Blue Gum Place in New Brighton. Named after a gum tree on the site. The tree was planted in the early 1940s by the landowner, Davie Holder. It was felled as a danger in 2007. Formed post-1997. Information supplied in 2008 by Jack Ryan, in a letter to Margaret Harper.A reasonable of information from the library website and I can’t add anything about the naming of the street. This street is on the edge of the red zone but managed to survive. Most the houses date from 1990s and 2000 but a few have been built within the last couple of years. David Holder lived at 184 Travis Rd and his occupation was farmer. He died in July 1958 aged 62 and his wife Ethel died in 1961 aged 63 and they are both buried at Burwood. They both come from the Forest of Dean area in the UK and were married at Littledean in 1920. I couldn’t find a date for their arrival in NZ but they were living at Travis Road in 1928. Note, I love the Forest of Dean area in the UK. None of the houses stood out for me but it looked like there were some larger really nice houses on back sections. The houses were tidy and well cared for with some nice gardens. The best thing for a street of this type was that there was a footpath on both sides of the street.

Echelon Drive – Named after an echelon, an arrangement of aircraft in which each one is slightly to the right or left of the one in front. In the Wigram Skies subdivision where the street names have an aviation theme. Named in 2014.A small amount of information from the library website and nothing that I can add about the naming of the street. The street runs from Kittyhawk Ave to Lodestar Ave. The houses are all modern houses and nothing stood out for me. There wasn’t even an ugly house. Personally I felt that they were bland and boring.

Lodestar Ave – In the Wigram Aerodrome subdivision by Ngāi Tahu Property Ltd where the street names are either of aircraft or taken from the list of the first 100 students at the Flight School established by Sir Henry Wigram in 1917. Named in 2012.A small amount of information from the library website and I can add that it is likely to be named after an aircraft called Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar which was a passenger transport aircraft from World War II.This street has mostly businesses at the Hayton Rd end to Vickerys Rd. From Vickerys Rd to Corsair Drive there is huge space on one side which probably belongs to the airforce with about 6 houses at the Corsair Drive end. On the other side of the street there are villas belonging to Lady Wigram retirement village and they actually looked quite nice even if exactly the same. Most had small but lovely gardens. There were also new buildings being built and these looked like a complex rather than villas. A couple of reserves and a small walkway which looked pleasant and of course I just might have been geocaching in the area.

Strikemaster Lane in Wigram and nothing on library website but that is understandable as this private lane is brand new. It runs off Corsair Drive. Only 9 properties and all were built in 2019 and all went on the market in December 2019. The lane would be named after the Strikemaster jet which was a British training and light attack aircraft and it first flew in 1950.The houses all looked exactly the same here and my photo is a screen shot from google maps from when the houses were still being built.

Aermacchi Lane is a private lane in Wigram and there is nothing on the library website for this street but it is a fairly new street. Most houses built in 2018 with a couple built in 2017 and 2019.Would have been named after the Italian aviation company Aermacchi or even possibly named after jet trainer and light attack aircraft designed and manufactured by this company. A friend told me that the RNZAF used Aermacchi fighters/ trainer aircraft from 1970s to 2000s. The street runs off Corsair Drive and the houses looked tiny and cramped together. I only have a screenshot from google maps for this street.

Curtis Street – Named after Morton Whitefoord Curtis (1899-1941). Curtis was a sheep farmer from Ashburton. He graduated from the Canterbury Flying School on 7 May 1918. In the Wigram Aerodrome subdivision by Ngāi Tahu Property Ltd where the street names are either of aircraft or taken from the list of the first 100 students at the Flight School established by Sir Henry Wigram in 1917. Named in 2012.A reasonable amount of information from the library website. On the ancestry website I found the same information that the library had with a bit extra. His Great Britain Royal Aero Club Aviators Certificate had him qualifying in a Caudron Biplane. By about 1924 he was living mostly in South Africa. I couldn’t find his marriage details and he possibly got married in Australia. He was only about 15 years old when his mother died and 18 years old when his father died. He died in July 1941 and is buried in Kenya. His wife died in 1947 and she was about 42. I couldn’t find out much about her and they had at least two children born in South Africa.This street has Te Kahu Park on one side and Wigram School on the other side of it. No houses on this street.

Dalwood Drive – Named after Harold Pettman Dalwood (1893- 1931). Dalwood was an indent merchant from Christchurch. He graduated from the Canterbury Flying School on 26 November 1917. In the Wigram Aerodrome subdivision by Ngāi Tahu Property Ltd where the street names are either of aircraft or taken from the list of the first 100 students at the Flight School established by Sir Henry Wigram in 1917. Named in 2010.A small amount of information from the library website and I seriously sidetracked on researching this man. I checked Ancestry website and Papers Past. The information from Great Britain Royal Aero Club Aviators Certificate has his address as C/- R S Badger, 187 Manchester St, Christchurch. he was born in Sydney, NSW on 12th November 1893 and was an indent merchant and he trained in a Caudron Biplane on 26th November 1917. I found him living at 28 Kipling St in Addington in 1916.He went to England with his parents Albert and Julia Dalwood in 1905 as a school boy. He must have gone back to England at some stage as he got married there in 1919 and this is where it gets confusing. I found a marriage record of him marrying Bonita M Puri in April 1919 but his divorce details from 1922 has him married to someone called Gretchen who he married in England in 1919. He claimed that he bought her out to New Zealand where she had an affair so he stopped sending her money. She is supposed have spend one night in a hotel in Sydney with a man which she denied. It is possible that Bonita and Gretchen are the same person but I couldn’t find any other information about them.In 1923 he married Agnes Pyman and in 1928 they were both living in Auckland but at separate addresses. He died in Sydney in 1931 and there is no mention of him having ever been married. Agnes continued living in Auckland and described herself as a widow.I would love to know how he died as I suspect there could be a wee mystery there. The death notice was extremely brief.This street has houses built from 2011 to 2013 and nothing stood out for me. There was one house that a weird mixture of stone and glass. Part of the street is bordered by Te Kuhu Park.

Found information about his death in an Australian newspaper.

DEATH OF MR. H. P. DALWOOD.Mr. Harold Pettman Dalwood, of Macleay-street, Potts Point, died at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital on Monday.Mr. Dalwood entered the hospital some weeks ago for treatment for an internal complaint.The treatment made him feverish, and last Friday he suddenly left his bed, ran across the room, and jumped from a balcony. He was badly injured, and, in his weakened condition, the injuries led to his death.Mr. H. P. Dalwood was the son of Mr. A.E. Dalwood, who founded the Dalwood RestHome, Balgowlah.

Keene Street – Named after Arthur Herbert Keene (1899- 1984). Keene was a law student of Island Bay, Wellington. He graduated from the Canterbury Flying School on 6 June 1918. In the Wigram Aerodrome subdivision by Ngāi Tahu Property Ltd where the street names are either of aircraft or taken from the list of the first 100 students at the Flight School established by Sir Henry Wigram in 1917. Named in 2012.A small amount of information from library website. I searched Papers Past and ancestry website. Great Britain Royal Aero Club Aviators Certificate has DOB 19th March 1899 and he trained in a Caudron Biplane. Received his certificate on 6th June 1918 which is interesting as there was a piece in the newspapers dated 3th May 1918 where he was requesting 3 months leave to attend Aviation School in Canterbury. His parents were Richard and Emily Keene. I managed to find two marriages for him but no divorces. First was to Doreen Margaret Bolton and the second to Florence Mary Gibbs and he possibly died in 1984 aged 85 but I struggled to find information for any of them.The houses here are mostly built in 2013 and nothing outstanding. The houses on the same side of Raukura Park look tiny and you are so close to your neighbours. Turn over in bed and your neighbours would feel it as the houses looked that close to each other.

Mackay Street – Named after Douglas Mackay (1897-1964). Mackay was a clerk from Spreydon, Christchurch. He graduated from the Canterbury Flying School on 25 March 1918. In the Wigram Aerodrome subdivision by Ngāi Tahu Property Ltd where the street names are either of aircraft or taken from the list of the first 100 students at the Flight School established by Sir Henry Wigram in 1917. Named in 2012.A small amount of information from the library website. I searched ancestry website and Past Papers and struggled to find out much information about Douglas Mackay. There were two men with the same name who attended the flying school and there is a lot more information about the other one.Information from the Great Britain Royal Aero Club Aviators Certificates has his DOB as 7th December 1897 and living at Middle Lincoln Rd Spreydon and that he was born in Spreydon. Occupation was clerk and he trained in a Caudron Biplane. Received his certificate on 25th March 1918. He married Emily Catherine Candy and Candys Rd in Halswell is named after her father. In World War Two he was a traffic Inspector in Waimate and he died in Waimate in March 1964. Emily died in September 1966. Most the houses here were built from about 2017 to 2020 and I have a couple of screen shots from google maps showing them being built. It was a warm evening when I walked this street and I couldn’t get photos. I have mixed feelings about some of these houses as I quite like them but they would be better in a different setting. Where they are on this street you are so exposed to the neighbours and any random nosy person (like me) walking past. I know that it is very strange for me to like modern houses but these are very different to normal houses. Parking would be horrendous and this street is very close to The Landing.

Porter Street – Named after Robert Grey Porter (1895- 1965). Porter was an auctioneer of 32 Edward Avenue, St Albans. He graduated from the Canterbury Flying School on 9 April 1918. In the Wigram Aerodrome subdivision by Ngāi Tahu Property Ltd where the street names are either of aircraft or taken from the list of the first 100 students at the Flight School established by Sir Henry Wigram in 1917. Named in 2012.A small amount of information from the library website. Searched Ancestry website and Papers Past. Information from Great Britain Royal Aero Club Certificates has him born 26th September 1895 in Riversdale. He was living at 33 Edward Ave, St Albans and his occupation was auctioneer. Trained in a Caudron Biplane and received his certificate on 9th April 1918. He left NZ in May with NZ Expeditionary Forces and arrived in Liverpool about June. In 1916 he was a clerk in Timaru going by the information for WW I Reserves Rolls.In 1928 he married Isabel Mary Strang and they divorced in 1936. In 1946 he married Margaret Catherine Jane Imlah and this was her second marriage as she was divorced as well. He was a farmer living on Main South Rd, Manaia and he is buried in Manaia cemetery. He died March 1965. They had one son Robert and I don’t know if he had children with his first wife.None of the houses here stood out for me and I didn’t take any photos. Houses all built between 2012 and 2019 and are mostly on just one side of the road. Te Kahu Park and Wigram School are on the other side of the road.