Harakeke Street in the suburb of Riccarton, Christchurch

Harakeke St in Riccarton – Harakeke means: flax. Named to commemorate the Deans families’ efforts to conserve the native forest trees in Riccarton. The naming was also designed to showcase the Maori names of plants. Named in 1892 when John Deans split up 150 acres of the Deans Estate into 105 lots which were then auctioned. Referred to as “formed and opened up” in The Press in 1898.

A small amount of information from the library website and nothing that I can add about the name of the street.

A reasonable amount of information from Papers Past. Between 1901 and 1915 there were mostly ads for sections plus a few ads for servants. In 1917 there was a new boarding house for Christchurch Boys High and this boarding house get mentioned frequently between 1917 and 1989. In 1925 the boarding house is given the name of Adams House.

Many death notices over the years plus a few birth notices. Drainage and flooding issues are frequently mentioned and in 1959 the stormwater drains were improved to fix the flooding problems. I don’t know if this helped as flooding is mentioned again in 1986. In 1929 there was a big fire in a pine plantation that was on this street. There was a kindergarten built in 1957/ 1958 and it is still here. The street was extended in 1954 and sections were available in 1957. I checked old maps and the extension to the street was at the Fendalton Rd end of the street. It would have been formed on Daresbury property and there is a street called Daresbury Lane nearby. In the 1960s there were several applications for establishing a garage and service station on the corner of Harakeke St and Riccarton Rd but they kept getting declined. There was an engagement notice that stood out for me in 1967 and it was for a Susanne Jones. Susanne used to babysit my younger brother and me when we were young. In 1971 there were three sections available at 75 Harakeke St. The house belonged to Sir Joseph Ward and he died in 1970. His grandfather was a New Zealand Prime Minister and he was also Sir Joseph Ward. The house is still there and it was built in 1905.

In 1984 and 1985 a property at 7 Harakeke Street is mentioned as being a special care unit for the elderly with mild confusion. It was also described as an experimental home for Alzheimer victims. It is now called Enliven Positive Aging Services and includes the Totara Club and Harakeke Club.

I walked this street on Saturday after visiting the Buddhist Temple as part of Open Christchurch. The Buddhist Temple entrance is on Riccarton Rd but their address is Harakeke St. The Enliven Positive Aging Services is almost opposite the Buddhist Temple’s car park. The kindergarten is also near the Riccarton Rd end of the street. There is a mixture of house styles and houses date from 1905 to 2020 on this street. There are two streams here Ilam stream and Wairmairi Stream so no wonder there have been flooding issues on this street. At the end of the street there is Daresbury Park plus a walkway that takes you through to Fendalton Rd. There are some lovely houses on this street but they are well beyond my budget.