Paulus Tce in Cashmere – Named after Petrus Paulus Hendrickus Blokker (1930?- 1982).Blokker was a mechanic and freezing worker. His signature appears on the two subdivision plans that laid out the right-of-way. First appears in street directories in 1964.Information supplied in 2007 by Bob Pritchard, subdivisions officer, Christchurch City Council.
A small amount of information from the library website. Most entries on Papers Past were sections for sale in 1966 and 1969 and these ones would have been the Blokker subdivision. The two sections for sale in 1977 was from land belonging to someone who lived on Whareora Tce, He wanted to develop the land at the back of his property.
Paulus Blokker had a few dealings with the council over the subdivision and there was apparently an easement causing issue. Paulus argued that it was an ancient right of way that is now obsolete. The council solved the problem by selling a narrow strip of land to Paulus for £50 in exchange for the council to be able to continue to use the easement. This was all happening in the 1960s and in 1971 when building the houses there was an incident involving a 5 ton truck. The truck lost control on the steep road but luckily the truck driver wasn’t hurt. It did cause a bit of damage. It is mind boggling to think that any truck was able to get up this steep and narrow street which is still signposted as a right of way.
The next story that mentions this street was in 1975 and it involved a very interesting bankruptcy story. The bankrupt man claimed to have purchased a house on this street and then resold it for $107,000.00. That is a huge amount of money for those days.
Paulus Blokker was frequently described a a freezing worker but he also farmed pigs in the Harewood area. Was fined for pigs wandering on the road at his Harewood property. His application to open two pigs on Lower Styx Rd was declined in 1966. Busy man.
I walked this last night and can I just say that it is very steep especially if you have already walked 10km for the day. I will confess that I only walked part of it as there wasn’t a footpath. I didn’t take up the offer to pick plums from the plum tree as I always use a backpack when out walking and they would have got squashed by the time I would have walked to the car. Thanks to the local who made the offer. I met some very friendly people on my walks in this area.
Lytteltonwitch's Walking the streets of Christchurch Project 