Tensing Place in Sockburn – formerly Tensing Street. Named after Tensing Norgay (1914-1986). Tensing and Sir Edmund Hillary became the first climbers to conquer Mount Everest in 1953. In a block of 28 acres in Curletts Road between Blenheim Road and Riccarton bought by the government for state housing in 1953. The land was formerly owned by Pyne, Gould, Guinness Ltd. Named Everest Crescent on 10 August 1953. Re-named Tensing Crescent on 12 October 1953 as “the name Everest Crescent had already been taken”. First appears in street directories in 1957. Minutes and report of meeting of Housing Committee of the Paparua County Council held on 10 August 1953 & 12 October 1953, held at Christchurch City Council archives.
A reasonable amount of information from the library website and I couldn’t find any evidence that it had been originally called Everest Crescent.
Papers Past had a few entries but most were ads for someone who was a colour therapist. I had to google this and it is also called chromotherapy and was described as quarkery.
In 1953 it was mentioned that the three streets in the new housing block and named Everest Ave, Hillary Crescent and Tensing St which is why I think that the library information is wrong. One day I am going to have to try and access the council information. In the same year of 1953 the NZ Alpine Club requested that the street names of Tensing and Hillary be swapped over so that Hillary Crescent is the name for the more prominent street. This was agreed to by the council. Also in 1953 it was mentioned that trainee builders would be working on the units being built in the street. A few houses were for sale in 1954 and in 1957 residents of this street plus nearby streets requested a bus service.
A few death notices and one said late of Lyttelton but I didn’t recognise the name.
I walked this street after visiting a quilt exhibit at Riccarton High School. Many houses still look like State Houses / Housing Corp/ Kainga Ora but a few are privately owned. Most houses were built in the 1950s but there is a block of units that were built in 2022. There were a couple of houses that were looking a bit neglected and I wouldn’t be surprised if Kainga Ora demolish them and build new units on the land. They would probably be able to fit at least 20 units on the land that is currently occupied by two houses as the sections were huge.
There was a footpath on both sides of the street but in many cases I had to walk on the grass verge because of the vegetation blocking the footpath. Can’t say that I particularly liked the street plus it is too close to a school for me. The street runs off Curletts Rd and traffic on that road can be a nightmare.
Lytteltonwitch's Walking the streets of Christchurch Project 