Esher Place – Named on 22 March 1971. First appears in street directories in 1977.
A small amount of information from the library website. I couldn’t find any extra information. Couldn’t find anyone with that surname in Christchurch. Houses are from the 1970s. There is a town in Surrey with that name.
This tiny street runs off Riverlaw Tce and it has footpaths on both sides of the street which is always a plus. Pity I was forced onto the road thanks to vehicles blocking the footpath. Nothing stood out for me here. Seemed to be mostly brick houses and mostly a couple of rebuilds but it is sometimes difficult to tell. No photos.

Vega Place – First appears in street directories in 1987.
Not much information from the library website. The houses here were built in the 1990s and the tiny street runs off Port Hills Rd almost opposite the French Bakery. At the end of the street is a plant nursery. Ended up chatting to a local and she has lived in Heathcote all her life and said it has changed a lot in her lifetime.
It must get very noisy with all the heavy trucks going pass on Port Hills Rd. Vega is a Spanish word for dweller in the meadow or fertile place. As this street backs onto Horotane Valley it is a good name for the street.

The Tors – Named after the cluster of high rocks behind Castle Rock. Developed at 118 Port Hills Road by Horncastle Homes. Named in 2006.
Small amount of information from the library website. I didn’t actually walk this tiny street as it looked more like a driveway rather that a street. A modern street in Heathcote with modern houses.
A bit of googling shows that people are still rock climbing on the Tors after which this street was named. Much of the information on-line about the rock climbing was provided by two people that I know. Obviously lots of rockfalls here after the earthquakes.

Stedley Place – Named after Stedley Scott. Scott was a draughtsman employed by the Heathcote County Council. First appears in street directories in 1980.

A small amount of information from the library website. The houses were quite nice here and the footpath was on both sides of the street. I only took one photo of what looked like an older house but after googling I found out that it was built in the 1980s. I did like this house.

Station Rd – Short Road/Short Street was incorporated into Station Street. Named because it led to the Heathcote Railway Station. Station Road is first mentioned in the Star in 1873 in a report of a meeting of the Heathcote Road Board. First appears in street directories in 1903. Short Road first appears in street directories in 1902. Becomes Short Street in 1924. Incorporated into Station Road in 1950.

A reasonable amount of information from the library website. I found the same article dated 1873 on Papers Past. Station Rd was a very common name.There were older wooden villas on one side of the street and the railway line on the other side. There is a great little shop called Heathcote Valley Gallery here but thankfully it wasn’t open as I suspect I would overspend here. There would have been a railway station here but I don’t know when it was demolished. Passengers trains stopped running a long time ago. I used to travel on the school train from Lyttelton to Christchurch but just can’t remember what the station looked like. I have a vision of a wooden building with a verandah style of shelter. It is possible had a really nice garden area as there were articles in Papers Past about the wonderful roses in the station’s garden. If anyone remembers the railway station you can correct me.

Romar Lane – Named after the developer’s wife’s parents, Ron and Margaret. A small private right-of way serving 10 properties. Developed at 110 Port Hills Road by Texco Developments Ltd in 2006.
A small amount of information from the library website. A modern street in Heathcote with modern houses which ends at a grassy area and the railway line. The best thing on this street was someone’s campervan. It had Adventure before Dementia on it.

Pawaho Place – Pawaho is another form of the Māori name for the Heathcote River. The Pawaho Hamlet or Settlement was a government village settlement of 50 acres designed for workmen with jobs in Lyttelton. First appears in street directories in 1978.

A small amount of information from the library website. This tiny street only had a footpath on one side which was blocked by cars parked on it. There was one house that looked brand new and it is likely to be a rebuild. The other houses were mostly brick and very average looking.

Martindales Rd – Named after Robert Wilkinson Martindale (1831- 1892). Martindale arrived in Canterbury about 1863 and lived in the Heathcote Valley. He was foreman to George Holmes, a railway contractor who built the Lyttelton railway tunnel. Information about the naming of this road was given in a letter to The Press written by a descendant of Martindale in 1954. First appears in street directories in 1917

A reasonable amount of information from the library website. I found several references to this street in Papers Past dated 1915 and they all related to sewage works being planned.Robert Martindale was very involved in the Heathcote area apart from being foreman to George Holmes. He was the Tunnel Inspector at one stage.
The end of the street nearest the hills has a War Memorial. Then there is pensioner cottages and in front of these there is a fridge library. A few lovely old wooden villas along this street and most had beautiful gardens. Also a few modern houses which would have replaced earthquake damaged homes. Heathcote had tinsel everywhere. On letterboxes, lamp posts and bus stops. It was on this street where I saw an older woman on a ladder taking tinsel down from a bus stop. The street also has a railway bridge going over it at about the half way point.

Hamlet Lane – nothing on library website about this lane. There are two possible reasons for this name and one is that the developer liked Shakespeare especially as there is a Cordelia Lane nearby. The other possible reason for the name relates to another nearby street called Pawaho which is named after Pawaho Hamlet.
It is hard to say if it is a brand new street or just lots of rebuilds here.With a little bit of googling and it looks like most houses were built in 2000s. The street ends at a grassy area and the railway line. I would imagine that it could get noisy with the trains going past especially as it would be freight trains. One house had a lot of native plants. The houses didn’t really stand out for me but I think this street might have had one of the Christmas decorated letterboxes.

Newbery Street – Probably named after Newbury in Berkshire, England. Newbury Street first appears in street directories in 1916. Re-named Newbery Street on 1 September 1948 when 120 streets were re-named.
A small amount of information from the library website. I couldn’t find any more information on Papers Past. Found both spellings on Papers Past being used at the same time. Older houses here which were built in 1920s and 1940s. There was a big house that is called Newbery House and I now wish that I had got a photo of it. Apparently it was built 80 years ago on the site of a house that was built in 1850. The original house was owned by a John Shearing Willis but I couldn’t find out that he had any connection to Newbury. The modern looking building is the back entrance to a nursing home called Chatswood. Opawa school has an entrance on this street and I took a photo of street art at the school.