quite some time the Bridle Path was a frequented route between the port and the plains. A refreshment stall at the summit sold ginger beer, but there was a desire for stronger beverages. In 1852 Thomas Hughes, who operated a punt across the river at Ferrymead, opened the Heathcote Arms Hotel on Ferry Road.
Heathcote's development took a major leap in 1859 with the decision to build a railway tunnel to link Christchurch with Lyttelton. The northern portal was to be in Heathcote Valley. The tunnel project saw an influx of workers, the railway line was extended into the valley and houses were built for the workers. Thomas Cookson decided to subdivide some of his land to establish a new township for the workers (Hammerton), however sales were slow. In these early years brick kilns and malting kilns were established. Malting was to continue in the valley until recent years.
In 1862 John Birdsey obtained a liquor license and began to sell 'refreshments' from a hut in Bridle Path Road. His business quickly grew and within a short time he expanded to a new two-storey building called the Valley Hotel about 50 metres down from the junction with Port Hills Road. However, when Mr Birdsey came to renew his liquor license in 1863, it was not granted. His venture was shortlived, but his name lives on as the site of the hotel is now known as Birdsey Reserve.
In 1976 work began on the building of a water reservoir to supply water, not only to Heathcote, but also to Lyltelton. This spurred the need for addiitonal accommodation for the workers and a new accomodation house was opened by Elija Gadd and Joseph Marsden. This building was known as the Heathcote Hotel until 1938 when Mrs Jane Round took over as proprieter and changed the name to the Valley Inn. This iconic building continued as the local watering house up until the building was destroyed by the earthquakes in 2011. Since then a new Valley Inn has been constructed on the same site, its style in keeping with the original old accommodation house.
James Townsend bought a large block of land along the lower reaches of the Heathcote River and built a house near what was to become the Ferrymead wharf. Further upstream, 1n 1851, William and Lawrence Kennaway established a farm they called 'The Barton', from which Barton Street in Woolston takes its name. Likewise Kennaway Reserve and Kennaway Road take their names from the brothers. This was a large block of land immediately to the west of Tunnel Road, which has recently been converted to industrial use. The brothers did not stay in New Zealand, returning to England in 1865. However the property remained in Kennaway family ownership until 1944 and in later year was known as Kennaway's Farm.
Immediately to the south of the Townsend property, the Rev. Edward Puckle farmed 40 hectares as well as taking church services across the new settlement. He arrived at Lyttelton on the Randolph in 1850. Expecting comfortable accommodation, Puckle and his wife are said to have brought 70 tons of furniture with them, but having been unloaded from the ship, it was washed out on the tide. In 1855 The Puckles moved to Victoria, Australia.
Another Anglican clergyman, the Rev, Robert Bateman Paul, settled in a cottage he called Casterton, but stayed only a short time before moving to Nelson. In 1866 the property was purchased by George Holmes, the railway tunnel contractor, who built a substantial brick and stone home on the site. In 1874 Joseph Shirley Buxton bought the property and his brother, renowned landscape gardener Alfred Buxton, helped him lay out the garden.
Casterton was on the east side of the Bridle Path (144 Bridle Path Road today), and across the road was an expansive property owned by George Lee. The eastern part of this property is where the riding school is today, and it extended right across Heathcote Valley to the foot of Horotane Valley, which at that time was known as Lee's Valley. Hammerton Green was to the south of this, and included what is now the Heathcote Domain.
For quite some time the Bridle Path was a frequented route between the port and the plains. A refreshment stall at the summit sold ginger beer, but there was a desire for stronger beverages. In 1852 Thomas Hughes, who operated a punt across the river at Ferrymead, opened the Heathcote Arms Hotel on Ferry Road.
Heathcote's development took a major leap in 1859 with the decision to build a railway tunnel to link Christchurch with Lyttelton. The northern portal was to be in Heathcote Valley. The tunnel project saw an influx of workers, the railway line was extended into the valley and houses were built for the workers. Thomas Cookson decided to subdivide some of his land to establish a new township for the workers (Hammerton), however sales were slow. In these early years brick kilns and malting kilns were established. Malting was to continue in the valley until recent years.
In 1862 John Birdsey obtained a liquor license and began to sell 'refreshments' from a hut in Bridle Path Road. His business quickly grew and within a short time he expanded to a new two-storey building called the Valley Hotel about 50 metres down from the junction with Port Hills Road. However, when Mr Birdsey came to renew his liquor license in 1863, it was not granted. His venture was shortlived, but his name lives on as the site of the hotel is now known as Birdsey Reserve.
In 1976 work began on the building of a water reservoir to supply water, not only to Heathcote, but also to Lyltelton. This spurred the need for addiitonal accommodation for the workers and a new accomodation house was opened by Elija Gadd and Joseph Marsden. This building was known as the Heathcote Hotel until 1938 when Mrs Jane Round took over as proprieter and changed the name to the Valley Inn. This iconic building continued as the local watering house up until the building was destroyed by the earthquakes in 2011. Since then a new Valley Inn has been constructed on the same site, its style in keeping with the original old accommodation house.
The Rail Tunnel
Heathcote portal of the Lyttelton rail tunnel in Christchurch. Photographed by Matthew25187.CC BY 3.0 Image courtesy or commons.wikimedia.org
The early settlers of Christchurch were faced with a dilemma. There were only two ways to get from the port of Lyttelton to the new town of Christchurch. One was by “scrambling over the hill, either by line of the bridle path, or by Cass’ Bay to Riverlaw”. The other was by “taking a boat and going round by Sumner and up the Avon to the Bricks Wharf”.
The answer was to be a railway tunnel driven through the hill to link Lyttelton to the plains. This was to be the first railway tunnel in New Zealand and the first in the world to be driven through the rim of an extinct volcano!
After a false start with another contractor, the project was awarded to Australian engineering company Holmes & Richardson and work officially commenced on July 1861. The cost of the tunnel with the portals completed was agreed at £195,000, though improvements on the Lyttelton portal incurred additional costs of £5,000.
Work was undertaken from both ends of the tunnel simultaneously with the two shafts being linked in 28 May 1967. The first train made its way through the tunnel on 18 November of that year and passenger services commenced on 9 December. Work continued on the tunnel whilst it was in use up until 1874 when it was deemed to be finally completed.
Sometimes also known as the Moorhouse Tunnel, particularly in its early days, the Lyttelton rail tunnel is 2.6 Km in length and remained the longest rail tunnel in the country until the 8.5Km Otira tunnel opened in 1923.
The Road Tunnel
In the early days there were two routes between the harbour and the city; Evans Pass, via Sumner and Dyers Pass to Cashmere. Gebbies Pass was a longer route to access the plains to the south. These are steep roads and were difficult to traverse in icy or wet conditions during winter. Remember roads were not sealed back in those days. Consequently, there continued
to be pressure to find a more efficient way to transport not only goods but people between the port and plains, especially after the introduction of
motor vehicles.
Around 1922 the Christchurch-Lyttelton Tunnel Road League was established to push for the building of a road tunnel. At the same time
another organisation, the Port Christchurch League, advocated for the development of a seaport in Christchurch, within the Avon Heathcote
estuary. The two organisations each pushed their own agendas, selling the merits of their respective plans and exposing the follies of the opposing side.
Public opinion swung between the two options and the newspapers were kept busy for more than a decade.
The Maltworks
An early photograph of the maltworks from the Gimblett family collection. Date thought to be in the 1890s.
In 1869 a man named Alfred Lee Smith arrived at Lyttelton. and soon after he recognised the potential offered in Heathcote Valley, so he purchased a substantial block of land. In 1871, seeing an opportunity, he took over the brickworks that had been established to build the new railway tunnel, and renamed it the Wincolmlee Brick Kilns.Wincolmlee is the name of Alfred Smith’s home town near the English city of Hull.
Since the days of early European settlement, the Canterbury plains were recognised as good land for growing grain, and barley thrived alongside wheat and oats. Malting requires a supply of clean water, fuel to heat the kilns, transport to bring thenew barley from the fields and to ship the malt to the breweries. Heathcote Valley had all the necessary requirements close at hand.
Being an entrepreneur, Mr Smith decided to diversify and seized the opportunity to establish a malt kiln next door to the brick kilns. Both operated under the Wincolmlee name and were located on the same site that the malt works occupied up until recent times.
Mr Smith erected a new two-storey brick and slate building to accommodate the malting activities. It was adjacent to the railway line and measured 75ft by 26ft. Initially 200 bushels of malt per month were produced, but within a year production increased to 20,000 bushels per year and the business grew from two workers to fifteen. Like many entrepreneurs it seems Mr Smith was on the lookout for new ventures and he moved to Dunedin, where he established another brickworks in Kensington. By 1875 the Wincolmlee works in Heathcote was operating under the Royse, Stead & Co name.
In 1881 Royse Stead & Co merged into a new entity, the New Zealand Grain Agency and Mercantile Company, which floated on the stock exchanges of Great Britain and New Zealand with a capital of £1,000,000. It was intended to be a major enterprise but by 1884 the company was bankrupt.
In 1886 the Wigram brothers purchased the malthouse and brick yard and restarted production. One of the brothers, Sir Henry Wigram, became mayor of Christchurch and a pioneer of aviation. The Wigram brothers expanded the brick making side of the business and, though there was competition from other brickworks nearby, they continued to supply the rapidly growing needs of the city. During part of this time the maltworks was managed by Charles Flavell, after whose family Flavell Street is named.
When Wigram Brothers merged with T. N. Horsley in 1906 to form the Christchurch Brick and Tile Company, they sold the malting side of the business to the Canterbury Seed Co. It would continue to trade under this name until 1947 when the Canterbury (NZ) Malting Company was formed, however to most local people the business was always known as the Heathcote Maltworks.
Ownership of the company changed over subsequent years with The Canterbury Seed Company being acquired by Hodder and Tolley Ltd. (a subsidiary of Yates Corporation) in 1984, and ownership of the malting company moved to the two major breweries, Lion Breweries Ltd and Dominion Breweries Ltd.
In 1999 a decision was made to shift production to a more modern plant in Marton .
The Lower Heathcote River
Coming soon